Golfcrest Country Club
Project Overview
In the summer of 2024, Golfcrest Country Club in Pearland, Texas, called on Modern Turf to hand-sprig all 18 greens plus a nursery green and three practice greens with Mach 1 Ultradwarf Bermudagrass. The positive reception to the new greens was immediate. The Dallas Morning News added Golfcrest to its list of the Top 100 courses in Texas, (ranked #94). “We were very excited,” said Golfcrest Country Club General Manager Rene Rangel, who also serves as CEO of Sterling Golf Management. “We have been improving the golf course for several years now. I do believe the greens renovation was a big factor.” Then, in September 2025, just 14 months after the regrassing with Mach 1, Golfcrest became the host site of the Ladies European Tour in a team event called the Aramco Houston Championship.
Facility
Golfcrest Country Club
Golfcrest Country Club
Facility
Location
Pearland, TX
Location
Pearland, TX
Date
Summer 2024
Date
Summer 2024
Mach 1 Grassed Areas
All 18 greens, plus four additional greens. Putting green, chipping green, nursery green, and small practice green
Mach 1 Grassed Areas
All 18 greens, plus four additional greens. Putting green, chipping green, nursery green, and small practice green
Designer
Originally by Joseph S. Finger, 1971. Jeff Blume redesigned Golfcrest in 2004
Designer
Originally by Joseph S. Finger, 1971. Jeff Blume redesigned Golfcrest in 2004
Of Note
Host site of the Aramco Houston Championship team competition, Ladies European Tour, September 2025
Ranked #94 in the Top 100 Courses in Texas by the Dallas Morning News
Of Note
Host site of the Aramco Houston Championship team competition, Ladies European Tour, September 2025
Ranked #94 in the Top 100 Courses in Texas by the Dallas Morning News
Grass Selection
After a prolonged struggle with thinning and bumpy greens, Rangel and Golfcrest’s Director of Agronomy, Nick Johnson, determined it was time to regrass their greens. Johnson said they did their due diligence. After meeting with the team at Modern Turf—made up almost entirely of former golf course superintendents—they visited Southern Trace in Louisiana and spoke with other superintendents managing Mach 1. At first, they thought they might choose another grass or do a trial green with Mach 1. That is, until Rangel took a trip to Florida and putted on Mach 1 greens.
“That’s when Renee went to Streamsong, fell in love with those greens, and kind of called an audible at the last minute,” Johnson said. “The Mach 1 is a pure stand of grass, and it offers excellent texture and smoothness. We’ve got a very, very good ball roll.”
“For us, it’s been a home run.”
– Director of Agronomy Nick Johnson, Golfcrest Country Club
Maintenance
The Mach 1 Ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens at Golfcrest are mowed at .135-inch. During the week, the greens roll 10.5 to 11 on the Stimp Meter; 11 to 11.5 with “a double cut or extra greens rolling” on the weekend.
Since managing the Mach 1 greens for a year, Johnson said he’s seen some differences with this grass.
“I have noticed that the Mach 1 has a deeper root system than the previous greens. Whether that’s a function of just the environmental conditions that we’ve had in the past year, or is it a function of the actual grass itself? Or is it a function of something else, I can’t really tell you,” Johnson said. “I’ve been managing greens for a long time, and my methods really haven’t changed too much. So, I would ascertain that since I haven’t really changed what I’m doing and the grass is performing differently, then it’s probably just Mach 1 has a better root system.”
The deeper root system may contribute to what Johnson said he’s noticed for drought recovery. Mach 1 greens “recover faster than the previous grass did.” The recovery time could be two-to-three days if the greens dry out instead of five-to-six days with previous bermudas he’s managed in the past, “if they get away from you.”
Member Response
“As far as feedback from the members, it has been extremely positive because of the speed and the consistency, and the ball roll that we’re getting from the Mach 1,” Johnson said.
He happily recalled an incident that happened the very morning of our interview. “My greens chairman was out walking his dog this morning. I bring my dog, Bear, to work with me, too. So I was riding around with my dog, and he was walking his dog on the course, and he was just saying how great the golf course is … and he said, ‘The greens are just fantastic right now.’ Coming from him, I mean, he’s going to get way more feedback than I do. If the members have an issue with the golf course or something, they’re pretty much going to go to him and let him know about it, and then I’ll get the feedback from him directly. So, if he’s hearing positive feedback, that’s great!”
What would Johnson say to other superintendents, owners, or managers thinking about planting Mach 1 on their greens?
“For us, it’s been a home run,” Johnson said.