Cart Traffic

It is the heat of summer again. With it comes stress to all of the turf types on the golf course. Two area that see a lot of stress are the high cart traffic areas and the fescue and native grasses. Traffic wear patterns show up quickly and can be difficult to maintain and alleviate. That is why you see ropes and cart signs used by the maintenance staff. We use these tools to help us keep a lid on the areas that require us to remediate the compaction issues left from excessive cart traffic. Compaction from golf carts will always be an issue, but if we direct them we can quarantine the areas where it occurs. The sign of compaction are shown by reduced plant growth, browning out, and thinning of the turf areas.

Another area where we see damage from cart traffic is in the fescue and native grass areas. The easiest way to identify these types of grass are by there height and location. It is basically "the high stuff." The main reasons we ask that cart traffic not drive through it is the keep their aesthetic quality, and staying out of the environmentally protected areas. In the heat of the summer, when a golf cart drives through these areas, burn marks from the tires of the cart show up and they will stay visible until the end of the year.

What sign?!