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Not since Pinehurst No. 2 in 2005 has bermudagrass rough been part of a U.S. Open course setup. The back-to-back Opens at Pinehurst in 2014 featured wiregrass and native rough areas after a massive redesign. But bermudagrass is back for 2023 at The Los Angeles Country Club – and, beware, it plays differently than typical U.S. Open rough.
Golf fans are used to seeing 5- or 6-inch-tall “U.S. Open rough.” This was the case last year at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Rough composed of combinations of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and other cool-season grasses can still be playable, albeit difficult, at these heights.
This isn’t the case with bermudagrass, which performs best in warmer climates and needs less water to thrive, making it a popular option for rough and fairways in Southern California, where water resources are limited. Bermudagrass rough maintained at similarly lofty heights to cool-season grasses can become essentially unplayable. (In the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, the rough was kikuyugrass, with some ryegrass in the mix).
Bermudagrass rough is a combination of laterally growing stems and leaves that creates an interwoven mat of vegetation. From the surface, the bermudagrass leaves create a green canopy that looks like it might be easy to play from. However, just beneath the surface are the stiff and intricately woven stems that produce great resistance to the clubhead compared to cool-season rough.
Cool-season rough grows more upright and is made up mainly of “blades” of grass that provide less clubhead resistance. To provide similar playability compared to taller, cool-season rough, expect to see rough heights for the 2023 U.S. Open at LACC capped at 3.5 to 4 inches.