While only launched this summer, the new hard fescue J Sustain-Fairway mixture from Johnsons Sports Seed is already making a strong first impression at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, the birthplace of The Open Championship.
Delivering quick germination and coping with the challenges of the undulating links course, Prestwick has commended the blend of top-rated cultivars and the role they’ll play in futureproofing their fairways.
Dave Edmondson, Prestwick’s Head Greenkeeper, who is supported in his role by a team of ten, said: “I very much follow the Old Tom Morris approach to maintenance, working with nature and continuing the methodologies of my predecessors to run the course in a minimalist way. We don’t use any pesticides, fungicides, hardly any fertilisers and very limited water.”
He adds: “My pursuit of traditional greenkeeping techniques led me to have a conversation with our golf course consultant about our fairways, and specifically any mixtures which could help to boost the hard fescue and sheep fescue populations which are proven to thrive in low-input and links conditions. That’s where I discovered Johnsons J Sustain-Fairway.”
J Sustain-Fairway, available from DLF, has been designed to suit golf clubs looking to significantly boost the population of resilient varieties, providing a foundation of quality and strength with an increased tolerance to a broad range of turf stresses. “A chat with my DLF Technical Manager Stuart Yarwood made it clear that this mix would tick a lot of boxes, so we opted for this for our main annual fairway overseed.”
Sown at a rate of 7g/m2 in early September, germination was visible in just over two weeks, with the seedlings then able to thrive and establish.
Edmondson added: “So far it’s been so good. The natural undulations here at Prestwick have often seen certain species struggle, particularly with coverage on the tops of the hillocks, so we’ve sown some additional J Sustain-Fairway here to help and, to date, it’s all working brilliantly.”
“The hard and sheep’s fescue like a nice, settled environment and that’s exactly what we can give them. If we can keep building those populations with top-rated cultivars, then we will be much better placed to withstand environmental challenges and safeguard the course for the future.”