Consider UC Verde buffalo grass. A far more environmentally conscious turf selection than any tall fescues or Bermuda. And formulated specifically for the California climate.

It looks like a good choice but unfortunately isn’t available in sod, it must have plugs and takes 3-4 months to fill in. The kids have already had no yard for 3-4 months for the pool, they’d lose their minds if we had no yard for another 3-4.

Ive grown the UC Verde Buffalo grass in a small area for fun and it fills in pretty quickly. The closer you space the plugs the faster it fills in so just get twice as many plugs and put them closer and it will fill in in half the time.

I would do artificial grass. There are some great options these days. We priced it out when we lived in LA because we had a relatively large lot and spent a fortune on water. We had a rainy winter, so I put it on hold and then we decided to move, so never got around to it.

Artificial grass might burn your feet in the Valley. Id ask at your local sod supplier, honestly.

We were dead set on artificial. We had 3 companies come out and give us quotes and they all left samples. They all got scorching hot in our sun except the super short putting green style option which would look awful. All 3 vendors admitted it was a known shortcoming of all artificial grass and suggested installing a few in ground sprinklers to water down the turf when we’d have bare feet on it in summer time which would be every day. The last thing I want to do is have to water my artificial turf every time the kids want to play on it, not to mention the increase in temperature the turf would lead to in the back yard by acting like a giant heater in summer. We went back to the idea of real grass and here I am… trying to figure out our best sod option. The front yard was already completely destroyed during pool construction and we’ve decided to convert it to a low water drip system with pebbles, olive trees, and low water plants. We just have the back patch now that we want to keep real grass.

What type sod would be the best option for our needs and climate?

I think I would bite the bullet and install the UC Verde buffalo grass. Only needs "a 1/4 inch of water per week once established" and if you increased the plugs for each square foot it would fill in faster. Not sure if it would be cost effective to do the plugs every inch, but then you'd just need to wait for it to take root and it would fill in really fast. Would be a good long term savings with the low water usage and although it is a pain to wait for it to grow in I certainly would live with that pain and take the kids to the park for the growing time if I was planning to stay in my home for any length of period.

As far as the heat factor, I think you need to think of artificial grass as an alternative to cement or pavers, which also get hot. We used to live in the Foothills and many houses right on the hills, with little shade, were switching to artificial grass around their pools and backyards.

We had grass, but my kids rarely ran around barefoot, but we didn't have a pool and had 3 dogs that used the backyard, so you didn't want to accidentally step on anything barefoot!

I get it, but we aren't looking for an alternative to hardscapes, we're looking for the most appropriate sod options. Also we live barefoot in our backyard for the majority of summer, even before we had a pool and again have our 3 younger kids. We have hardwood floors inside the house, a great view in the backyard with windows and a big slider all over the back of the house so it's a very indoor / outdoor type vibe. And our porcelain tile hardscape under our pergola directly off the house don't get hot in summer, even in direct sun. The turf was scalding on our feet. It just doesn't seem like a good option, not to mention the huge waste it produces every 10 years - I keep reading that it's most likely worse for the environment in the long term than having water thirsty grass. Hence... trying to find the best SOD for our environment.

"It just doesn't seem like a good option, not to mention the huge waste it produces every 10 years - I keep reading that it's most likely worse for the environment in the long term than having water thirsty grass."

Would you please divulge your sources for this information? It goes against all common landscaping conventions for artificial turf!

Typical sod applications are not advised for anywhere in SoCal due to ongoing water requirements in a drought plagued area of the country. You need to find something that is significantly more drought tolerant - the buffalo grass, kurapia, dune sedge or California bent grass. These are unlikely to be found as sod so I'd make my peace with being patient while one of these choices fills in.

Just do an internet search, NY Times, LA Times, etc. a billion articles on turf's environmental impacts from insects and ecological impacts to the amount of waste it produces.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-artificial-grass/

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/aug/02/turf-it-out-is-it-time-to-say-goodbye-to-artificial-grass

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-california-drought-lawn-fake-grass-20141111-story.html

I believe we installed Marathon II last year (recommnded by a landscaper). So far, it has been good. We are in LA proper. Photo from last summer when we finished planting everything. I’ll take some photos tomorrow.

We ended up going with RTF as strongly recommended by a big local sod grower who only sells RTF and St. Augustine.