Fescue Grass in Golf

The Different Types of Grass in Golf and How to Play Each

One thing that makes golf so great is that the playing field changes every single round. Unlike basketball or other sports with the same field or court, each round of golf has its own challenges.

From different lengths of holes, wind, weather, and also, the types of grass. The last part is something that I don’t think golfers consider enough. The type of grass you’re playing on has a huge impact on your performance, especially on and around the greens.

But chances are you didn’t get a degree in turf management and have no clue how to decipher what type of grass you’re playing on. Luckily, you found this article and we’ll make it easy for you to identify what type of grass so that you can hit better shots.

Identifying the type is step one and learning how to play from different lies and grass is the next step. Once you learn this valuable skill, your game will travel very well, no matter what course you’re playing.

Types of Grass in Golf

The type of grass featured on any golf course depends on the location of the facility more than anything else.

Some locations offer warm temperatures year round, while others have multiple seasons.

Each type of grass is conducive to the temperate and overall climate. This is why you probably see the same kind of turf in your area and don’t notice a big difference unless you travel to different parts of the country.

For example, I live in Arizona and most courses have bentgrass greens. I know how to putt well and chip well as I play them consistently. But when I travel to the East Coast, say Florida, the turf is Bermuda which is very different from normal. I have to consciously make adjustments on or around the greens to take into consideration the grass and grain.

The type of turf also plays a big factor in putting, as some grass have noticeable “grain” while others do not. This can affect your putt a ton and is another factor when it comes to reading greens well.

Now, let’s break down the most common types of turf used on the golf course.

Bent Grass for Golf

Bentgrass

The first common type of grass is known as bentgrass which is very popular with golf courses. This type of grass is most commonly used in the Northeast, Northwest, and Midwest due to cooler summers. It doesn’t do well in extreme conditions, which is why it’s common to see these coastal regions.

Bentgrass is a very lush type of grass and can grow extremely thick, which provides some tough conditions for players. Some good examples of this type of grass include:

  • Muirfield Village (host of the Memorial Tournament).
  • Augusta National (home of the iconic Masters Tournament).
  • Royal St. George’s Golf Club (host of the Open Championship).

And other well-known PGA Tour stops as well.

It is also popular with golfers as it looks very appealing to the eye. Plus, greenskeepers can mow this grass very short to create phenomenal putting greens. Just think of Augusta and how fast those greens are (usually about 14-15) on the stimpmeter.

How to Play on Bentgrass

Playing on bentgrass is pretty simple, as you don’t have to deal with grain on the putting green. As the USGA said, “Greens composed of Poa annua, colonial bentgrass and many species of fine fescue have a predominantly vertical growth habit and a general absence of grain. The breeding and development of new and improved bent grasses and Bermuda grasses in recent years has resulted in grasses with finer leaf blades, higher density and a more upright growth habit with less grain.”

Dealing with bentgrass happens more with shots from the rough than any adjustments in the fairway. Since the grass can get very thick, greenskeepers can choose to make it very long and tough if you miss the fairway.

If you find yourself in this thick bentgrass rough, make sure to:

  • Open the face at address. The hosel will likely get turned as you enter the rough on your downswing, which will close the face and make it shoot left. The thicker the rough, the more you want to open the club to offset the hosel closing at impact.
  • Grip the club firmly. Since the rough will grab the hosel, increasing your grip pressure will help you minimize the face shutting and hopefully allow you to hit it straighter.
  • Get steep. You want to take the club more straight up, straight down so that you can make contact with the ball first, into the grass behind it. If you get a ton of grass behind the ball first, your ball might not even make it back to the fairway.
  • Swing hard. Finally, don’t forget to give it all you got so that you can get as much distance as possible. You probably want to take one extra club to account for the loss of distance, too.

Bermuda Grass

One of the most common types of grass is known as Bermuda.

This type of grass does very well in warm environments, as it can grow well despite extreme heat and humidity. While it does well in the heat, it doesn’t do well in the cold and can die quite easily. Some golfers struggle with this grass on certain shots, as it can be “sticky” and difficult to keep the club moving through impact.

What makes Bermuda such a preferred choice is that it’s highly durable. It can survive against very hard conditions and recovers very quickly as well. These greens are typically slightly slower than bentgrass (at least on municipal courses) and don’t break quite as much.

One big difference between bentgrass and Bermuda grass is the grain on the greens. For example, when you’re putting on Bermuda greens, if the grass has a shine to it, you’re putting down grain which will speed up the putt. If the grass is darker, then you are putting against the grain, which will make the putt slower.

