Maintaining top-quality fairways on the rugged west coast of Wales has always been a challenge at Cardigan Golf Club.
With shallow soils averaging just 3-4” over bedrock, achieving strong turf establishment has tested the greenkeeping team for many years – particularly in 2025 with close to no rainfall for many months.
That’s why the outstanding results have come as even more of a surprise for Course Manager Stuart Adams, who now wants to shout the benefits of Johnsons J Sustain Fairway from the rooftops.
“Traditionally, our shallow, sandy soils made it difficult for anything to get a good hold” Stuart explains. “We went back to basics and looked at what was native on the fairways and found that Hard and Sheeps Fescue seemed to cope with our links condition, and for the last few years we’ve been using a bespoke ‘Cardigan mix’ from DLF containing 25-30% Hard Fescue. When Johnsons launched J Sustain Fairway with 40% Hard Fescue in early 2025, the switch was a no-brainer.”
Despite a challenging year weather-wise, the results of the inaugural overseeding operation were so impressive Stuart was quick to share the news with his DLF Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett. “As soon as the rain returned in September, the strike rate was simply incredible – I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was the best establishment I’ve seen from any mix in the last six or seven years.”
Blending 40% Hard Fescue with 15% Sheeps Fescue and other top performing Slender Creeping, Strong Creeping and Chewing Fescue cultivars, J Sustain Fairway from the Johnsons Sports Seed range is a high-performance, fine-turf fairway formulation equipped to withstand the environmental challenges of the future. Ideal for links and heathland venues, it delivers a natural tolerance to a broad range of turf stresses and requires less nutrient, water and chemical inputs to thrive.
“It’s tough, resilient and perfect for coping with hotter, drier summers and wetter winters which is critical for futureproofing our course” he adds. Beyond resilience and rapid establishment, Stuart has also noticed unexpected benefits. “We used to suffer with leatherjackets and pecking damage but haven’t seen that this year. It could be that the toughness of the Hard Fescue roots is making it harder for pests to get through.”
Due to the lack of irrigation on their fairways, Cardigan’s overseeding programme is fixed to the autumn, with J Sustain Fairway already firmly in their maintenance for 2026.
“When something doesn’t work, everyone is quick to point it out” he notes. “But when something works as well as this, it should be shouted from the rooftops!”
