Sun City West committee updates members on TifTuf turf trial and field days at Echo Mesa

Staff presented a progress report on a TifTuf (Bermuda) sprigging trial at Echo Mesa, saying the turf has been in the ground roughly eight months and achieved close to full coverage within six months. Staff said they intentionally did not overseed to observe cart-traffic wear patterns and to avoid a difficult transition between grasses. Pre-emergent herbicides will be considered after the first full year to protect plant health, the presenter said.

The committee was told the trial’s early performance is “meeting and exceeding” expectations though the surface is not yet “perfect.” Staff noted a lack of organic material on the sprigged area that makes the turf appear matted and said those conditions should improve over time. Brian Whitlock of the USGAA was identified as providing agronomy reports for the trial.

Field days are scheduled at Echo Mesa on the 23rd, 24th and 26th so members can inspect the trial and hear agronomy staff explain the work, staff said. The Stardust irrigation capital-improvement project in the capital budget also includes funding to renovate Stardust turf with TifTuf as part of a longer-term strategy for playability.

Committee members asked about herbicide timing, imported impurities in sprigging (staff said impurities were expected and would be managed over time), and whether other nearby courses that used similar turf installations had different management approaches. Staff pointed to other local installations as comparators and encouraged members to visit those sites.

The committee will revisit the turf item at a future meeting once staff and agronomy consultants have additional data from the field days.