Poa annua is adaptable to just about any condition you can imagine. It can thrive in compacted soils that are found with ‘Push up’ greens that are excessively rolled and double cut. This is the same case for the native soils below our fairways and approaches. Incidentally, a push up green refers to a green that was constructed by mounding up or ‘pushing up’ all the topsoil in an area to create a putting surface. This is opposite to what we have at Highlands CC, known as a USGA spec green, which is sand based.
Poa annua tolerates extremely low cutting heights compared to Bentgrass. In addition, Poa does very well in wet soils, including those soils found in our temperate rainforest climate. It is also far more tolerant of shade compared to Creeping Bentgrass. At Highlands CC, Poa annua is our only chance at grass coverage on several of our greens due to the lack of sun. Bentgrass requires a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight for acceptable conditions. We have greens that are in the 3-4 hours of sunlight range and those greens have a higher percentage of Poa annua on them. It is survival of the fittest in action! Poa annua also has a very upright growth habit compared to other grasses. This allows for more consistent, fast conditions without any grain.
Poa annua sounds pretty good, right? Well, there are a handful of downsides to the grass. First, it is a very shallow rooted species. This simply means, it requires more water to survive. It also means the margin for error is very small when it comes to managing firm conditions. When Poa wilts, it dies, unlike other species where dormancy is triggered upon wilting. Poa annua also tends to be more disease and insect prone compared to its counterparts. This means more pesticide use is required to keep the turf in good condition. Managing Poa in many parts of the world is a huge challenge with mixed results. Highlands, however, is one of only a few places on the planet that Poa can be managed to be a great playing surface. That’s the same reason that makes it so difficult to eradicate in this area.
A new product known as PoaCure, is finally on the market. While it is awfully expensive, it does work very well. Researchers warn that after several years of use, Poa annua will start to begin to develop resistance to the herbicide, making it less and less effective as time goes on. You may recall Highlands CC was involved in the early experimental use research with this product. It remains an effective tool that we’ll keep on the shelf in case the Club decides to resurface the putting greens in the future. Until that happens, it isn’t worth using because of the resistance factor I explained above. Basically, it should be saved and used once it’s really needed to protect the investment of a greens renovation. Using it now would accomplish very little while limiting its effectiveness in the future.
Hopefully, that allows you to gain some clarity on the issues surrounding the subject of Poa annua. And remember, it is called Poa annua, which is Latin for Annual Bluegrass and also its scientific name (genus and species). In Europe, Poa annua is often referred to as Annual Meadowgrass. It's ok to drop the word 'annua' (which is its species) and only say Poa. However, Poa means Bluegrass and this means you could be referring to any number of Bluegrasses like Rough Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Annual Bluegrass etc. That said, when you use the word Poa, most people (including myself), would assume you're referring to the Annual type. It drives me crazy (nails on a chalkboard) to hear golf commentators on TV refer to the species as “Poe.” Poe is not a grass. In fact, Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre.
Just for fun...
While I'm on a roll and speaking of proper terminology and the history of this great game, a person in charge of a golf course is known as a Greenkeeper. Note there is no S. A Greenkeeper is someone responsible for all that is green; all that is outside. This is also where the term, “through the green” comes from in the Rules of Golf. If you were to say,” through the greens,” it sounds completely wrong and silly. Let’s take this a step farther now. It’s not a Greens Committee, rather a Green Committee. It isn’t the USGA Greens Section, it is the USGA Green Section. There are many more examples of this. If you are a student of the game and appreciate the history of all things golf, practice dropping the letter S!
It's great seeing activity and energy back around the campus and I hope your season is filled with many memories and great experiences on the golf course. We are here for you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to if there is something you feel we could improve upon on the golf course.