So this week’s Players Championship is placing an undue hardship on the field, subjecting its competitors to the indignity of playing the “fifth” major on (gasp) Bermuda greens. So says an anonymous PGA Tour pro:
”My only complaint is with the greens. No major championship is held on bermuda greens, so if we want the Players to be the fifth major, why are we playing on bermuda? I don't think the greens will ever be as good as when they were overseeded bermuda. The real reason they made the change wasn't to make the greens better for the Players, it was to make them better year-round …”
Boo-friggin’-hoo.
Gratuitous sarcasm aside, here’s my question to you:
How much of a difference does it make for you, the Myrtle Beach golfer, whether you play on Bermuda or bentgrass greens?
I understand the basic benefits of each, especially after reading this overview from MyrtleBeachGolf.com. But the deeper I dig into the debate, and see how modern agriculture is now producing different forms of each grass that makes them better suited for conditions that previously made it difficult for them to thrive … I get a headache.
It’s not made any easier when I see that popular layouts like Barefoot, King’s North, The Dunes and Tidewater go the bentgrass route, while still other premier courses like Caledonia, Prestwick and The Founders Club prefer Bermuda. Last I knew, none of these golf destinations suffers a shortage of play because of their greens preference.
Here's the painful fact for me: no matter how well-conditioned either type of greens may be, I could putt on loose gravel and get the same result (That’s what happens when your Never Compromises putter might as well be named “Never Met a Two-Putt That I Couldn’t Turn Into a Four-Putt.”).
I’ll leave it to you, my more accomplished flat-stick friends, to tell me which type I should prefer. Fire away!
