The putting greens at Oakmont Country Club are the course\u2019s most famous, most manicured and most difficult feature. So it may come as a surprise that the coiffed grass on those greens is, in fact, a weed.<\/p>\n
There are many varieties of the so-called poa annua, also known as annual bluegrass, but Oakmont\u2019s is distinctive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a perennial poa annua, and it\u2019s very unique to this site here at Oakmont,\u201d said course superintendent John Zimmers. <\/p>\n
When the U.S. Open, considered by many to be the toughest of golf\u2019s four major championships, comes to Oakmont this week, those uber-fast putting greens will stand out.’<\/p>\n
Oakmont\u2019s densely packed poa has a thinner leaf blade than the grass found on most greens. This strain creates less friction than other grasses, and it sends golf balls scampering across greens like pucks on freshly Zamboni-treated ice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grass has evolved here and been selected through maintenance over the years,\u201d said David Delsandro, director of U.S. Open operations and projects. \u201cIt\u2019s a putting surface that\u2019s really not replicated anywhere else. So we\u2019re able to do different things that allow us to produce the green speeds and the firmness that other grasses aren\u2019t able to tolerate.\u201d <\/p>\n