x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
He invented a groundbreaking grass. But his golf impact didn’t end there
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
News

He invented a groundbreaking grass. But his golf impact didn’t end there

By: Josh Sens
  • Follow on Twitter
February 5, 2025
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
rodney lingle and mach 1 grass at streamsong

Rodney Lingle, who invented the grass that turfs Streamsong's greens, has been honored with the USGA Green Section Award.

USGA/Ian Culley

If there’s one thing more exciting than watching grass grow, it’s applying what you learn from those observations to grow better turf.

Rodney Lingle has enjoyed both pursuits.

Lingle, 74, the former longtime superintendent at Memphis (Tenn.) Country Club, spent decades studying bermudagrass, identifying strengths and weaknesses of different strains and pinpointing their mutations while tinkering with cultivars of his own. His exhaustive work inspired an industry-wide movement focused on fine-tuning playing conditions for countless golfers and golf courses around the country, and ultimately led Lingle to a groundbreaking achievement: his development of Mach 1, a high-performance and resilient ultradwarf bermuda that he brought to full-scale testing in 2015 and which has since taken root on greens ranging from such noted Southeast properties as Streamsong, Atlanta Athletic Club and Pinehurst Resort to courses in Arizona, Hawaii and beyond.

Lingle patented Mach 1, which is not his only legally protected invention. In 2008, he began prototyping an innovative greens-mowing brush system, which he later licensed to Toro. The product, which Lingle designed to help grass blades stand up straighter, remains popular on the market today as the Greens Perfection Brush.

For all his influence on turf maintenance, Lingle made an even greater impact as a mentor, helping guide and nurture the careers of countless superintendents. Turning his vast volumes of knowledge into an open book, Lingle shared his expertise with colleagues at turf management workshops at Memphis CC, where he also hosted hundreds of superintendents, introducing them to his novel turf-care techniques. 

In recognition of those lasting contributions to the trade, Lingle has now received the agronomic equivalent of an Oscar. On Wednesday, he was given the 2025 USGA Green Section Award, which has been presented annually since 1961 and honors distinguished service to golf through an individual’s work with turf.

“Everyone in golf needs to know the name of Rod Lingle — and follow his example,” Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, said in a written statement that accompanied the award announcement. “Rod has shaped careers, changed the way we think about golf course maintenance, and has never been satisfied with the status quo. But there isn’t a greater legacy you can leave than to be counted as a revered teacher and friend.”

Like many superintendents, Lingle got into golf agronomy through his love of golf. A Mississippi native, he played competitively in high school, and recreationally while studying at the University of Mississippi. At the outset of his college education, Lingle was a liberal arts major. But while contemplating his future career options, he caught wind of a turf-science program at Mississippi State: a pragmatic avenue into a life in golf.

Never mind the fearsome rivalry between the schools — “They were like oil and water,” Lingle says — the opportunity was too good to resist. Lingle transferred to the enemy campus. He never looked back.

After landing his first job in the field at Hattiesburg Country Club, in 1974, Lingle signed on as a superintendent Memphis CC, a role he held for 37 years before moving on to Escondido Golf and Lake Club, in Texas. 

Since retiring two years ago, Lingle has gotten back to playing golf, a hobby that fell largely by the wayside while he tended to golf courses. Last year, at 73, he shot his age on several occasions. He has also remained active as a turf-care consultant, keeping his hand in a career that always felt more like a calling than a duty.

“I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors and staying productive,” Lingle says. “I loved it so much, it never really even seemed like work.”

Latest In News

2 hours ago

In 6 silent minutes, CBS delivered a Masters broadcast masterpiece

2 hours ago

Zurich Classic Subpar picks: 2 teams to watch in New Orleans

4 hours ago

A year ago, she was panicked. Now, Lilia Vu is major threat again

8 hours ago

USGA, Oakmont investing $1 million into public golf, communities

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.

  • Author Twitter Account

Related Articles

News
USGA flags blow at Oakmont Country Club during the 2016 U.S. Open

USGA, Oakmont investing $1 million into public golf, communities

By: Josh Schrock
News
Jay Sigel tees off during the 2003 Senior PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa.

Jay Sigel, one of golf's greatest amateurs, dead at 81

By: Josh Berhow
Instruction
golfer uses pencil to write on scorecard

6 reasons you should keep a Handicap Index

By: Kellie Stenzel, Top 100 Teacher
Features
A photo from Marine Park Golf Course in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Why pace-of-play issues are every player's responsibility

By: Jim Gorant
Instruction
What is stimp?

What is stimp, and how do Stimpmeters work? Here's what you need to know

By: Erika Larkin, Top 100 Teacher
News
The USGA is doubling down on GHIN’s future, shifting the app from a tool for posting scores to an all-in-one golf companion.

The GHIN handicap app does much more than just compute your scores

By: Tom Padula
News
Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Dream of walking Cypress Point? Here's how to get 2025 Walker Cup tickets

By: Jessica Marksbury
Features
In February, the U.S. National Junior Team gathered in Arizona for its third training session. Here's what it was like.

'There’s a lot to learn': Inside a U.S. National Junior Team training camp

By: Jessica Marksbury
Instruction
a golf scorecard

What does a Score Differential do for your handicap?

By: Josh Sens
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version