There’s more to a beautiful course than aesthetics.
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This story takes readers behind the scenes of the meticulous preparations for the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club, showcasing the critical role of seed selection in creating the perfect playing surface. Keith Wood, the golf course superintendent, explains how choosing the right turfgrass varieties — like perennial ryegrass with enhanced disease resistance, drought tolerance, and traffic endurance — is essential for ensuring top performance during unpredictable weather. The piece highlights how science and innovation in turfgrass management, along with expert guidance from seed professionals, help transform the course into a championship-worthy venue, offering a fascinating look at the intersection of plant breeding, sustainability, and precision in golf course management.
When the PGA Championship returns to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2025, Quail Hollow Club will have touched every inch of the course to meticulously prepare for the world’s best golfers. Behind the scenes of this storied event is Keith Wood, the golf course superintendent, whose responsibility lies in ensuring the perfect balance of playability and aesthetics for a major championship. But achieving this isn’t simply about watering greens and trimming fairways — it’s about innovation, precision and selecting the right seeds.
Preparing a golf course for a major tournament like the PGA Championship demands careful planning — especially when it comes to selecting the varieties of turf that will provide optimal playability. Wood explains that while the course relies primarily on bermudagrass throughout the year, the championship season requires a different approach.
“What we’re going to use for the PGA Championship is going to be slightly different than what we’ve used in previous tournaments,” Wood explains. “We’ve chosen perennial ryegrass varieties that offer better disease resistance, improved drought tolerance, and superior traffic tolerance. These selections are critical as the championship is held in May — right when Charlotte’s weather can be unpredictable. By the third week of May, it could be 100 degrees, so these varieties are built to withstand those conditions.”
This ryegrass overseeding blend, carefully selected with guidance from seed experts like Melodee Fraser at Pure-Seed Testing, is what transforms Quail Hollow into a top-tier playing field. The transition from warm-season bermudagrass to cool-season ryegrass is methodical, allowing the team to maintain consistent quality year-round.
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