Tees - seed and turf selection

This time of year it is very interesting to look at our tee boxes because you can see the different types of grasses.  Our tees are predominately creeping bentgrass. On almost all green tees, the ones where we receive the most play, and in the areas of that tee where the green rocks are usually set we have a high population of Kentucky Bluegrass.

Bentgrass tee with bluegrass in the red circle, - the heavy play area of that tee

Here again - bluegrass in a bentgrass tee where the most divots occur

This is because at some point in the life of golf course, people used bluegrass seed in the divot mix.  That are of the tee gets the most play, it receives the most divots, and in turn the most seeding  - with a seed that is different than the grass type on the rest o the tee.

This is why when I first arrived and saw this, I changed the seed mixture and have later added the bottles to the tees.  It is also why I always explain to members and staff, only use that seed on tees, use that seed in fairways and rough, or don't switch your bottles with bottles on tees.  We want to keep the same turf types on each location of the golf course, meaning the same seed filling the divots, and keep that mono-culture look of the same stand of grass. We also overseed the tees with bentgrass during our aerification process.