There is renewed interest in using bluegrass for golf course fairways. Newer cultivars are more tolerant of low mowing heights - and remain competitive against annual bluegrass. The occurrence of the devastating gray leaf spot disease throughout the east and Midwest has prompted superintendents to consider alternatives to perennial ryegrass for fairways.
Kentucky bluegrass is more resistant to winter desiccation and ice sheet injury.
The use of newer bluegrass cultivars can provide low to high handicap golfers with a playing surface that rivals or exceeds that of perennial ryegrass. The introduction of perennial ryegrass into existing Kentucky bluegrass is relatively easy to accomplish, due to its rapid germination rate and high seedling vigor. It appears to be much more difficult to convert a predominately ryegrass turf to Kentucky bluegrass using conventional over-seeding techniques. One summer of data has been collected. Our results have shown no signs of Kentucky bluegrass establishment in the field.