Sod Solutions, in collaboration with Green Acres Turf Farm and Woerner Farms, recently hosted two successful field days aimed at landscape professionals, golf course superintendents and sports turf managers. These events highlighted the latest advancements in turfgrass varieties—NorthBridge® Bermudagrass and Cobalt® Hybrid St. Augustine—offering attendees in-depth knowledge and firsthand experience with these enhanced grasses while networking with peers.
NorthBridge Bermudagrass Field Day at Green Acres Turf Farm
The NorthBridge Field Day at Green Acres Turf Farm in Estill, SC, brought industry professionals together for presentations and live demonstrations on the adaptability of North Bermudagrass Sod Solutions COO Christian Broucqsault opened the event by affirming the company’s commitment to developing efficient turfgrass options, emphasizing NorthBridge’s role in enhancing turfgrass advancements.
Kevin Carpenter, superintendent at Northwood Club in Dallas, TX, discussed how NorthBridge has improved playability and maintenance efficiency at his course. Chris Johnson, agronomy director at Palmetto Bluff, shared insights on NorthBridge’s success at The Crossroads 9-hole course, noting its year-round turfgrass quality and versatility for golfers.
The NorthBridge Field Day was held at Green Acres Turf Farm.
Green Acres Turf Farm’s Gary Youmans appreciated connecting with familiar names while showcasing NorthBridge in a farm setting. He also enjoyed learning everyone’s different perspectives and maintenance practices for NorthBridge.
"It’s great to hear the scientific data; it’s also great to hear the real-life data. People have had it on a golf course, in sports fields, in various applications over time and in different climates. When they come out to the farm, they get a chance to see it and just get a better feel for what it looks like,” Youmans said.
He believes NorthBridge has contributed to raising turfgrass quality standards. Having supplied NorthBridge for several prestigious golf and sports facilities in the area over recent years, Green Acres most recently provided acreage for the home playing surface in Clemson University’s Death Valley for the 2024 football season.
The Cobalt® Hybrid St. Augustine Field Day gathered industry professionals at Woerner Farms in Foley, AL.
Cobalt Hybrid St. Augustine Impresses at Woerner Farms
Following the success of the first field day, Sod Solutions and Woerner Farms hosted the Cobalt Hybrid St. Augustine Field Day in Foley, AL, at the end of October, bringing together turfgrass professionals, landscape experts and growers to explore the latest in St. Augustine grass innovation. Over a dozen sod farms attended to learn about Cobalt’s production advantages.
During the event, Cobalt breeder Dr. Ambika Chandra of Texas A&M and Woerner Farms' Allen Woerner shared insights into the unique benefits and performance of Cobalt Hybrid St. Augustine, a durable and adaptable grass bred for exceptional drought toughness.
Chandra explained that while university field days offer research settings, field days allow growers and turfgrass pros from many states to see how the grass is grown on a large acreage scale in real-world conditions.
Developed through years of dedicated research, Cobalt’s many characteristics were showcased through presentations and harvesting demonstrations.
Woerner echoed Chandra’s emphasis on education as a significant reason for hosting the Cobalt Field Day. “This is our opportunity to bring both producers and customers all under one setting and really get the science and the practical standpoint of the grass and the production of the grass. It's a unique opportunity to get with a network of premium growers and then also see how to make a market difference in regards to the production and getting it to the end-user of that grass.”
An Invitation for Industry Collaboration
These field days showcased the features of NorthBridge Bermudagrass and Cobalt Hybrid St. Augustine while underscoring Sod Solutions dedication to advancing the industry through collaboration. Sod Solutions welcomes interest from other farms and professionals eager to host events that inspire knowledge-sharing and elevate turfgrass solutions industry-wide. Interested parties may contact Christian@sodsolutions.com.
Watch a Video Recap on the Cobalt and NorthBridge Field Days:
