The Importance of Buffer Strips along Golf Course Waterways

Golf course superintendents have got to be some of the most knowledgeable, well-rounded individuals I know. When you think about all the subjects they’re expected to be proficient in, it’s really mind-blowing. I have a lot of respect for this profession. Not only do they need to know the ins and outs of the game, but they pretty much need to be landscape architects, mechanics, entomologists, gardeners, chemists, agronomists, botanists, soil scientists, arborists, wildlife managers, biologists, turfgrass specialists, plant pathologists, economists, weather forecasters, hydrologists, reclamationists, and even the occasional public relations professional. What’s more, they’re expected to be all of these things on top of keeping their players happy and coming back for more. If this list seems overwhelming, well, I’m sorry but I’m about to suggest one more. A wetland scientist. Golf course superintendents will need a good understanding of riparian sciences and knowledge of how to properly manage and maintain the health and quality of their ponds, streams, rivers and lakes if they are to succeed in the future of sustainable golf course management.

Weston GC, Toronto, Ontario - Project of Out on a Limb

Removing Phosphorus from the Watershed

OSU soil chemist Chad Penn discusses why phosphorus build-up can be a problem in the water system and shows a unique device using slag from the steel industry to remove unwanted phosphorus (25% in this case) and how there are opportunities to use the collected phosphorus elsewhere.

To learn more of Penn's study Predicting Phosphorus Sorption onto Steel Slag Using a Flow-through Approach with Application to a Pilot Scale System see it here in PDF.

Municipal Course Goes Biosolids Route

Awesome...

This video "highlights the sustainable modifications made to Hilaman Golf Course", a public course in Tallahassee Florida.

You'll see some features that are becoming quite common on golf courses including ACSP, Buffer Zones, Closed Loop Wash Pad, even the installation of Solar Panels on top of their cart storage facility.

Most impressive however is how the municipality fulfilled their responsibility to dispose of solid wastes from the local water treatment centre, and combined it with fulfilling the needs of providing the golf course with fertilizer through the production of processed biosolids.

This is thoughtful planning, demonstrating how sustainable solutions are the result of integrating the needs of multiple land users/services.

Environmental Approach - Clear Lake Golf Course, Manitoba

Here's an interview with Greg Holden, superintendent of Clear Lake Golf Course in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba and the Past President of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association.

Greg uses mostly organic and natural methods to maintain the course. They compost all grass clippings and restaurant waste, use composting toilets and Biofuels to power their maintenance equipment, along with electric golf carts.

This video was produced for the St. Norbert Arts Centre in order to educate those on the Southwood Golf Course Development Team, who are now building a golf course adjacent to the St. Norbert Arts Centre (www.snac.mb.ca).

Vegetative Filtration Strip Research

The research project featured in this video has been referred to in many turf/golf publications, definitely one of the most influential studies of its kind. We've referred to it in some form here, here and here.



From the UMASS Amherst research article:

“Studies from golf greens have shown that 5 percent to 10 percent of the total pesticides applied are lost in runoff. In worst case conditions, this figure can be as high as 30 percent,” says John Clark, a professor of veterinary and animal science and a principal investigator on the grant. “We have identified plant species that can reduce the amount of certain pesticides in soil by up to 94 percent in the greenhouse.”

Be sure to check out all  our posts about bufferzones, water quality and IPM.

Scribblemaps Review

The free website Scribblemaps.com allows users to scribble, draw, measure distances and areas and place markers, pictures and videos on Google Maps. Yes you can do this with Google MyMaps, but you'll see a number of incredibly useful features not found on MyMaps.

Recently Turfhugger arranged for some Golf Management related icons/map markers to be made (Thanks to RHo Solutions and Rueben Butterfield, President of the Irrigation Industry Association of BC) that reflect the major environmental infrastructure of your typical golf course. Turfhugger has recently donated these markers for use on Scribblemaps  (Thanks to Jonathan of Scribblemaps!) ...Results? A truly useful way to manage your projects with accuracy, communicate current projects in an easy to understand and accessible format.

I'm a true believer of the importance of communication through maps, and therefore Turfhugger is commited to creating new map markers to help golf course superintendents communicate their pest, tree, habitat, water and legal obligations.

Nest Watch at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay

I'm an avid reader of Superintendent blogs and enjoy the first hand accounts of all sorts of golf course happenings from around the world. This morning I came upon a post by Paul L. Carter,
Certified Golf Course Superintendent at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay. Paul has a number of very interesting post's that Turfhugger readers would enjoy including:

• Native Grass Area Renovation
• Renovation of Native Planting Bed
• Environmental Outreach and Education
• The Next Generation (incredible photos!)
• GCSAA/Golf Digest announce 2010 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards
• Case Study for GCSAA's Environmental Institute for Golf

Since the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Nest Watch has been on my long list of "Blog Post To Do's" for some time, I figured I'd ask Paul permission to repost his entry here on Turfhugger. Be sure to stop by his blog, from Paul's recent post "Cornell Lab of Ornithology Nest Watch"...