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Adding native grass areas to a course? Any experience?
Brian_Gracely:
Anyone have any experience adding areas of "native grasses" to their courses? By "native", I mean the long stuff that we've recently seen in pictures at Bandon Trails or Cuscowilla or other minimalist courses.
I ask because it's being proposed for several areas at Raleigh CC (almost 100% bermuda today, except greens) and I'm wondering how successful something like this can be. Any trouble-areas that we should defnitely avoid? Any tips for success?
RJ_Daley:
Well, I guess I'll continue to beat the dead horse I have presented on my Rough Grass Management thread.
Of course I am not a turf manager, but I can comment on inclusions in new design or introduction of previous design native areas that I have seen from a layman's point of view.
It seems to me that designing such areas in naturally down wind of prevailing wind and irrigation placement is crucial. Placing these areas in low areas where fertility will migrate by surface run-off is asking for a headache.
I think one needs to have a plan as to what the response will be if and when circumstances cause the planned rough area to become unplayable. What will you do in response to an excessively wet season that lights up the rough with excessive broadleaf plants? Are there natural conditions that will work against native grass plant dominance over broadleafs?
Most of the comment on the other thread is to let mother nature take care of the native areas. I'm sorry, but I don't fully agree. It is ideal to say that water and fert will be witheld and that will promote reasonable playing conditions. Climates are vastly different. Even the birds crap out different seeds by region. Typical native prairie and grasses in Wisconsin are mighty different from native prairie in Kansas or Georgia or Raleigh.
Even in western states there is a heck of a lot of differnce in how the native land supports various plants and favors certain ones over others. I recently noted (whether the observation is incidental or relates to the actual science of the difference) that the native grasses and plants in their composition appears vastly different just from the North Platte area of Nebraska and Sand Hills region around there, to the native I saw about 150 miles away in Holyoke CO. It seems to me there is a whole lot more Yucca in CO. How that yucca promulgates itself, left to mother nature, and how much of it comprises the rough seems to be a pretty big factor in my view. That same variation of plants composition from the Sand Hills I have seen in NE, differs a great deal from the plants in the rough in South Dakota at Sutton Bay.
What courses near you have successful native areas? What do the do or with hold from management to promote success? If there are none, maybe that is your answer.
Craig Sweet:
I would offer that fertilizer "run off", or migration, is nearly a non issue these days. Most supers use small amounts (compared to say 30 years ago) and the ferts. stay put. If the crew is careful when laying the fert. down (broadcasting or using drop spreaders) it should not wind up in the natural areas in any meaningful amounts.
RJ, native plants have a natural occuring range that is based on many factors. Here in Montana you can drive 100 miles and lose 5" of annual precip. and have a desert plant community. Or, you can go up 2000ft in elevation and gain 10" of precip. and have lush green fescues.
So yeah, natural or native plants are relative to where you are. If done properly these natural areas will pretty much take care of themselves compared to the bent grass on your putting greens.
Mike Vegis @ Kiawah:
We've pulled it all from the Kiawah courses. While it may give a rough-edged look, it added a substantial amount of time to rounds with people losing balls in it... We'd rather have better pace of play than a manfactured "natural" look...
Brian_Gracely:
Thanks for the comments so far.
Our "restoration architect" is just now starting to show the membership some of his plans. From what I understand so far, the idea behind the native grasses is to limit the amount of area that needs to be maintained, and in some areas, to add challenge to the hole (don't get me started on why I think this is a mistake :( )
And to Dick Daley's point about the native grasses of this area, I honestly can't think of ANY course I've played that has those grasses except for maybe the monkey (love) grass at Pinehurst or the stuff they planted down at Tobacco Road.
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