How to Make Your Golf Course More Sustainable
From land clearing to create them to the regular application of pesticides to keep them looking great, golf courses take their toll on the environment. And when you consider that studies indicate that up to 70% of U.S. consumers prefer doing business with eco-friendly brands—going green isn't just good for the environment, it's also good for business. The good news is that there are plenty of ways you can adjust the way your golf course operates to reduce its carbon footprint and its impact on the environment. Let’s examine ways to make your golf course more sustainable.Read more
Think Green! Opening Day is Coming
Though it’s only February, soon the temperatures will start to rise, the days will get longer, and the snow will melt and the landscape will start to green. Yes, it’s hard to believe, but spring is nearly upon us, and this means that before we know it, the phone will be ringing, inquiring about opening information and golfers looking to make the first tee times of the season.Read more
Natural Grass Athletic Field Care Challenges
Behind any green, luscious and healthy field of natural grass turf, there's a dedicated management crew that's tasked with maintaining it so it's picture perfect anytime there's a game scheduled. And proper care and maintenance is no easy task in a perfect world, but it can become even more difficult when various intangibles are at play. In this post, we're going to discuss some of the key athletic field care challenges that turf management professionals regularly encounter on natural grass fields.Read more
The Battle of the Super Bug
On a golf course, insects are often seen as the enemy. Deep down, we know they DO have benefits—they pollinate the flowers and underground insects can cause natural aeration. But otherwise, they are a nuisance and can cause major damage to your turfgrass.Read more
Caring for Natural Grass Athletic Fields
Summer is a busy time for many athletes—it is, after all, the season for watching outdoor sporting events. But it’s also a busy time for turfgrass managers, too! With all the games and practices scheduled on the fields, it’s important to stay on top of the maintenance and maintain the fields properly—especially if your athletic field is made of natural turfgrass. Natural grass fields are definitely more of a challenge than artificial turf—it is not an easy job. To help you maintain your field successfully, here are some tips and things to think about.Read more
Winter Course Care in the North
Winter is just around the corner, so as course traffic begins to slow for many clubs in the North, that doesn’t mean the course maintenance does. If you think about it, during the prime golfing season, a super’s focus is on general course maintenance and making sure daily play is the best it can be. But during the months when it’s too cold for golfing, this is the time to catch up, get organized and start planning for the next year. Here are some suggestions to help you be prepared come spring. Can you check all of these off your list?Read more
The 4 Keys to Fabulous Fairways
Though most golfers focus on getting to the green, most of their time is spent in the fairways. After all, fairways account for, on average, 29% of the overall property, while greens are only 3.2%. Therefore, it would make sense that creating fabulous fairways would be a focal point for golf course supers, ensuring the grass has uniformity, with smoothness and good density. How does one achieve that? Here are the four key ingredients.Read more
Pollinators: Your Behind-the-Scenes Course Staff
As we all WELL know, there are many contributors to any successful golf course operation. It wouldn’t thrive without the super, pros, investors, players and grounds crew, but other important cast members include natural wildlife and pollinators. They're responsible for encouraging plant growth and pollinating flowering plants. Integrating wildflowers into your course landscaping is a simple way to support pollinators, and they can bring a whole slew of benefits. Read more
Digging Deep Into Soil Analysis
Successful golf course grounds all start with healthy soil. Course managers need to care for it, maintain it, and most definitely, test it. If the nutrients are off in the soil, it can have a waterfall effect, messing with everything on the course. By having it tested, you can cut problems off before they begin by looking at it in depth and making sure it’s balanced. Therefore, it’s important to dig down and understand soil testing.Read more
Three Key Factors Impacting Your Soil Health
Great turf starts with healthy soil, but what does healthy soil start with? Before we dive into the specifics, it needs to be recognized that for something to have “health”, it must be a living thing. So how can soil be alive? It’s a vital, living ecosystem, full of organisms like bacteria, algae and fungi. It’s not just a growing medium, but its own entity.Read more