Golf Course Architecture - Issue 67, January 2022

New bentgrass delivers firm and consistent greens for Raleigh CC Raleigh Country Club in North Carolina is enjoying positive feedback after becoming the first golf club to introduce the new Pure Eclipse creeping bentgrass exclusively from Pure Seed, powered by Tee-2-Green, on its greens. “It was risky, but we wanted to be trendsetters,” said the club’s longstanding superintendent Billy Cole. The new surfaces were introduced as part of a 2020 renovation overseen by Kyle Franz that, in addition to expanding and resurfacing greens, included work on bunkers, the irrigation system, tree removal, and new tees to add length to the course. “RCC greens are well known as being very demanding and I am highly confident that our reputation will remain in place,” said John McConnell, president and CEO of McConnell Golf, which purchased the club in 2003. Cole selected Pure Eclipse following several visits to the Pure-Seed Testing East facility in Rolesville, North Carolina, to view bentgrass trials. He says the membership likes the firm, consistent surface of Pure Eclipse and he’s able to mow it low. “Management-wise, I can only build on the foundation of the great genetics of this bentgrass,” he said. “I look forward to seeing how it performs as it matures in years to come.” “The new greens at RCC were seeded beginning in the late spring 2020, through late July,” said Cole. “The grow-in went well and the first year has been very successful.” Photo: McConnell Golf TEE BOX 30

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