Bermuda is also a top choice among PGA Tour stops, as they can mow the grass very low if they choose too. Since most PGA Tour events play on greens that are 12-14 (or even 15 sometimes), they need the turf cut extremely low to speed up the greens.

Perhaps the best example of this grass is at TPC Sawgrass, with the world-famous island green on number 17. Known as the “5th Major” in the golf world, this course tests the best players in the world, thanks to the extremely challenging holes and superfast greens.

Other examples include:

  • Honda Classic (PGA National).
  • Waialae Country Club (host of the Sony Open).
  • TPC Scottsdale (Waste Management Phoenix Open).

One cool thing about Bermuda is that it can become dormant. A lot of courses will use dormant Bermuda grass in the rough while a different type of grass in the fairways to keep them green. The contrast between the two looks very appealing and it’s easy to spot where you should aim to find the short grass.

Bermuda Grass Golf

How to Play on Bermuda

So how do you play on Bermuda grass? It’s a good question because the “stickiness” of the grass can make a lot of players struggle around the greens.

This short video from Titleist is super helpful – here are a few pointers to remember:

  • When hitting chips or pitches from down grain, it’s much easier to control the ball. The club won’t stick into the grass and should come off slightly lower with plenty of spin to check up. You can still hit your lob wedge and should keep your weight 50-50 and maybe have a slight amount of forward press to hit down on the ball.
  • When hitting into the grain, you need to make some adjustments. First, you can putt it with a hybrid or 3 wood (as he says in the video, don’t use a putter as the grain will eat it up). If you don’t feel comfortable with a bump-n-run type shot, you can use a wedge, but need to adjust at setup. Don’t forward press the club, as it removes loft and bounce, which will make the club stick into the ground (and provide that chunk shot no one likes). Instead, opt for a gap wedge or pitching wedge and move your hands back at address. This will help the club skip through the grass and hit a normal chip shot.

Bermuda greens also bring grain into effect when you’re putting. This is why it’s important to not only read the green, but the grain as well.

For example, if you have a downhill putt but you’re putting into the grain, it won’t be as fast as you think. Conversely, if you have an uphill putt that is into the grain, you will need to put a bigger stroke on it to get the ball to the hole as it will be very slow.

With cross-grain putts, speed is the biggest factor. If the greens are fast, the grain will affect it less than if the greens are slow. If your pace is the right speed, cross-grain won’t affect your putts as much.

Poa Annua

Poa Annua is another popular grass that is easy to identify thanks to its distinct color. Overall, these greens are very slow and sticky compared to Bermuda or bentgrass. Due to their dynamics, they can’t cut them as short and can die if not maintained properly.

One of the best examples of this type of grass is Torrey Pines, which hosts the Farmer’s Insurance Open. Not to mention, the greens at the iconic Pebble Beach golf course use poa annua grass.

Poa Annua Grass Golf

Some golfers love these types of greens, while others hate them. It’s usually the players who grew up on these greens (like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson) who like them the most. They understand how to read them and how to deal with them later in the day as they get bumpy.

If you’ve ever watched these events on TV, chances are you have heard the announcers mention the grass time and time again. It’s almost as popular as the players themselves.

Why?

Because it’s tough to putt on this type of grass as the day progresses. A lot of golfers hate playing on poa as the grass grows quickly, the greens get bumpier as the day progresses.

For example, if you’re on the PGA Tour and in one of the final groups, you’ll have to deal with the wear and tear from players before. Even short putts can bounce off-line quickly and make it tough to hole putts from any distance.

According to Golf.com, poa is quite challenging for even the best greenskeepers. As they said, “Poa is the diva of grasses. It’s shallow-rooted, fussy about temperature, demands a lot of water and is readily susceptible to pests and disease. A cold winter will wipe it out. So will a searing summer. Temperate climates. That’s what poa likes. Which helps explain its prevalence in coastal California.”

While some consider it a “weed” it’s not, but it’s impossible for certain golf courses to avoid as greens get introduced to poa seeds.

How to Putt and Chip on Poa Annua Greens

When chipping and pitching on poa annua greens, it’s important to remember they are slower than they look. Watch this video for a few simple tips to playing better on these types of greens:

  • With chipping and pitching, use more loft, so the ball doesn’t spin as much. Always remember that uphill shots grab more, while downhill shots roll out more.
  • With putting, it’s important to remember that downhill putts roll out further. While the opposite is true with uphill putts.

You also need to adjust your mindset to stay patient. Remember, these greens do get bumpier as the day wears on and can affect your putting. Don’t let it get you down if you find yourself missing putts even if you make a good stroke.

Zoysia

Zoysia grass is another common type of grass for mid-temperature climates and is a member of the poa family. This type of turf does well in high temperatures, but not so much in cold weather.

