Grass From the Legendary Jungle Golf Course Continues to Grow on Neighborhood Lawns

A neighbor told me that she has grass in her backyard from the Jungle golf course. The course closed in 1944, so I wasn't sure if this was possible, but she invited me to take a look. After reviewing the evidence and corresponding with experts, I'm a believer. 

Patches of grass in a neighbor's yard, probably from the Jungle golf course.

The neighbor said that she used to work on a PGA course and was quite familiar with golf course turf. Then she took me on a tour of her backyard where she showed me numerous rare plants that she was cultivating. She pointed to a small patch of bluegrass in the shade and said it was from a golf course green. Next to it was a lighter colored grass that she said was fairway grass. 

I looked at a map of the golf course and found that her house was right on the 5th green, pictured in the newspaper clipping (colorized below). Greens make up only a small percentage of the entire golf course area, maybe 5% or less, so this fact added credibility to the grass having descended (or regenerated) from the fifth green on the Jungle course.

I checked with the experts. 

David Anderson lives in the neighborhood and gives tours of the Jungle Prada Site. He also knows a lot about horticulture. Here is his opinion:

"I have picked up a little bit of knowledge of common grass types in my horticulture journey, I am hardly an expert of turf grasses.  It sounds interesting though... If it's a really well established patch I don't see why it couldn't survive that long.  If left completely to nature it would be a real longshot for a non-native grass to survive 80+ years, but in a neighborhood setting and particularly with irrigation I suppose it could.  

It makes sense to me that if the developers were planning to turn a golf course into a neighborhood that they would plan the lots to take advantage of the existing grass.  Seems like a basic cost-saving move.  

As far as identifying the type of grass it is, I would have to defer to the guys at the IFAS extension office in Largo.  If you had some good pictures of it, you could send them here:  https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellas/lawn-and-garden/contact-us-for-help"

Next I went to Robert Albanese at the IFAS extension office. He was skeptical, but left room for the possibility.

"Many things are possible and many are not, many of the possibilities are impossible to prove previous history with no documentation between the two points as either true or false.

My answer is, perhaps, could be… but not likely, but I can’t say either way.

Example, I have been in my home for 40+ years, some 30 – 35 years ago I had St. Augustine grass, none of my neighbors have any traditional turfgrass. I will occasionally find a runner of St Augustine trailing into my yard or out from under a shrub.

Is it the same grass, maybe, maybe not. I never noted the coming and going of grass types in my vicinity so I have nothing to go on.

Short of DNA testing on the grass that was there and DNA testing on the surviving grass could confirm species, but even this cannot establish if the grass is surviving vegetative growth from the 1940’s."

Steve of the Jungle's conclusion: It is highly probable that the grass originated with the Jungle golf course. Azalea neighbors should check their lawns for evidence of the legendary course.