In early 2024, after nearly a decade of research trials, University of Georgia Turfgrass Breeder, Brian Schwartz has released a cutting edge bermudagrass variety named Tif3D. I am confident that Tif3D will become the standard on warm season putting greens. That is a bold statement, but it’s one that I strongly believe!
Olde Florida was one of 23 test sites for Tif3D. On September 18, 2019, when it was planted on our research green, the grass had the experimental name 12-TG-101. Before I provide rationale on why feel Tif3D will become the standard for warm season putting greens, let me provide a brief history of turfgrass varietal testing at Olde Florida.
A couple years after we opened Olde Florida in 1993, there was a buzz in the golf course industry about the new “ultradwarf” varieties that were being evaluated in research trials in the Southeast. When we originally grassed Olde Florida, TifDwarf, which was released in 1965, was the standard for warm season putting greens.
In 1995, I was asked by Dr. Wayne Hanna, then a turfgrass breeder with the United States Department of Agriculture, if I would include his latest experimental turfgrass, TW-72 in trials we were establishing. TW-72 had already been in testing for several years, and it was considered an “ultradwarf.” Aware of the renowned history of the Tifton, Georgia, breeding program I quickly agreed. After a decade of testing, on December 21, 1999, what was TW-72 received a patent under the name TifEagle.
After successfully managing TW-72/TifEagle for over five years in our trials, in the summer of 2000, Olde Florida underwent a renovation that included replacing the TifDwarf on our greens with the recent release of TifEagle. It’s the opinion of most in the industry that TiFEagle quickly became and remains the standard for warm season putting greens.
Now, back to what I believe will replace TifEagle as the new standard for warm season putting greens—Tif3D. As I said, in September of 2019, we planted what was formerly 12-TG-101 (now Tif3D) on half of a 1,000 square foot green. Adjacent to the 12-TG-101, we planted TifEagle. The 12-TG-101 and TifEagle sprigs were harvested on the day prior to planting at Pike Creek Turf in Adel, Georgia, and they were planted at equal rates on our research green. Both varieties are managed identically, and after grow-in, have been maintained the same as the TifEagle greens on our golf course.
What we have seen over the past five years is that Tif3D has numerous attributes that enable it to excel over TifEagle. The tag line being used by the University of Georgia and the growers of Tif3D is “Dark, Dense and Durable.” Without a doubt that is accurate! We have seen the attributes used in the tag line at Olde Florida. I will expand on the three adjectives.
NOTE: When some of the photos below were taken the name Tif3D had not been chosen. Therefore, Tif3D in some photos is labeled “101”, a shortened version of its experimental name.
Dark
Color doesn’t affect playability, but Tif3D has a dark green color. Several things including fertility have an impact on color, but since both sides of the test green are managed identically, that is not a factor. At times, the color difference is marginal, but at others it has been dramatic.
Dense
Tif3D has a narrower leaf blade compared to TifEagle. One of the advantages of a narrower leaf blade is increased green speed. Dr. Schwartz and his team visited the test site numerous times a year since 2019 and, among other things, they measured green speed. Consistently, the speed of the Tif3D was greater than that of the TifEagle.
Often a negative of a fine-textured turfgrass is it can get “puffy” and present increased thatch accumulation. That is not the case with Tif3D. In fact, we have seen the opposite. On numerous occasions, we have witnessed the mower “grabbing” on the TifEagle side of the green and not on the Tif3D side.
Durable
Tif3D is certainly “durable”! Durability is defined as, “The ability to withstand wear, pressure or damage.” Tif3D is all that and more. Another aspect of its “durability” is the ability to recover quickly.
Although durable, like all turfgrass, Tif3D will undergo stress in extreme conditions, but we have seen in the side-by-side trial that Tif3D has better stress tolerance than TifEagle. Secondly, we have seen that when Tif3D does go under stress, its recoverability is much better than TifEagle’s.
We have also seen quicker recovery on Tif3D as compared to TifEagle from multiple stressors including ball marks, aerification and vertical mowing.
Tif3D has also shown durability when under pressure from Fairy Ring.
Tif3D was found by Dr. Schwartz on the 13th green to Taylor’s Creek Golf Course in Georgia on April 13, 2012.
For more information on please click here: USGA Green Section. “Tifgreen Bermudagrass: Past, Present, and Future”
Other Applications of Tif3D / Tif3D “Grown on Plastic”
In addition to the 2019 Tif3D/TifEagle research green, we have another 1,000 square foot research green in our test area that was constructed at the same time with identical specifications.
Surrounding the two greens is an additional 6,000 square feet, which has been used to grow various turfgrass varieties through the years. After lengthy discussions with Dr. Schwartz in 2022 and 2023, we made the decision to eradicate what was on the second green, as well as the 6,000 square feet surrounding the two greens. During the summer of 2023, we embarked on a thorough eradication that eliminated all the turfgrass in the test area, with the exception of the Tif3D/TifEagle green planted in 2019.
On September 21, 2023, the green, as well as the entire area surrounding the 2019 research green, was planted with Tif3D “Grown on Plastic” (GOP). Tif3D GOP provides a new option for golf courses compared to traditional sprigging. Tif3D GOP only requires weeks of grow-in time to be a puttable surface instead of the standard months.
Since the product is grown on plastic, it’s not damaged when harvested, transported and installed. The roots remain intact and are not cut during harvest, reducing stress and transport shock, which results in a higher quality product and faster establishment.
The Tif3D GOP research green has been exceptional. We are managing it identically to the 2019 Tif3D/TifEagle green.
The surrounding 6,000 square feet of Tif3D is being maintained at two heights of cut. Both greens have a 48” collar that is currently being mowed at .200. The Tif3D collars are treated the same as the TifGrand collars we manage on the golf course.
The remainder of the 6,000 square feet is being managed in the manner of an approach or “chipping area.” The current height of cut is .400.
The Future
In 2019, in the planning stages of our 2021 golf course renovation, I was asked by the Olde Florida Board of Directors, “If we decide to renovate our greens, is there a turfgrass variety better than our existing TifEagle?”
Although our TifEagle at the time was 19-years old, my answer to the question was, “No.” This was one factor in our decision to not renovate our greens.
If I were to be asked the same question today, my answer would be unequivocally, “Yes, there is, and that grass is Tif3D.”
For information published by the University of Georgia on Tif3D click HERE.
The timing on this article is unbelievable as Tif3D hit the ground today for the first time on our chipping green. We also added it to an area that has historically struggled on our 15th. The mindset is, if it can handle these highly stressed areas, it will thrive everywhere else. At Green Island it will be going up against Champion. We are planning a greens renovation within 4-5yrs and wanted to give a new cultivar a try. Thanks for the info Darren!
Great post, Darren. Thanks for such a complete documentation with illustrative photos showing the differences you've observed.