The Penn Pals Family

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PennLinks II for Superior Dollar Spot Resistance

Answering the need for a dollar spot resistant, high-quality bentgrass, PennLinks II offers a grainless playing surface and upright growth habit. It's medium dark green color and semi-aggressive growth habit, PennLinks II has a greater density and disease resistance. Derived directly from PennLinks, PennLinks II still has the same good heat and drought tolerances as the original.

Developed by Pure-Seed Testing, Inc., PennLinks II was bred for the most resistance to dollar spot as possible. Trials held in Hubbard, Oregon showed that PennLinks II had the best overall resistance to dollar spot than any other variety tested.

Penneagle II for Brown Patch Resistance in Flawless Fairways

Using the many strengths of Penneagle as a foundation, Penneagle II offers a flawless playing surface and superior resistance to brown patch. It's medium fine, semi-erect growth habit makes it an ideal fit in fairways. Penneagle II has a darker green color than most other bentgrasses, while it's early Spring green up helps it compete against Poa annua.

Developed by Pure-Seed Testing, Inc., Penneagle II is the result of tens of thousands plants being developed for increased diseases resistance. After years of plant breeding and testing, Penneagle II became a reality. In clinical trials held in Hubbard, Oregon, Penneagle II was the best overall performer in resistance against brown patch, and third against dollar spot.

Penncross: The Bentgrass Standard Since 1955

In the 1930's, bluegrass was the turf of choice for faiways, with Seaside and vegetative bents found on the greens. Summer heat and other stresses left them vulnerable to weeds, Poa annua and disease invasion. An aggressive bent was needed to compete on golf courses.

Professor Burt Musser took on the challenge by gathering bentgrass strains from several locations, and established a research and development program that integrated seedling vigor, seed yield, various soil types, aggressiveness, disease resistance, low mowing properties and overall appearance and color. After years of research, the finished product was named Penncross.

Aggressiveness, vigor, and wear tolerance make Penncross a natural for tees and fairways as well as greens. Initially, Penncross received some criticism for being too vigorous and difficult to manage. Superintendents find that reducing water and fertilizer produces the best results.

Penncross' ability to perform under a wide range of conditions make this bentgrass adaptable virtually worldwide. Golf course architects have specified Penncross for areas of extreme cold and heat, and Penncross has survived humidity where bermudagrass has been the standard.

Early Penncross greens were established as far North as Anchorage, Alaska and Alberta, Canada as well as the warmer climate of Costa Rica, Spain, and Morocco. Now, the sun never sets on a Penncross green. Golfers in Australia, Asia, Africa and through out Europe have the same putting advantage as U.S. players, and world travelers feel at home at courses in remote destinations.

Penncross has set a new high standard for tees, fairways and more greens. With the addition of more than 400 golf courses every year, and today's sophisticated golfers watching more televised tournaments, reading countless golfing publications and playing more and more rounds, the awareness of, and demand for, Penncross continues on and on.

Penneagle Is Unsurpassed For Flawless Fairways

Penneagle was developed by Dr. Joe Duich to be at home on tees, fairways and greens. While not as aggressive as Penncross, the new variety competes with Poa annua on fairways, and with tripler mowers and clipping removal, will crowd out the nuisance entirely. Penneagle's salt tolerance makes it useful along coastal areas and where effluent water is used.

Penneagle breeding began with 156 vegetatively propagated bents, later reduced to 21. These were crossed for turf performance and the components were tested under a wide variety of locations in the U.S. and Canada. Results showed that Penneagle has a wide adaptability, tight, more upright growth characteristics than Penncross, and was finer leafed than most other creeping bents. So, after 18 years of research and 5 years of testing, the experimental bent called PBCB was released as Penneagle and received the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) No. 7900009.

An early trial for Penneagle was on tees and greens at the prestigious Congressional CC, MD. They went into play in June 1978. Tees, greens and fairways at Butler National in Oak Brook, IL. and Oakmont GC near Pittsburgh became showcases for Penneagle when the Western Open and U.S. Open, respectively, drew attention to the playing surfaces. These two courses were instrumental in implementing the tripler fairvay mowing management practice.

Penneagle is the surface of choice for the U.S. Croquet Association, with courts all across the country seeded with the fine-leafed bent and is the preferred fairway bent on many golf courses across the country.