Rumbling Bald selects Champion Bermuda for greens at Apple Valley Golf Course

By Golfdom Staff| January 30, 2020 0 Comments

Photo courtesy of Rumbling Bald

Rumbling Bald, the 36-hole golf resort on North Carolina’s Lake Lure, selected Champion Bermuda turf grass for the greens on Apple Valley, its marquee course.

Designed by golf course architect and Pinehurst native Dan Maples, Apple Valley started the transition from its original bentgrass greens to smooth-rolling Champion Bermuda in June. Champion was chosen for its performance profile, heat tolerance and maintainability. It has speeds up to two feet faster than other ultradwarf cultivars, as measured by stimpmeter.

Photo courtesy of Rumbling Bald

“We provide our golfers with the best possible experiences and Champion Bermuda checked all the boxes,” said Rumbling Bald General Manager Jeff Geisler. “Dan Maples’ layout and routing at Apple Valley is so pure from tee to green that smooth, true-rolling Champion greens are the perfect fit.”

Apple Valley is in elite company with its conversion from bentgrass to Champion Bermuda. Quail Hollow Club, site of the 2017 PGA Championship, and Pinehurst No. 2, host of the 1999, 2005, 2014 and 2024 U.S. Opens, underwent the same transition in recent years.

“We did our homework and Champion Bermuda came out ahead by a long shot,” said Rumbling Bald Director of Golf Course Maintenance Matt Lovell, CGCS. “We’re excited to see golfers’ reactions and receive their feedback once the conversion is complete this summer.”

Photo courtesy of Shane Sharp, Southbound 4

Photo courtesy of Rumbling Bald

Located along the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, golf is played year-round at Rumbling Bald. Champion Bermuda demands less irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides than bentgrass and is suitable to North Carolina’s warm summer nights and temperate winter climate.

In addition to Apple Valley, golfers enjoy Bald Mountain, the resort’s original 18-hole mountain-style course. Designed by George Cobb protégé W.B. Lewis, Bald Mountain is a 6,300-yard shotmaker’s venue conveniently located next to lodging and amenities.

Apple Valley will close in early June and is scheduled to re-open in late August. For a full list of course maintenance dates and to learn more about Rumbling Bald’s golf courses and packages, visit www.rumblingbald.com.