Context

MM50 grass seed has become an essential product at Southerndown Golf Club in the Vale of Glamorgan. With tees that endure relentless wear from players and exposure to some of the UK's harshest growing conditions, Course Manger Andrew Mannion has come to rely on the hard-wearing ryegrass mix to keep surfaces strong, consistent and fit for year-round play.

MM50 is one of the UK's most popular grass seed mixtures, the blend of fine-leaved, high shoot density dwarf perennial ryegrass is built for performance. It tolerates close mowing down to 4-5mm, recovers rapidly from wear, and maintains excellent year-round colour.

Challenge

Southerndown Golf Course presents unique challenges, like managing two courses in one. The front nine is sandy and free draining, while the back nine is more similar to a heathland terrain. Sitting 70m above sea level it is exposed and windswept, with a limestone layer underfoot, creating issues with aeration and water movement. Southerndown is built on common land and home to up to 600 sheep, depending on the season - it's easy to see why a unique solution is needed.

Solution

Andrew trialled MM50 on one of his most badly worn par-threes and noticed immediate improvements, better grass coverage, better recovery from divots - in some cases shallow divots regenerating naturally without any intervention.

Southerndown moved to using MM50 across all tees and even onto select fairways - those that suffered during prolonged heat of previous years.

Players noticed the benefits of a tight, clean surface that looks good and plays well. On a busy course that's used 365 days a year MM50 provided a way to manage tricky areas, maintain better grass cover, and deliver a better experience for the golfer.