A Look At The New Grass Project Underway At Drugan’s Castle Mound
Golfers who have spent time at Drugan’s Castle Mound know how much work goes into maintaining a golf course throughout a Wisconsin season. Healthy greens, consistent fairways, strong tee boxes, proper drainage, and dependable playing conditions all require year-round planning.
This fall, Drugan’s is taking a major step toward the long-term future of the golf course with a re-grassing project on the back nine.
The project began September 15, 2026, and includes the fairways, tees, and greens on the back nine. While golfers will see plenty of changes taking place on the surface, the larger goal goes well beyond appearance. Drugan’s is investing in newer turf varieties designed to provide a strong playing surface while improving durability and supporting responsible course maintenance for years ahead.
The video below provides a closer look at the project and the work taking place at Drugan’s Castle Mound.
A Major Investment In The Golf Course
Re-grassing a large portion of a golf course is no small project. Golf turf deals with heavy foot traffic, golf carts, changing temperatures, rain, dry stretches, disease pressure, mowing, and thousands of golf shots throughout a season.
Over time, advances in turfgrass development also give golf courses new options when planning long-term improvements. Newer varieties often provide stronger resistance to common turf problems and better performance under regular use.
For Drugan’s, the current project focuses on the entire back nine rather than a few isolated areas. Greens, fairways, and tee boxes are all part of the work. The goal is simple. Give golfers a high-quality playing surface while putting the course in a strong position for future seasons.
New Bentgrass For The Back Nine Greens
The greens on the back nine will feature Tillinghast, a newer hybrid bentgrass.
Bentgrass has long been associated with golf greens because of its ability to create the short, smooth surface golfers expect when putting. Newer bentgrass varieties continue to improve in areas such as disease resistance, durability, and overall turf performance. Those benefits matter on a busy public golf course.
A putting green experiences concentrated traffic throughout every day of play. Players walk across the same areas, repair ball marks, practice putts, and gather around common hole locations. Mowing also takes place at extremely low heights, placing added demands on the turf.
The new Tillinghast greens are intended to provide a dependable surface while giving Drugan’s maintenance team newer turf technology to work with in future seasons.
A New Bluegrass Blend For Fairways And Tees
Fairways and tee boxes have their own set of demands. Unlike greens, fairways cover much larger areas. They deal with cart traffic, divots, changing moisture levels, compacted soil, and constant mowing throughout the golf season. Tee boxes face repeated wear in relatively small spaces as golfers take thousands of swings from common starting areas.
As part of the project, Drugan’s is seeding the back-nine fairways and tees with a four-way blend of low-mow bluegrass. The newer grass varieties offer several potential advantages, including greater disease resistance, stronger tolerance to wear, and reduced water needs. Those traits support both playing quality and long-term maintenance.
For golfers, the most noticeable difference over time should be a healthier and more consistent playing surface. A good fairway gives a golf ball a clean lie without feeling overly soft or thin. A strong teeing area also recovers more effectively from repeated use. Those details influence the experience of a round more than many golfers realize.
Why Fall Is An Important Time For Golf Course Improvements
Large turf projects require patience. Fresh grass needs time to establish roots before regular golf traffic begins. Closing an area during establishment protects new turf from damage and gives the maintenance team a better opportunity to build a healthy surface.
Starting the project in September also gives the new grass time to begin establishing before winter arrives. Growth will slow as temperatures fall, followed by another important growing period during spring. For this reason, the back nine will remain closed for the rest of the 2026 golf season and into spring. Drugan’s current goal is to reopen the back nine by May 2027, depending on the progress of the turf and spring conditions.
Golf Will Continue On The Front Nine
The back-nine closure does not mean golf has ended for the season. Players who want an 18-hole round during the project will have the option of playing the front nine twice. Golfers interested in a shorter round will still have access to the front nine as usual.
Playing the same nine twice also creates an interesting challenge. Your second trip gives you another look at every shot, club choice, and mistake from the first nine. A hole played one way earlier in the round often feels different the second time around. Most golfers will also agree on one thing. Nine holes twice still beats no golf at all.
Building On Strong Course Conditions
The new project comes after another season of careful course maintenance at Drugan’s Castle Mound. Golf Course Superintendent Aaron Bulman and the grounds team spend the season managing far more than mowing grass. Golf course maintenance involves turf health, irrigation, bunker care, fertilization, disease management, drainage, equipment, weather conditions, and daily decisions based on how the course responds.
Drugan’s has recognized Bulman’s work and dedication while announcing the new turf project. The re-grassing effort builds on the work already taking place rather than replacing a struggling golf course. Drugan’s describes the project as an investment in the future of the playing experience.
For regular golfers, projects like this also provide a reminder of how much work happens outside normal playing hours. Much of golf course maintenance takes place early in the morning, between groups, after play, or during periods when golfers never see the crew at work.
Looking Ahead To The 2027 Golf Season
Any major golf course improvement asks players for some patience. Closing half of an 18-hole course changes the normal routine, especially for members and regular guests who know the back nine well. The tradeoff is a long-term improvement designed to serve golfers for many seasons.
When the back nine reopens, players will experience new turf across the greens, fairways, and tee boxes. As the grass continues to mature, the project should become another part of the ongoing evolution of Drugan’s Castle Mound.
For now, golfers will have a chance to follow the work as the new grass becomes established and the back nine prepares for its return in 2027.
Drugan’s plans to continue sharing progress updates as the project moves forward. Golfers interested in seeing the work firsthand should watch the video above and follow along as the back nine takes shape.