One perk about this type of grass is that it grows significantly slower than grass like poa annua. It’s also very durable, which makes it ideal for areas of high foot traffic. This type of turf is most commonly used on the fairway, rough, and tee boxes too. Which is why it’s very common to see on popular municipal golf courses.

Fescue Grass in Golf

Fescue

If you love watching links golf and the Open Championship, then you know all about fescue grass. As this article said, “Golf course fescue is usually grown in the second cut of rough or beyond (such as in unmowed native areas). When golfers think of fescue, they picture a sturdy grass that turns golden and can grow three feet high. It may also be used as an ornamental grass to frame a feature like a bunker.”

This thick grass is very challenging to hit out of and if you find yourself in it, usually it’s because you were way off-line and in the rough. Rarely is this type of grass used in fairways.

One notable example of this is Whistling Straits, which was host to the 2021 Ryder Cup. Another famous example is Chambers Bay, where Jordan Speith won his first US Open Championship.

There are a lot of varieties of fescue including:

  • Rebel
  • Apache
  • Houndog
  • Hard fescue
  • Kentucky-31
  • Sheep’s fescue

And other creative names for the frustrating long grass that most golfers actively avoid.

How to Play from Fescue Grass

If you find yourself in this nasty stuff, the number one objective is to get the ball out!

The last thing you want to do is leave your shot in that grass and have to try it again. This short video and tips below will help you out:

  • Take less club than you think. 8 or 9 iron is maybe the longest club you can use, depending on the lie. More loft, means more bounce, which will help you in this thick lie.
  • Open the club up to increase bounce even more. This will help the club glide through the thick grass easier.
  • Take an aggressive swing and ensure to swing down and through the golf ball.
  • Plan for the ball to go 30-50% of its normal distance (at most).
Dormant Golf Grass

Perennial Ryegrass (Rye)

Rounding out our list of different types of grass for courses is known as perennial ryegrass (aka rye). This is another popular grass that is a favorite among golf courses across the country.

It’s not ideal for extreme heat climates (like Arizona or Florida) and grows best in cooler summer climates. But it also doesn’t do well in freezing climates either. If the temperature reaches below freezing, it will actually die off and make a nightmare for the golf course superintendent.

If the weather works out though, it’s a big hit. In fact, it’s not uncommon for golf courses to use this type of grass for the rough and fairway, as it can endure a lot of traffic.

A good example of this type of grass is at Pebble Beach and the surrounding properties. They use rye grass on the fairways and rough, while the greens themselves are poa.

This is one of the types of grass that need to be overseed during certain times of the year for prepper maintenance.

FAQs

Do you have more questions about the different types of grass in golf? If so, we have answers in the frequently asked questions section below.

What kind of grass is used on golf courses?

The type of grass used on any course depends mostly on the location and climate. Certain types of grass won’t do well in certain climates and can actually die off as well. Golf course designers and superintendents go through rigorous training to ensure the types of grass used will last for the long run.

Do golf courses have the same grass on fairways as the greens?

Not always. While it can sometimes happen, it’s not uncommon for different types of grass to be used on the fairway and rough vs. the green.

Pebble Beach is a perfect example. They use rye grass for their fairway and rough, while they use poa annua grass on their greens.

What is the best grass for a golf course?

The best grass is the one that will create the best conditions and grow year round. Climate is the most important factor when choosing the grass for the tee boxes, fairway, rough, and greens.

What types of grass need to do overseed each season?

Not all types of grass need an “overseed” season. Some of the most common types that do need overseed include rye and Bermuda grass.

Overseed happens in certain golf heavy areas like Arizona. As this turf article said, “Over 75% of all golf courses will overseed early in order to meet club and play schedules. This is very rough on the Bermuda, and the ryegrass, but you already know why. About 15% of all courses will overseed late, when the night temperatures are in the low 50°’, which makes the soil cool quickly.”

This entire process takes about three weeks and is usually cart path only for several weeks after that to not damage the new turf.

Final Thoughts

Even if you aren’t a pro golfer, knowing what type of grass you’re playing golf on can help you shoot lower scores.

The more you know about the lie, the better you can assess the shot and use the right fundamentals to execute it. Otherwise, if you don’t have your weight positioned correctly or the correct ball position, it can make for a long day chipping and pitching.

The same goes for putting on different types of grass as well. Some surfaces are much easier to putt on than others, even for the greatest players in the world, so don’t beat yourself up. But when you know the grass and potentially the grain, it makes it easier to read the putt and hit your putt with confidence.

If you don’t know the type of grass, it’s usually available on the website for most courses. Or, you can ask the pro shop as well.

Hopefully, this tutorial will help you play better on any course!