Grubs, Critters and Undesirable Turf

 Every fall some of our nocturnal friends on the course try to find grubs to feast upon. You will notice light damage where they dig test holes, and if they find enough to make a meal they really tear into the turf. Most of the time they are racoons, but this year we are fortunate enough to have a family of skunks out near 4 and 15. Between 4 and 15 tees they have hit pay dirt and have done some significant damage to the roughs, especially the bentgrass that has migrated to where bluegrass should be. 

With any goof turf management plan we have to look at all the reasons that the animals are there and decide if the damage is at a threshold that we should take action. Below are the reasons the damage is happening and also what our course of action will be to hopefully prevent damage going forward or at least minimize it for the future.

Problems:

1. Grubs: There are always grubs in the soil that feed on the turf roots. We treat for grubs in the spring on all our greens/tees/fairways. This keeps the threshold down and we typically do not see damage to the turf. 

2. Animals: Racoons and skunks love grubs, they are a great source of protein going into the winter. As part of their diet they search for grubs in areas that are brown and usually not irrigated. Most of the time the damage is minimal and does not require action on our part.

3:Bentgrass in roughs: Over the years bentgrass can migrate and fill in areas in the roughs. Its not a desirable turf to grow at 2 inches and vey fluffy and hard to hit out of.   

Solutions:

1. Grubs: Spray an insecticide to kill grubs and other organisms in the soil. This is only done if the threshold has reached a point where the grubs are actually causing the turf to die. Spot treating some of these areas would be a proper course of action. 

2. Animals: Trapping the animals and relocating them will be done by a professional service, especially skunks. You will start to see some live traps on the course and we have hired a company to come in the morning to relocate the animals. 

3. Bentgrass in roughs: We will start a test trial between 4 and 15 tees with a product that kills bentgrass and poa only. The product allows us to seed right away as it does not harm bluegrass or ryegrass. It is a very systemic product that kills the roots as well, but as the plant dies it turns white instead of brown. 

There is no magic pill to stop any of the three factors from happening on the course but hopefully we can minimize all three factors so that we minimize our reactions in the future. We have chose this area between 4 and 15 tees so that you can see the effects and the progress that we will make moving forward. The area is also not in play so it will not effect any members or guest experience on the course.

The light colored area between the tires is bentgrass.

Light colored grass is bent. Animals not digging up bluegrass.

Animals have found grubs in the bentgrass, but not the bluegrass.