Green Invaders

Golf Courses can provide a habit for many different species of wildlife.  Areas surrounding a golf course are often populated by businesses, busy highways, and noisy people that encourage wildlife to take refuge on a golf course. Recently there has been a variety of different wildlife species observed here at Bluegrass: foxes, turkeys, deer, squirrels, moles and skunks, just to name a few.  Unfortunately these animals can also unknowingly do damage to the golf course,  below are a few examples of these occasions.

Moles

An invader in #15 green.  A mole tunneled around the entire green.  The greens cavity is made of sand and the outside edges of the green made of clay, so the mole tunneled freely through the sand avoiding the clay outside the green.  #15 green had a full circle tunnel along the outside edge of green.

Mole Tunnel #15 Green

Moles are typically looking for food sources, like earthworms when tunneling, and is what occurred here.   The mole invader has been taken care of and we are nursing these damaged areas back to health. We will spike and reseed these areas and patch with sod from the nursery green, if necessary, in the spring.

Squirrels

Squirrels also have been a problem while they actively look to store acorns and food for the winter. Typically squirrels are deterred away from greens while golfers are playing.  This problem should take care of itself when play on the new greens resume so our new greens will not be used as a Tupperware container to store their food.

Squirrels

Small Animal Foot Traffic

A type of small animal traveled across several greens one cold morning while there was frost on the green, resulting in damaged bentgrass under every step that was taken.

Damage from small animal foot traffic on a frosted green

Deer

Deer have normally been a problem through the region. Deer result in multiple types of damage from leaving imprints from their hooves in the greens to debarking trees. Occasionally, during rut or mating season, male deer rub their antlers on various trees to mark their territory and leave scent to deter other male deer in the area from entering their territory and female deer.

Male Deer Rubbing antlers on a nearby tree to mark territory

Turkeys

Waiting for the golf course to open for a tee time.

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