FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which courses should utilize an ultradwarf bermudagrass such as CHAMPION?

A: There are two situations where CHAMPION is the most logical choice for warm-season golf greens.

The first is a course which desires the finest putting surface attainable using a bermudagrass. Other ultradwarf bermudagrasses such as Floradwarf ™ and Tifeagle™ are not capable of producing the same putting surface as CHAMPION. They are certainly improvements over Tifdwarf, but they cannot produce the ultimate bermudagrass putting surface™.

The second situation for which CHAMPION is the best choice is when switching a course in the South from bentgrass to bermudagrass. The transition from bent to bermuda is often a disappointment to members who are accustomed to the putting quality of bentgrass. CHAMPION is the ultradwarf bermudagrass which gives you the surface most comparable to bentgrass.

In fact, CHAMPION greens have very often been mistaken for bentgrass greens by golfers.

Q: How long has CHAMPION been utilized on real greens in play?

A: CHAMPION has been used on complete sets of greens in play since 1995. No other ultradwarf has been in the real world longer.

Q: Why would I want to use CHAMPION over TifeagleTM or Floradwarf TM?

A: There are several reasons, as superintendents who have done side-by-side comparisons have found:

The putting surface. The most compelling reason is that the putting surface which can be produced with CHAMPION cannot be matched by either TifeagleTM or Floradwarf TM . Other grasses do not have the density or small, vertically-dwarfed leaves of CHAMPION. After all, the reason for using an ultradwarf bermudagrass is to have a superior putting surface, so what is the point of having the second best greens in town?

Other reasons superintendents have chosen CHAMPION over other ultradwarfs include:

Your outcome is assured. Even though other ultradwarfs have been on the market for only a short while, there have been numerous instances of courses having to replant and incurring costly delays because of poor planting jobs. Even though hundreds of courses have been planted with CHAMPION, this does not happen because each course with CHAMPION is actually planted by the breeder utilizing the same planting crews and exclusive techniques used on every course with CHAMPION greens. Even after the greens are planted, the breeders of CHAMPION remain committed to the success of every course that has CHAMPION greens and will continue to support the superintendent and work to insure that every course with CHAMPION greens succeeds.

CHAMPION is supported like no other grass:

Guaranteed establishment of CHAMPION greens
No cost for planting a nursery green
Discounted rate for repair sod if needed
Agronomic advice and consultation always available from the breeders
Publications detailing cultural management provided to every turf manager
Specialized management tools provided with newly established greens
Breeders have developed a large knowledgebase of best management practices, handling difficult problems, information on experience with chemicals, soil report parameters, etc.
Network of hundreds of CHAMPION superintendents available to new managers

Track Record. No other cultivar for greens has had the amazing success CHAMPION has had. Since CHAMPION ushered in the ultradwarf bermudagrasses in 1995, there have been several other varieties released. Some cultivars which were widely adopted at first have already been taken out of production. Still other cultivars which jumped-out in the market early-on have subsequently been taken out at many courses after having serious difficulties and even loss of turf. In contrast, CHAMPION has been more widely adopted each year and the very oldest installations planted in the mid 1990s continue to perform well.

Superintendent recommended. Superintendents who have CHAMPION greens were surveyed about their management practices and satisfaction with their CHAMPION greens. All of the superintendents who responded said that they would recommend CHAMPION to a fellow superintendent. Nearly one-third of CHAMPION installations are repeat customers – companies or individuals who are planting CHAMPION for the second (or third or fourth…) time after having managed CHAMPION previously.

Q: I have heard that CHAMPION makes an amazing surface, but isn’t it ‘harder’ to care for?

A: Superintendents managing CHAMPION greens were asked this same question in a survey.

None of the respondents characterized the management practices as being difficult, although superintendents with previous bermudagrass experience agreed it was decidedly different while those with previous bentgrass experience characterized it as being much the same.

Some even responded that their job actually became easier because their members were so happy with their CHAMPION greens.

At some courses with lower budgets and lower expectations, superintendents have for years been able to make very minimal inputs to Tifgreen or Tifdwarf. This 'hands-off' approach will not work with any high-density grass be it bermudagrass or bentgrass.

