Written by: Steve Johnson
2021
Undulating mounds down the right-hand side of the 7th fairway have created maintenance issues due to the severity of the slopes and the harsh Omani summer. Keeping grass on these mounds during the summer months is almost impossible. During the lockdown period of 2020, we were unable to maintain the transitional bunkers due to staff shortages. During this period a large amount of Fire Grass (Bouteloua curtipendula) germinated in the transitional bunkers. We decided to utilize this ornamental grass on the slopes to thicken up the areas where the Paspalum struggles during the summer. It also assisted with balancing the aesthetics of the second landing area of the hole as the left-hand side of the hole is very penal but the right side was very forgiving. What we didn't realize would happen is the Fire Grass is a prolific producer of pollen and this helped increase the number of native bees foraging and building hives around the golf course during the cooler months.
