Golf Update

With more and more golf traffic on our courses, it is important to not only understand what the impact is on otherwise healthy turfgrass but also what steps you can take to help minimize the damage.

Foot and vehicular traffic are a constant source of stress to turf. The most notable types of traffic-related damage are wear damage and soil compaction.

Wear damage caused by foot and vehicle traffic results in bruising or tearing of turf. Plant tissues lose water as well as chlorphyll and ultimately the plant will die.

Soil compaction resulting from traffic going over the same area compresses the soil so tightly that water and oxygen can't move in our out of the soil, and plant roots can't penetrate the rock hard soils. No root growth causes the plant to suffer from lack of of nutrients and water, which slows recovery and can eventually kill the plant.

So, what can we all do to help improve overall conditions relative to wear from traffic:

*When requested, keep carts on path.

*When entering and exiting fairways, scatter to avoid multiple carts driving on the same tracks.

*Follow all cart traffic directional signage.

*When walking on and off greens and tees, avoiding walking on areas of visibly noticeable stressed turf.

Hopefully we can all work together to create a much healthier, consistent product for our members and guests.