6/7/2021 - By Mike Hess

Are increased rounds and extra golf carts making your course look like Grand Central Station most days? Before you install stop lights on the fairways and wonder if your turf will ever recover from the overwhelming cart traffic, take a moment to read through these innovative ideas! From curfews, programmatic cart changes and plant health solutions, there are many ideas to consider, even when your golf course rivals Grand Central Station at rush hour.

Now that we’re a year into higher levels of traffic on the course, superintendents have had time to adapt and come up with some creative and ultimately effective ways to accomplish that goal.

The team at Lindenwood Golf Club in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania have had to adapt on a more seasonal basis with such a disparity between the summer months and winter months in PA. In the hot season, they try to keep traffic on their irrigated fairways but in the spring season, when fairways are naturally wet, they encourage traffic to ride in the rough as much as they can. The crew has also implemented a 3:00pm curfew to restrict carts to the paths in the hottest part of the day. This allows staff to focus on cooling off the turf without worrying about cart traffic. And lastly, staff ropes off the stressed areas of the course, restricting them completely from cart traffic and giving them ample time to heal.

The Stonewall Resort in West Virginia has also taken to some unique traffic management methods, though they are focusing more on the technological side of the game. The team at Stonewall made new additions to their cart computers, displaying messages to the user, telling them where they can and can’t drive, which areas are stressed, and when they need to return to the path. Truly cutting down the odds of an impromptu Grand Central pileup. To compliment this, they purchased a cart shutoff system, meaning they can set up areas around the course where golfers cannot drive and if they enter those areas with carts, then they automatically shut off. To make the most of the single rider rule and conserve as much space as possible, Stonewall also purchased a series of surfboard esque, scooter carts which are small and only allow for a single rider. Ultimately conserving space and doing less damage to the turf over time.

These are just a few examples of what courses are doing to keep functioning well, and both superintendents have agreed that the best thing they can do is maintain strong and effective communication with the pro shop staff and club personnel. Ensuring that they are on the same page as a team, so they can be on the same page with their golfers; making them feel comfortable, cared for, and more likely to make par, rather than a 10-cart pileup.

Agronomic advice from our TurPh.Dudes:

In addition to these logistical solutions, there are some agronomic practices golf course superintendents can undertake to combat damage, such as worn and damaged turf or worse, uprooting and shredding. Harrell’s TurPh.Dudes recommend using plant nutritional products such as Harrell’sMAX® Title Phyte®, PAR® SG and Amino PRO V to promote root growth quicker recovery and strong turf health. Complimenting these liquid foliar nutritional’s, applying POLYON® controlled-release fertilizer will keep the turf well fed and on it’s a-game at a consistent rate, all season long.