Native Areas

New Broomsedge #11

#1 before planting


#1 after planting


#9 before broomsedge

#9 after Broomsedge

Much of the beauty of our golf course lies in the native areas. The course has approximately 50 acres of native areas consiting of 90% broomsedge and 10% bluestem. We mow these areas once a year to help with weed control and to remove senesced leaf material to stimulate new growth. During the winter, we plant broomsedge in areas that have become thin because of the bermudagrass and centipedegrass encroachment (1,7,8,9,11,13,15,17). Centipedegrass was planted alongside the cartpaths during contruction to help stop erosion. Little did we know that centipedegrass produces a natural herbicide that is alleliopathic towards broomsedge. Centipedegrass is very well adapted to our acidic well drained soils and has spread rapidly. If you notice, broomsedge is almost non-existent in areas that have been infested with centipedegrass. We have tried for multiple years to find a herbicide that will selectively remove the centipedgrass without killing the broomsedge, but we have not been successful so far. This year we planted some of the native grasses on bunker faces (1,9,11,13,15,17). I really believe this will make these hole more visually pleasing and intimidating, yet it will not make any of these holes more penal.