However, compared to other high-density or 'ultradwarf' bermudagrasses such as Floradwarf™or Tifeagle™, CHAMPION does not require greater management inputs. In fact, courses with CHAMPION greens which are spoon-fed small amounts of nitrogen have reduced the amount of inputs to a rather minimal level while at the same time maintaining excellent ball roll and turf quality. This approach would not be possible with the other ultradwarfs which require higher nitrogen to maintain turf quality.

Claims have been made in the marketing materials of other varieties of ultradwarfs that theirs are 'easier' to manage. Unfortunately many superintendents have learned first-hand that this is not true. It is valid to utilize Tifdwarf instead of an ultradwarf because of the management level at a given course, but it is a mistake to believe that you can have the putting surface of an ultradwarf without incurring the potential problems that can come if an ultradwarf is managed incorrectly.

Q: I've heard that CHAMPION makes a lot of thatch. Is this true?

A: Compared to Tifdwarf, every ultradwarf bermudagrass makes more thatch since they all produce greater density.

One university study reported high thatch accumulations at nitrogen levels of 2x and 3x the recommended rate. Similar studies

at another university using the appropriate nitrogen rates showed CHAMPION producing less thatch than other ultradwarfs.

Q: What about rooting?

A: Being a smaller grass than Tifdwarf or Tifgreen, CHAMPION does not produce the same root mass or depth of these grasses.

However, among ultradwarfs, CHAMPION was shown to have 77% greater root mass than FloradwarfTM and 130% greater root mass than TifeagleTM.

Q: What about rhizomes?

A: According to a study at Texas A&M University, rhizome production of FloradwarfTM, TifeagleTM and CHAMPION was NOT

statistically different when compared to Tifdwarf. However, the results of this same study have been circulated in marketing materials which omit the rhizome count of Tifdwarf, giving the false impression that there were statistically significant differences found.

Q: Can CHAMPION be overseeded?

A: Most courses with CHAMPION greens overseed every year with excellent results. Not only can you produce an incredible

overseeded surface, but transition with CHAMPION is superior to other grasses because of early Spring greenup and the ability to tolerate close mowing. But like many aspects of ultradwarf management, the establishment procedures are diffferent, so the breeders of CHAMPION commissioned an all-inclusive 3-state study to document the best procedures. This information is made available to superintendents who manage CHAMPION.

Q: I've been told that I should plant using certified grass. Is CHAMPION certified?

A: The production and quality control of CHAMPION is vastly superior to any other grass in the world.

To have allowed CHAMPION to be produced as certified stock would have required taking our foundation stock and allowing it to be planted in other fields and then relying on the quarterly inspection of each state's agriculture inspectors for quality control. History has shown that this is insufficient quality control.

It was therefore decided that CHAMPION production would come from the original FOUNDATION field under the direct control of the breeder. Every course which receives CHAMPION gets material directly from the original foundation stock which was propagated from one single plant. All CHAMPION plant material is shipped utilizing refrigeration and labeled with PLANT PATENT #9888.

Q: Has CHAMPION been thoroughly researched ?

A: No ultradwarf bernudagrass has been more thoroughly researched or tested than CHAMPION. Our testing of CHAMPION began

in the early 1990s. Independent scientific studies were conducted on CHAMPION beginning in the mid 1990s to document its characteristics and performance. Additionally, over 30 university and private research studies have been conducted to evaluate CHAMPION. CHAMPION has been consistently rated in the top group of cultivars in quality ratings at University test sites.

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about ultradwarfs having many problems, what’s the story?

A: Yes, there have been numerous instances of dramatic problems with “ultradwarfs” – winterkill, disease problems, poor transition from overseeding, even loss of turf - but these were not CHAMPION! Because of the aggressive growth habit of CHAMPION, it has consistently performed well even in adverse situations. To be fair, many of the problems that have occurred with other ultradwarfs were related to mismanagement of the grasses. This is where CHAMPION is different than any other grass in that we the breeders have spent over twelve years working through the agronomic issues in managing our grass. Because of our holistic approach to the production, planting, and follow-up support of CHAMPION we can give the superintendent one voice to listen to whether it is for determining the best management practices or dealing with a specific problem.