Dr. Hurley is known as the bentgrassdoctor and has been breeding Improved bentgrasses since 1982 to Include the advanced generation varieties 007, 777 and 007XL.
These advanced generation bentgrasses have the greatest opportunity for success in cool season climates for grassing greens, tees and fairways.
Now designated as a class of "Super BentsTM" these varieties will produce a turf showing greater disease resistance / lower fungicide use, finer leaves, a denser turf that is more tolerant to close mowing.
Within the "Super BentTM" class are the varieties 007, 777, 007XL -- as well as MacKenzie, Flagstick and Tyee.
For "Super BentTM" information contact https://sroseed.com/super-bents
For "Super BentTM" variety qualities contact
https://www.sroseed.com/find-a-product/bentgrass
ph: 570-350-8906
hurlrich
Triple Seven (777)*bentgrass sets a new standard for performance on closely maintiained putting greens.
Seed commercially avialable for purchase in October 2017.
Currently putting green quality sod of 777 is available at East Coast Sod in New Jersey.
*777 (Triple Seven) was developed in part with financial support received from the United States Golf Association (USGA).
The new 777 bentgrass is exclusively produced and marketed by Seed Research of Oregon, USA. Seed available for sale, October 2017.
To request a one pound seed sample of 777 bentgrass please email Jeff Sturgeon at Seed Research of Oregon JSturgeon@dlfna.com and provide your name, golf course, mailing address and contact information.
Photo below, Rutgers University 4 x 6 foot putting green test plot, DLF 3054 was the experimental designation for 777 (Triple Seven) bentgrass.
777 bent was developed at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA by Dr. Richard Hurley, Dr. Stacy Bonos and Dr. Leah Brilman.
D Drs. Hurley, Bonos and Brilman are widely acknowledged as world authorities on bentgrass breeding and use of bentgrasses on golf courses.
TuTurf qualities of 777 to include significantly enhanced disease resistance, pleasing bright green color, fine leaf texture and a moderately dense turf, excellent heat and cold tolerance, while producing an extremely attractive turf for use on golf course greens, tees, and fairways. The variety 777 was bred to tolerate a close mowing height on putting greens.
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T The Grand PGM Chiyoda Country Club near Tokyo, Japan renovated all 18 greens to 777 bentgrass in the June of 2018.
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PPPhoto above of 777 bentgrass was taken in January 2019 at the Grand PGM Chiyoda Country Club
RRutgers University putting green variety trials 777 has significantly surpassed the turf qualtiy performance of the bentgrass varieties A-1, A-4, L-93, Crystal Blue Links, V8, Luminary, Pure Distinction, Shark, and Barracuda.
1Photo above: Seventeen month old 777 (Triple Seven) bentgrass at the Shady Oaks golf club, Fort Worth, Texas.
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Photo above: 777 (Triple Seven) 400 square foot test green, Georgia, US.
Photo above (2017) and below (2018). Mid August photos of 777 (Triple Seven) bentgrass on a green at Shady Oaks Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.
Photo above, excellent performance of a 777 green in early July, 2018.
Shady Oaks Country Club, Fort Worth, TX - Brent Doolittle, golf course superintendent, supervised construction of a new nine hole par 3 course in the summer and fall of 2016 completing this project in the spring of 2017. The greens were built to the size of a regulation golf course. Of the nine greens seeded each received a single variety. Two greens were seeded with 007 bentgrass, two with Luminary and two with AU Auburn. One green each was seeded to 777, V8, and L-93XD. Judging the performance results of these nine greens Brent will sellect a bentgrass for a scheduled 2019 renovation on his regulation 18 hole golf course. As of mid August 2017 the variety Luminary has had issues with scalping while 007 and 777 have performed well.
Question: Why the names 007 and 777 (Triple Seven)?
Answer: Dr. Hurley’s first improved creeping bentgrass variety was named L-93 after the year it was first commercialized in 1993.
For his next bentgrass variety, the experimental designation was DSB (Dollar Spot Resistant Bentgrass) and the year it was to be commercially released was 2007. Following Hurley’s earlier precedence of naming a bentgrass variety by the year it was to be released, the commercial name for DSB bentgrass was identified as 007.
Now, with Hurley's latest creeping bentgrass the commercial name will be 777 after October 2017 when this new “super bent” variety will be commercially released for sale to golf courses.
Question: Is the 777 (Triple Seven) a completely new variety or just similar genetics compared to 007?
Answer: 777 is a totally new variety with unique genetics compared to 007. Each new generation of bentgrasses takes from 10 to 12 years to collect, identify, cross breed, and select parents that will make up a new variety.
777 is an advanced generation creeping bentgrass with distinct qualities developed specifically for use on golf course greens, tees, and fairways.
The most extensive creeping bentgrass collection in the world is located at Rutgers University -- most selections were collected from old golf course turfs not only in the US but around the world. This valuable genetic pool is available for evaluation, selection, and putting green turf plot progeny testing.
For the breeding of 777 bentgrass a few “rare” plants, out of the total Rutgers collection, were identified having the most desireable turf qualities.
These improved qualities to include: a pleasing bright green color, freedom of undesirable purple coloring during cool weather, a fine leaf texture, the ability to produce a dense turf under low mowing, and disease resistance to the most common turf diseases to including dollar spot, copper spot, brown patch, anthracnose and pink and gray snow mold.
It takes years for a trained turf breeder, with a critical eye, to collect, identify, cross breed the selections and evaluate progenies under putting green conditions.
After years of evaluation elite clones identified as parents for 777 were relocated to an isolation nursery in 2013 to allow for cross pollination of the parental genetics.
Seed harvested from this nursery in the year 2014 was designated as “777 breeder seed.”
Using the 777 breeder seed it took time to produce “foundation seed in 2016,” then “certified seed” for commercial sale in October of 2017.
This investment in time and money is significant considering a twelve year investment from the start of the 777 project to the first sale of commercial seed to a golf course.
Over the past 35 years one can easily see the highly significant improvements with today’s new varieties. The new 777 creeping bentgrass is one of the new “super bent varieties.”
Question: Will 007 be phased out of production?
Answer: Absolutely not. A bentgrass variety with a proven performance record like 007 is expected to have a long life. 007 has shown to be an elite variety with many fine qualities that will fuel seed demand for many years to come. Simply said, “If the customer wants 007 seed it, will be available for him to purchase.”
Both 007 and 777 (Triple Seven) will be marketed side by side, as both varieties are premier products of Seed Research of Oregon, the exclusive producer of seed of both 007 and 777 creeping bentgrass.
Question: Would it be desirable for a golf course superintendent to blend the seed of 007 and 777 together?
Answer: As both of the varieties 007 and 777 will produce a turf of similar color and texture there is no reason why one would not blend seed these two varieties together.
In addition to offering seed of both 007 and 777 (Triple Seven) Seed Research of Oregon will market a seed blend of 777 and 007 to be named Super7 bent for those golf superintendents who prefer a combination of the two super bents.
Copyright 2013 R.H. Hurley, LLC. All rights reserved.
ph: 570-350-8906
hurlrich