Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass Cultivar Selection: Part 1, Clipping Yield, Scalping Tendency, and Golf Ball Lie

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp. Rich.) and zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp. Willd.) are two of the most commonly used turfgrass species on golf course fairways and tees in the southern United States. However, there are few reports directly comparing commonly used cultivars of bermudagrass to commonly used cultivars of zoysiagrass. The objectives of this research were to quantify the clipping yield, percent ball exposed (ball lie), and to identify the scalping tendency for five bermudagrass and seven zoysiagrass cultivars grown in Fayetteville, AR. The cultivars generally producing the lowest clipping yields were ‘Patriot’ bermudagrass and ‘Meyer’ zoysiagrass, while ‘Tifway’ bermudagrass and ‘Palisades’ zoysiagrass generally had the highest clipping yields. On most collection dates, Cynodon spp. yielded more clippings than Zoysia spp. Patriot bermudagrass had the highest scalping tendency across the two years of this study. The cultivars Patriot, ‘Riviera,’ ‘Tifsport,’ and Tifway bermudagrass as well as Meyer and Diamond zoysiagrass had the best ball lie in unmown (five days after mowing) conditions, while Palisades zoysiagrass had the poorest ball lie in unmown conditions. Ball lie was similar for all cultivars immediately following mowing. These studies identified cultivars of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass that have improved clipping yields, scalping tendencies, and golf ball lie.