There is a Reason for Cart Restrictions

There is no decision a golf course makes that is less popular than deciding to restrict carts to paths. I understand the frustration and burden this places on the golfer, which is why this decision is never made without a lot of thought. It must be understood that when conditions are wet, the impact from just a few careless golfers or employees can be felt for a long time.


In the photos below, you see the ruts from traffic navigating through a wet area near a drain basin that was staked off. The percent slope to this basin was very low to begin with and now the ruts from the vehicle have created an area with no positive slope which is preventing water from reaching the drain. This is unfortunate because on this particular day we may have had 200 golfers on the course and the actions of one cart created an issue that, if not fixed ASAP, will create long term problems in this fairway. Fixing this issue will require some time and resources, but the biggest challenge will be allowing the damaged area time to recover while the rest of the fairway is in full use and under a regular management schedule.

 

If areas like these aren't fixed and given time to heal, they will hold water and the turf will be unable to survive.



The unfortunate reality is most golfers are aware and care enough to navigate a course correctly and with thought, but we have to manage for the minority that can't or don't care. Again, remember that a decision to place carts on paths is well thought out and is done to preserve the course  conditions for you. We appreciate your understanding and patience. Also, please remember its not the proshop staff's fault, so give them a break.

Here is a UNL Extension Aricle on this very topic:

Turf iNfo for the North Central US | University of Nebraska – Lincoln                       turf.unl.edu

Limit maintenance and golf cart traffic on wet soil May 5, 2015

 The weather forecast continues to look wet across much of southern and eastern Nebraska. This is a reminder to limit unnecessary vehicular and equipment traffic on wet soils. One quick decision to drive across an excessively wet area of turf can have season-long impacts on turfgrass quality. Damage can include soil compaction, which typically isn’t visible until summer heat and drought stress, and wheel ruts that immediately impact turf health and recovery. Area damaged by wheel ruts can typically be fixed with sod, but compaction is much more difficult to quickly fix. Aeration and topdressing can help reduce compaction but aren’t as effective as freeze-thaw cycles during the winter. Communicate the risk of compaction with your employees, proshop, and golfers. Limit cart traffic whenever soils become saturated. It only takes one poor driving decision to cause serious long-term damage to the turf.

Bill Kreuser, Extension Turfgrass Specialist, wkreuser2@unl.edu

             

Figure 1. It’s easy to quickly cause long-term damage to turf when the soils are wet. Avoid unnecessary maintenance traffic and golf cart traffic that can result in season-long damage.

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