getting rid of pre existing grass

[yoda]

is there a good (as in easy) way of getting rid of existing grass prior to planting your quality grasses?

[Grassman]

There are 3 methods

Chemical - Kills all existing grasses. Particularly good if you have a severe problem with weeds such as couch grass or selfheal. Use a general herbicide like Roundup following the instructions carefully. Once the area is clean, create a fine tilth (a layer of loose soil) on the surface and sow your new grasses.

Mechanical - Simply turn the turf over by spade or cultivator. This is best done going into or during the winter season as the frosty weather will brake down the soil to a fine seedbed ready for spring planting. Again, create a fine tilth and sow your new grasses once the daytime temperature averages about 12-14 degrees.

Management - This is the simplest method. Cut your exisiting grass as short as possible. Rake the surface area until loose soil is visible. This can be hard work and needs to be done in two dirrections (For large areas consider hiring a scarifier) then sow your new grasses. Very regular mowing will stop the new seedlings from being smothered out while at the same time many old, course or weed grasses are just not tollerant of regular defoliation and will quite quickly die out leaving your new grasses to populate the sown area.