1/19/2016 6:01 PM
I have looked at a lot of greens over the last 2 months and it appears to me that the problem with Champion is one of contamination, not mutation. I planted a Champion nursery a couple of years ago and within 8 months there were patches of off types all over it. This green had never been aerified or even verticut, the contamination came with the sprigs.
The TifEagle and Jones Dwarf greens I have looked at are pure even after 10 years of use. My Champion is 11 years old and in some cases, is 80% contaminated. It's really horrible, but the TifEagle and Jones Dwarf greens planted at the same time are still pure.
There's no guarantee that you're not gonna get a contaminated load of sprigs, but the odds seem to be in favor of using something besides Champion.
To be perfectly honest, if I could regrass every 5 years, I would use Champion, it is really beautiful grass, but a club like mine cannot afford the expense.