Walt Disney World® Is Over-seeding All Golf Courses This Fall To Improve Their Long-Term Health
Beginning in late October and continuing into mid-December, Walt Disney World® Golf embarked on project to overseed all four of our golf courses, as part of our ongoing commitment to improve the long-term quality and experience of our courses for our Guests.
This contrasts with simply allowing the existing Bermuda grass to turn brown and partially dormant over the peak playing months of November through April, which can result in more challenges to playability with tight lies on firm ground, and most importantly, can result in additional damage and stress to the turf and playing surfaces over time. The fall over-seeding process, with cooler season ryegrass, provides a protective layer for the Bermuda grass to better survive the winter months and re-emerge stronger for the warmer spring months ahead.
While the over-seeding process is underway, the affected course will be closed to play for over two weeks.
Each of the courses will undergo a multi-step process that will involve:
- An initial preparation step of aggressively mowing the Bermuda grass surfaces, to a notably lower height than is used during the warmer season time frame. This step prepares the turf surface to receive new seed.
- Using large seed spreaders, as seen in the photos above, large quantities of perennial ryegrass seed are distributed on the fairways, roughs, tee boxes and greens, as individually determined for each of the four courses.
- To enable the new seed to be healthy and germinate, the new seed requires consistent moisture, which involves aggressively watering the surfaces several times per day. This enables the new grass to grow strong and to take deep root quickly.
- The courses, once re-opened after the over-seeding process, should be mowed closely, and 100% ready for play without any additional cart path restrictions.
Once the course is ready for play, our Guests will note several differences in the playing conditions as compared to the warmer, spring and summer months, and will also enjoy the look of the greener, more lush appearance of the golf courses.
Some of those playing differences can be:
- Fairways - The ball should sit up nicely on the new grass, as opposed to being tight to the ground on the firm, fast fairways otherwise present. However, the ball will not roll for as long as it would during the warmer months, due to the lush turf surface.
- Approach shots – Given the lusher surface of the fairways, with less roll, you may find yourself with somewhat longer approach shots into the greens. The greens themselves, where overseeded, will be softer and more receptive to your shots, and you may even find more backspin than typical.
- Short Game – Unlike the tight pitch and chip shots you might experience during the warmer months, the thicker turf around the greens should give you a better ability to get more of the club face on the ball, and therefore reduce the risk of thinning the ball across the green.
- Rough – The overseeded rough can become more challenging to hit from, as the ryegrass is thicker and denser than the Bermuda grass. This can result in balls coming out with a lower flight trajectory, so be prepared to use a loftier club with more clubhead speed, as appropriate.
- Greens – Only Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course greens will be over-seeded this year. The greens can be somewhat slower than typical during the warmer months, and they may be a little sandy from the top dressing that is used to help the new seed grow in. A little extra time on our practice green can be helpful here!
The specific details, in course order of overseeding, are as follows:
- Disney's Palm Golf Course – Tees, Fairways and Roughs
- Disney's Magnolia Golf Course – Tees, Fairways and Roughs
- Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course – Tees, Fairways and Greens
- Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course – Tees and Fairways
Note that the overseeding timeline, as indicated in the introduction above, is subject to change due to weather and other factors, that can result in a change to the duration of each course closure and the overall timeframe for the overseeding process to be fully completed. Please check our website at www.golfwdw.com for up to date information on individual course closures.
At Walt Disney World® Golf, we are committed to providing you with world-class facilities and services, and these course management procedures are an integral part of meeting that goal, today and into the future.
We look forward to welcoming you to "The Happiest Place on Turf!"
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