Monthly feature hosted by: Roger Stewart, CGCS at TPC Twin Cities

Green Links — December 2011

Promoting the Value of Natural Areas

Read the case study.

My first exposure to the concept of utilizing native areas on golf courses was as a young superintendent in the Chicago area back in the 1970s. Paul Voykin, a longtime prominent superintendent in the area wrote a rather controversial yet visionary article titled “Overgrooming is Overspending.” In that paper, Paul extolled the virtues of eliminating mowing in out-of-play areas on golf courses. The main point Voykin was making was that we could save money by reducing labor hours, fuel, and fertilizer by allowing these areas to become naturalized.

That concept has now grown many fold across the country as we have been enlightened by Audubon International and others as to the many benefits these naturalized areas provide for the environment. The growth of these naturalized, or native, areas hasn’t come without some growing pains. Misunderstandings about what these areas will look like when they mature, the best management practices and savings have often been challenging for superintendents to communicate. We now know that to effectively manage these areas for golf we need to make sure all irrigation is removed or withheld to ensure the growth is appropriate for people to find a ball.

We also know that these areas are, for the most part, not maintenance free. In many cases some selective herbicide applications and occasional mowing is necessary to keep weeds to a minimum. Native areas have a place on golf courses to provide food and shelter for wildlife, reduce water use, filter pesticides and provide spectacular scenery during a round of golf.

I’m not sure if Voykin had any idea his initial concept would catch on the way it has, but he certainly would agree that the work Matt Ceplo, CGCS, has done to manage those areas effectively at Rockland Country Club would be a tribute to his vision. The use of native areas on golf courses is here to stay and the benefits they provide will certainly continue to be expanded as a key component of facilities becoming more sustainable in the future.

Do you have a success story? If so, please send them to Mark Johnson, GCSAA's senior manager of environmental programs at mjohnson@gcsaa.org.