Stewardship/Erosion

[Mando]

I'm wondering about the best stategy for preventing soil compaction, groundcover destruction and eventually erosion on a new course.
I have access to plenty of mulch. Should I go ahead and do a (15-30 foot) circle around the basket ?
Is it better to have encourage one main path (with wood chips) from pad to basket or have the traffic dispersed ?
Also wondering about tough groundcovers that can handle partial shade.
Creeping red fescue seems like the best choice.

[solomon.trenton]

i dont really like mulch as it is a pain in the ass and eventually becomes very slick when wet. i use
3/8" trap rock at my house for my driveway. when its wet it still has grip and it is cheap ($25 a ton at a stone store) i also really like how it looks (gray with white swirled in) and how it stops and helps to prevent future erosion. its small enough to not mess up your disc but also allow for a nice unique look that will prevent erosion.

[borndasaur]

Are you talking about hillsides, flat areas, woods, grassy fields or other places? Each will have different needs when it comes to controlling erosion or compaction. Also, how much traffic do you expect?

[Mando]

Are you talking about hillsides, flat areas, woods, grassy fields or other places? Each will have different needs when it comes to controlling erosion or compaction. Also, how much traffic do you expect?
Good questions.
It is a wooded course.
There is really only one sidehill basket location on the course. That's the only one that is showing any wear and I moved the basket recently. The others are pretty flat and several are located in elevated chutes surrounded by rock faces. The course is in the sticks, traffic is very light (averaging less than one player per day) and we try to stay off it when it is wet.
I expect the traffic to increase this summer but it will never be a "busy" course like you see in the city. The most vulnerable areas just might be the descents from the elevated pads and some of the climbs from baskets to next Tpad.

[srm_520]

Not that this may be a solution to your course problems, but I thought this was an interesting way to keep a course from getting trampled, and also can keep it fresh for players. The layout switches for Fall and Spring. You can see both layouts under links. I have yet to play it, but I thought it was an interesting idea for people concerned about overuse on a certain area.

It's like switching up crops from year to year!

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2562&mode=ci

[srm_520]

I'm wondering about the best stategy for preventing soil compaction, groundcover destruction and eventually erosion on a new course.
I have access to plenty of mulch. Should I go ahead and do a (15-30 foot) circle around the basket ?


One other thing you have to think about with mulch it that you are going to have to replinish it every year versus multiple years like with a rock base. Also, they have the mesh covers that go over the grass on hill sides, so things can cling better and not just get washed down the hill.

[Mando]

One other thing you have to think about with mulch it that you are going to have to replinish it every year versus multiple years like with a rock base. Also, they have the mesh covers that go over the grass on hill sides, so things can cling better and not just get washed down the hill.
The course is located on my Christmas tree farm and I'm continually cutting out inferior/diseased trees. Chipping them up is the best way of disposing of them, so the mulch is in constant supply and it is on site.
The spring fall basket change is a great idea. Since all my baskets are hanging, they are simple to move.

[borndasaur]

For the hillside baskets, we try to use landscape timbers or railroad ties to build a flat green. For paths we use "crush and run" which holds up better than mulch. We use mulch on wet areas and on flat greens. Dirt steps are not hard to make to help with climbing up/down hills. They can be braced with logs held in place with re-bar. Use mulch, mulch and more mulch (since you have a constant supply) to combat compaction.

[Lewis]

For the hillside baskets, we try to use landscape timbers or railroad ties to build a flat green. For paths we use "crush and run" which holds up better than mulch. We use mulch on wet areas and on flat greens. Dirt steps are not hard to make to help with climbing up/down hills. They can be braced with logs held in place with re-bar. Use mulch, mulch and more mulch (since you have a constant supply) to combat compaction.

I was going to suggest exactly the same ideas, but it looks like you beat me to it. Good show. :)

[srm_520]

I've done the whole logs or railroad ties secured with rebar and dead logs - you know how much work that is? I cetainly works and the finished product is nice, but it brings new meaning to the term back-breaking work. If you did do it though - I would always suggest dead logs into the hill as well as the rebar if you need to make any walls over 4 feet. Steps would be easier.

[Lewis]

No doubt it's hard work, but if it's done right, is there a better solution for the long term? Maybe stacked stone is easier and still adequate?

[sidewinding]

You can't really prevent compaction but you can control it with an aerator. They make aerators that you can pull behind a mower so you're killing two birds with one stone. 99.9% of courses I play on have never been aerated but should be regularly.

[skottyb]

Dirt steps are not hard to make to help with climbing up/down hills. They can be braced with logs held in place with re-bar.

does anyone have any good picture of dirt steps and other ways they can be made to prevent erosion...?

[Timber]

Hole 5 at Bluemont (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=456)
30 foot rise and 190 foot run to the soil horizon

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff323/BluemonTimber/Bluemont/5RedTee.jpg

This is after numerous mistakes.
Steps were installed "after" the soil had been compacted and run off damage had occurred. Nearly a foot of topsoil could have been saved if the steps had been installed before the foot traffic began.
Initially installed the steps completely level causing the water to pool before running down to the next step. Went back and lowered the left side of each step to divert the flow off of the fairway.
Photo is slightly tilted, the teepad and first 3 steps in the foreground are level.
Life expectancy on the pressure treated half round 4x4's is 5 to 9 years