Friday, November 11, 2011

Firming up perception

If nothing else, it adds some valuable yardage to your drives
Unfortunately, the public perception of golf courses is not always the greatest, but Superintendents are doing everything they can to clean up that old image of “chemical dumpers” and “water hogs”. RiverCrest was designed with over 40 acres of native grasses, which don’t need fertility or irrigation to thrive and actually are ideal without it (this is why the natives get so thick with rainfall). 

We have effectively cut down water usage the last two years by 26% over the previous five. The plant will slowly adapt to its environment, creating stronger turf that can handle times of drought stress. Next year we are continuing to dial in our programs which includes moving sprinklers to more effective locations, using different soap based products to break surface tension and move water more evenly through the soil, and adding additional connections for watering localized dry spots with hoses.

One of my big pet peeves is driving by an office building or home and watching the sprinklers run because of the day of the week or time instead of necessity. We set our irrigation computer daily based on plant needs, weather patterns, or an occasional fertilizer application that needs to be watered in. Hopefully you all know that RiverCrest is doing its part to help the environment and prepare our course for the future, while also providing firm playing conditions throughout the season.

I found a little tidbit while I was doing some reading: There was a recent study that showed Golf courses in the desert of Las Vegas used 37% less water than homeowners to maintain their turf. 

Below is a video with some interesting data about the turf we grow and golf on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K-aoWqM85M

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