Bladerunner Farms put to the test for 2016 Olympics

Bred and developed over the past 20 years by Bladerunner Farms, a turf nursery 40 miles outside of San Antonio, Zeon Zoysia is making a global debut on Rio’s Olympic golf course, The New York Times reported.

Gil Hanse, in consultation with the Hall of Famer Amy Alcott, designed the 7,290-yard, par-71 course in the Barra da Tijuca area, about three miles from the Olympic Village. Nearly 90 percent of the 88-acre course will feature Zeon Zoysia, including on the fairways, the roughs and the tee boxes.

Zeon Zoysia is a durable, warm-weather grass developed 5,000 miles from Rio in Poteet, Texas.

Zeon Zoysia requires less water, fertilizer, nitrogen and pesticide than most other types of golf turf, Doguet said. Perhaps most important, he said, it can endure Rio’s poor soil and water quality and meets the strict environmental regulations that prohibit the use of chemical fertilizers and weed killers on the course, which is on a nature preserve.

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