Three and a half weeks into the grow-in of Wild Wing’s new greens, superintendent Chris Seymour is already seeing encouraging signs from a grass that is making its Myrtle Beach debut.
As part of the ongoing renovation of Wild Wing’s Avocet Course, the greens were sprigged with Tif3D Bermudagrass, making Wild Wing the first golf course in the Myrtle Beach area to use the new putting surface.
Developed by turfgrass breeder Brian Schwartz and a team of colleagues and industry partners through the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences turfgrass breeding program, Tif3D is a hybrid Bermudagrass developed specifically for putting greens. Its name reflects three of the variety’s defining characteristics — Dark, Dense and Durable.
For Seymour, who is overseeing the grow-in and will ultimately be responsible for maintaining the new putting surfaces, the early results have exceeded expectations.
“We are three and a half weeks in, and I think we’re a lot further ahead than I expected at this point,” Seymour said. “Everything looks good.”
An Aggressive Grow-In
Champion Bermuda has become a familiar putting surface throughout Myrtle Beach, but Seymour said one of the first things he has noticed about Tif3D Bermuda is how aggressively it has established itself.
“It seems very aggressive,” Seymour said. “The way it’s grown in so quickly, we’re definitely ahead of where we would have been with any other grass, I believe.”
The rapid establishment is particularly important during a renovation, when the maintenance team is working toward producing a mature, consistent putting surface ahead of reopening.
There has also been an immediate visual difference.
“The color — it’s got a nice dark green color,” Seymour said.
What Will Golfers Notice?
While golfers may first notice the rich green appearance of the putting surfaces, performance is ultimately what will matter most.
One of the natural questions surrounding any new greens surface is speed, and Seymour believes Tif3D Bermuda will provide Wild Wing’s maintenance team with plenty of flexibility.
“It has the ability to be cut at .10 easily,” Seymour said. “There are courses in Florida cutting it lower than that, so speed will not be an issue. You’ll be able to get it as fast as you want it.”
That ability should allow Seymour and his team to manage green speeds based on conditions and the needs of the golf course rather than being limited by the turf itself.
For a superintendent experiencing Tif3D Bermuda firsthand for the first time, the opening weeks have provided plenty of reason for optimism.
“I’m very pleased,” Seymour said. “It’s better than I’d imagined. I’m very happy.”
With Wild Wing targeting a mid-September reopening, the new greens will continue to mature in the coming weeks. But less than a month into the process, one of the most important components of the renovation is already making a strong impression.
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Photos for this feature from MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account. Pictured from top to bottom 6th & 17th greens, 4th green 9th approach
Feature Release Date: 8.12.26
