Choosing the Right Cool-Season Turf: Performance, Resilience and Recovery
Living Turf’s Technical Services team reviews international and local trial data to identify turfgrass options suited to different management objectives. Oakley Creeping Bentgrass, Albatross Bentgrass Blend and modern Kentucky Bluegrass genetics provide three distinctly different approaches — from premium putting surface performance through to versatile, resilient and high-traffic turf systems.
Oakley
Top Performance for Quality and Density
Top performance for quality and density
High disease tolerance
Good drought tolerance
Some golf courses seek the highest quality bentgrass possible, prioritising establishment speed, density, disease tolerance and resistance to Poa annua invasion. Oakley has consistently demonstrated outstanding performance in these areas and is designed for courses targeting the highest quality, putting surface standards.
Additionally Oakley also has good drought tolerance which is important when Turf Managers need to “push” greens at times for firmness and pace.
| Density | % cover @ 60 days | Quality | Poa infestation % | |
| Oakley | 8.1 | 91.7 | 7.7 | 1.7 |
| Pure Distinction | 7.8 | 78.3 | 7.5 | 1.3 |
| 007 | 7.1 | 73.3 | 6.6 | 3.3 |
| 777 | 7.9 | 85 | 7.5 | 2.7 |
Best fit: Oakley is ideally suited to golf courses seeking elite putting surface performance and prepared to manage a high-performance creeping bentgrass through appropriate nutrition, grooming and thatch management practices.
Hogan Gully Farm in Arrowtown – 7 months post seeding
Albatross
The Balance of Performance and Resilience
Strong year-round colour
Improved resistance to stress
Strong seeding vigour and establishment performance
Living Turf offers Albatross, a blend of 65% Musket Colonial Bentgrass and 35% Oakley Creeping Bentgrass.
Albatross combines the density and quality of Oakley with the stress tolerance, colour and adaptability of Musket Colonial Bentgrass, creating a versatile option suitable for greens, tees and fairways.
What sets Albatross apart?
√ Strong year-round colour
√ Excellent shoot density and turf quality
√ Improved resistance to stress
√ Enhanced tolerance to Red Thread, Dollar Spot and Fusarium
√ Suitable for both soil and sand-based surfaces
√ Adaptable for greens, tees and fairways
√ Strong seeding vigour and establishment performance
BSPB (British Society of Plant Breeders) trial data demonstrates the quality and consistency of Musket Colonial Bentgrass across several key turf performance characteristics.
|
Variety |
Shoot Density |
Visual Merit |
Leaf Fineness |
Winter Colour |
Summer Colour |
Average |
|
Musket |
6.5 |
6.9 |
6.8 |
6.2 |
5.9 |
6.5 |
|
Arrowtown |
7.0 |
7.2 |
6.7 |
5.0 |
5.8 |
6.3 |
|
Cleek |
6.8 |
7.0 |
6.1 |
5.2 |
5.8 |
6.2 |
|
Barking |
6.4 |
7.0 |
6.4 |
6.9 |
5.9 |
6.5 |
Best fit: Albatross is an excellent option for golf facilities seeking a premium bentgrass surface with greater flexibility, lower input requirements and strong year-round performance across a range of playing surfaces.
Kentucky Bluegrass
Built for Strength, Recovery and High-Performance Turf/strong>
Strong Recovery Under Heavy Use
Density and Surface Quality
Strong seeding vigour and establishment performance
Modern Kentucky Bluegrass genetics provide a different set of performance characteristics, from the traditional use of ryegrass, particularly suited to sports fields, stadiums and golf environments where durability, recovery and surface stability are priorities.
Kentucky Bluegrass has powerful rhizomatous growth, allowing the turf to repair itself after wear and helping maintain a tight, stable surface under heavy traffic. Advances in breeding have also produced finer-textured, denser varieties that combine durability with improved presentation and playing quality.
Strong Recovery Under Heavy Use
One of Kentucky Bluegrass’s major strengths is its ability to recover through underground rhizomes.
This self-repairing growth habit can be particularly valuable on intensively used sporting surfaces, where divoting and traffic continually place pressure on turf cover. Strong tensile strength and recovery help surfaces remain stable and playable while reducing the need for repeated re-sowing.
Density and Surface Quality
Modern Kentucky Bluegrass cultivars have moved well beyond the coarse appearance traditionally associated with some older varieties.
Advanced genetics now provide a dense, fine-bladed canopy capable of delivering high-quality presentation together with good traction and surface consistency. This combination makes Kentucky Bluegrass relevant not only for sports fields but also for appropriate golf applications where density, durability and appearance are important.
Adapted to Changing Conditions
Managing cool-season turf across Australia and New Zealand requires the ability to perform through very different seasonal conditions.
Modern Kentucky Bluegrass selections offer:
• strong heat and drought tolerance;
• excellent winter colour; and
• rapid spring green-up.
Long-Term Reliability
Enhanced disease resistance, vigorous establishment and strong recovery can contribute to a more sustainable long-term turf system.
Once established, Kentucky Bluegrass can provide a stable perennial surface with less reliance on repeated re-sowing, while improved disease resistance can help reduce chemical inputs. For venues balancing surface performance, maintenance requirements and playable hours, these characteristics can offer significant practical value.
Best fit:Kentucky Bluegrass is particularly well suited to high-use sports fields, stadiums and suitable golf environments where recovery, durability, density and year-round presentation are key priorities.
Matching the turf to the objective
The right turfgrass selection ultimately depends on the surface, expected use and management objectives.
√ Oakley provides a premium option for golf courses seeking maximum putting surface density, quality and performance.
√ Albatross offers a more versatile bentgrass solution, combining the qualities of creeping and colonial bentgrass for facilities seeking performance with greater resilience and adaptability.
√ Kentucky Bluegrass brings a new, different strength to the high performance turf portfolio, with self-repairing growth, durability and modern turf quality making it particularly valuable where traffic tolerance and recovery are critical.
Rather than looking for a single turfgrass solution for every environment, selecting genetics that match the demands of the surface provides the foundation for better establishment, stronger long-term performance and more resilient playing surfaces.
Contact your Living Turf Representative to discuss the right option for your site conditions and objectives.