When previous attempts to get a practice putting green back into play at Vicars Cross Golf Club in Cheshire had failed, in stepped new Golf Course Manager Richie Stephens, armed with the J All Bent mixture from Johnsons Sports Seed. A few short months from seeding, and with some favourable assistance from mother nature, the USGA spec green was in business – with the programme then implemented on the construction of a new chipping green that enjoyed similar success!

Upon joining Vicars Cross just over 12 months ago, Richie was tasked with the completion of the putting surface which had been out of action for close to two years. Keen to unlock the solution, he spoke to DLF’s Stuart Yarwood. “I’ve known Stuart for years and his greenkeeping background means he gives not only technical advice, but the right advice for our situation as he understands the challenge having been in our shoes” Richie says. “We opted to overseed with a 100% bent mix in the form of Johnsons J All Bent.”  

The blend of three top-rated browntop bent cultivars in J All Bent delivers a hard-wearing, visually-striking sward, equipped to cope with close cutting and a range of environmental stresses. Its reduced reliance on chemical inputs makes it a popular choice for clubs pursuing a fast but sustainable greens strategy. 

“We got it in the ground in May, we were fortunate with the weather and it came through really well. In August we then built a chipping green which overran the original schedule and meant we didn’t get seed until mid-November. Despite this, we still saw fantastic strike before Christmas, even coverage and strong visual impact. The speeds we’re achieving on the putting green is now comparable to what we’re achieving on our regular greens.”  

The other 18 greens are overseeded annually during summer renovations with J All Bent, a programme introduced by Richie to try and promote an increase in the bent populations across the site. Elsewhere, it’s

PM45 Tee and Fairway Plus from DLF’s Masterline range. “We use this on areas off the greens which has proven very successful.”  

“The club, the players and my team have all noticed how far the surfaces have come on since we introduced the DLF mixtures and we’re definitely coming out of winter in a stronger, better position than we have before.”