Golfdom, June 2011

The Andersons Complete TURF HEALTH SYSTEM GUARA N TEED We gua r an t e e it 800 253 5296 www AndersonsTurf com w w w g o l f d om c om Golfdom 27 Many animals thrive at golf courses In fact many seek them out to raise their young PHOTO COURTESY DAVID PHIPPS Notice that the type of exposure discussed here is oral What is taken in orally at a golf course Not much How often do you see golfers licking the greens or chewing on some of our fairway turf Protecting ourselves Every golf course is a good habitat for a wide variety of animals that generally live there throughout the year Most important animals often seek out golf courses for the very purpose of raising their young If the chemicals that are used to maintain turf are so dangerous then the effects would be readily seen in the young creatures that inhabit the courses If animals young tend to die off at a higher rate in a particular area the population is reduced and often the adults move on to better grounds This is not the case at golf courses Ask any superintendent about the problems they might have with Canada geese and youll get an earful And thats not the only animal thriving on golf courses Many also have abundant herds of deer and flocks of turkeys We must be aware of the threats that confront us Be prepared to stand up and speak in support of our profession and defend our position Be willing to send letters to elected officials or newspaper editors Use the resources you have available to you Rely on professors at turf schools who are knowledgeable and willing to help Opponents of golf are passionate people They will not listen to the call of rationality The only answer lies in making sure that the truth of the situation is known by the masses Painting these opponents into a corner of absurdity is the best protection that we can provide our industry our courses and ourselves Chris Sorrell is the superintendent at Eagles Ridge Golf Club Curwensville Pa The author would like to thank Dr Joe Vargas Michigan State University for providing assistance in writing this article