The annual anxieties tied to spring reopenings at Mill Creek GC in Geneva, Ill. and Phillips Park GC in Aurora, Ill. include making sure that irrigation systems recharge properly and ensuring safely controlled burns of native grasses.
There are over 900 potential problems awaiting the maintenance staff every spring at Mill Creek Golf Club in Geneva, Ill., the Kane County Chronicle of St. Charles, Ill. reported.
As the growing season approaches, the rolling hills, fairways and greens at Mill Creek’s picturesque course need water, which is a source of anxiety for General Manager Ed Garland as he nervously awaits the recharging of the club’s irrigation system, the Chronicle reported.
Drained of water in November to prevent the underground pipes from freezing during winter, Garland called the irrigation system the “lifeblood of the golf course” the Chronicle reported. As it is brought back to life, it is filled only with water from the Mill Creek Water Reclamation District. There is no well water or water from a natural aquifer used at Mill Creek, the Chronicle reported. Rather, treated waste water from the 2,000-home community surrounding the 200-acre Geneva golf course covers Mill Creek’s irrigation needs.
The project is just a part of a commitment to the environment at Mill Creek and other area golf courses, the Chronicle reported.
“Recharging the irrigation system every spring is a huge project,” Garland said. “We’ve got over 200 acres of turf and a lot of irrigation heads that we need to test have made it through winter. Sometimes we need to do maintenance on an irrigation head or a pipe. But what is great is that all the water is reclaimed from the community.”
The Chronicle’s report on spring reopenings at club properties in northern Illinois also highlighted the work of Todd Schmitz, Superintendent of Phillips Park Golf Course in Aurora, Ill. and a 27-year veteran of the golf course maintenance profession whose father and brother have also held superintendent positions at other courses.
While water management can turn into an issue during a dry summer at other courses, the perception of golf courses continues to change, and Schmitz has seen an evolution occur over his many years in the business, the Chronicle reported.
In 2009, the Chronicle noted, Phillips Park became a Certified Audubon Golf Course, as it made a commitment to environmental planning, water conservation, wildlife habitat management, water quality management and reduced use of chemicals.
“I think word on the street is that golf courses are just huge polluters,” Schmitz told the Chronicle. “Everyone thinks we over-fertilize, spray a ton of pesticides and leave a huge negative carbon imprint.
“Roughly 20 to 30 years ago there was a shift,” Schmitz continued. “We are Audubon-certified and the mission is to not be a polluter. There is more education out there on how to keep a golf course healthy.
“Often times, chemical usage is impractical,” he added. “We prefer to use solid cultural practices, because chemicals and fertilizers aren’t always the answer. Over time, we’ve really become stewards of the land.”
When Schmitz discusses new aeration technology that allows increased oxygen and water exchange with minimal damage to turf—a part of the golf course he refers to as “the plant”—it’s done with the intent to limit chemical application, the Chronicle reported.
New mowing and maintenance techniques have also reduced chemical usage on a golf course, the Chronicle noted, and a more natural approach has allowed nature to make a vibrant return to open land. At Phillips Park, there are 17 bluebird houses, and every spring there is a controlled burn of the native grass areas, through which invasive weeds are eliminated. As dead plants from the previous season are burned, carbon is returned to the soil, the Chronicle reported.
The golf course is its own ecosystem, the Chronicle noted. As players fill its links in the spring, summer and fall, it’s the superintendent—who arrives well before sunrise with dirt under his fingernails from work done the day before—that ensures golf will be played and nature will be preserved.
“Some people sit behind a desk for their job,” Schmitz said. “Well, my office is the golf course. I take ownership of the property. This is my baby.”
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