Golf/Environment
Pennard’s Hooved Greenkeepers: More Golf Industry Layoffs? (+Video)
Martin Kaufmann of Golfweek has filed a rather disheartening piece from Wales on a movement at Pennard Golf Club to remove grazing animals from the golf course.
“For a first-time visitor like me,” Kaufmann writes, “The cattle were an amusing quirk to a tremendous old links. And since none of my shots landed in a cow patty, I could laugh it off. But I can see how it would quickly get old for members. Bennett would love to have the cattle removed from the course and tear down the electric fencing that encircles the greens.”
To say that the ruminants add amusing quirk isn’t wrong, but there’s more to it than that. The animals are part of an established linksland ecosystem–take them away and the place changes. The horses, sheep and cattle eat like crazy, which is one of the reasons why Pennard has superb links turf in the first place, and their manure provides a source of natural fertilizer to keep it healthy.
For reasons that remain slightly unclear to me, there is a fairly noticeable stigma in the UK toward keeping animals on the golf course, but Pennard would be wise to consider the example of another well-known Welsh course. About three hours north, Aberdovey Golf Club recently completed its mission of removing all grazers from its ancient and much-loved links as part of a broader series of changes. (This program as a whole has not been without controversy, but that’s a subject for another time.) The point is, this action had a major impact–Aberdovey vintage 2009 played like the pissed-off nephew of Royal Portrush. In fairness, it has been an exceedingly wet year in Wales, allowing the perimeter dune grasses to grow unchecked, but it was clear that the club either hadn’t figured out how to manage the growth, or were content to let it go and boost golf ball sales by 25%. Maybe I’m wrong, but the animals might have helped. They sure do at Southerndown (see below).
I’m hoping to update this post with some comments from relevant club representatives in the days to come. Assuming Kaufmann’s reporting from Pennard was accurate, I was moved late last night to produce this piece of agitprop video journalism to express my feelings the facts on the matter.
With sincere apologies to the late, great Alton Ellis, please enjoy:
“It’s a Shame”: The Original Greenkeepers from outandback on Vimeo.
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3 comments for “Pennard’s Hooved Greenkeepers: More Golf Industry Layoffs? (+Video)”
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I don’t believe this article accurately reflects the issue at hand. The club has no intention of attempting to terminate grazing rights of commoners on the Pennard Burrows. The club hopes to restrict the number of cattle to the allowable stintage per commoner.
I think it’s probably worth mentioning that Aberdovey GC recently won the 2009 regional STRI environmental award for Wales.
One of the factors in winning this award was the establishment of a managed grazing program (they still allow sheep on for winter months) that has established a vast improvement in quality and quantity of “rough-grassland” habitat areas.
Improvements to aspects of course presentation and the improved maintained-area turf quality aside, managed, as opposed to unmanaged, grazing can have significant ecological benefits (both in terms of flora and fauna) which, in Aberdovey GC’s case, has gone a long way to ensuring the restoration of a diverse SSSI-protected linksland site, that was at risk of becoming a lower-value mono-culture. It has also helped forge a strong relationship with the local and county bodies charged with overseeing activities in such protected areas.
There’s no denying that lost golf balls can be frustrating we’re in a period when the environmental management of golf courses (especially those on protected sites) is under increasing scrutiny. Management of golf courses should be done on a case-by-case basis, with appropriate consultation from qualified professionals.
John, thank you for an informative comment. Clearly there is a need to strike a balance between environmental sensitivity and course playability. Systemic changes can easily push the pendulum in one direction or the other. I am sure there is a learning curve for superintendents and course staff when new programs are applied, as well.
What concerned me was the previous generation of native grass that had collapsed in on itself, forming a bed of ball-swallowing gunch. This type of scenario is to be expected on the tall dunes at the seaward perimeter of the course, but perhaps less so in the flat interior. The look is lovely, but it’s always preferable that the golfer has a chance of finding his ball and recovering from these areas. Aberdovey did not score well in that department this year, but it’s possible drier weather and further adaptation to the environmental management program will allow the course to achieve a better balance in the future.
Golf courses are living pieces of architecture subject to both internal and external stimuli–every season is like a different vintage of a bottle of wine. I found the ‘09 Aberdovey to be rather astringent, but if the underlying architecture is good (as it certainly is here) I always look forward to experiencing future vintages.