Chambers Fescue

What you are about to witness this weekend in golf is something never tried before and its going to be great.

This year the US Open will be played on fescue greens for the first time in its 115 year history.

Fescue greens require mild winters and summers. They do not do well with the weather extremes seen in Denver. Fescue is also more drought tolerant and can survive longer periods without moisture especially under windy conditions often found on the coast. Bentgrass and poa is far more dense and needs plenty of grooming to maintain good putting surfaces. With fescue's thinner leaf blades, mowing heights can be higher and often achieve good  conditions with rolling.

One big difference is that fescue greens get faster in the day as the bent/poa greens tend to get slower as they grow quicker. 

There are a lot of benefits to fescue, but they have their downside too. Only a few locations in the country can master fescue turfgrass. They can be prone to disease as well if not managed correctly. The biggest problem with fescue is its inability to handle high amounts of foot traffic. Fortunately Chambers Bay greens are large enough to spread the traffic out. 

When fescue is dry, firm and at its best it is brown. You will see what looks like "dead grass" on tv this weekend. In fact, you will see a lot of brown, but that is all part of the design. Chambers Bay will truly be a new test of golf, but it should produce a great show as well.