[Course maintenance] Focusing out of bounds

The popularity of out-of-play areas on golf courses waxes and wanes, and recent budget tightening has pushed them to the forefront as a frequent topic of debate among golf course superintendents.

Out-of-play areas tend to come and go as do budget crunches, and the current biggest factors in their re-emergence are fuel and labor expenses. With the price of fuel skyrocketing, superintendents are looking to reduce the amount of fuel consumed, as well as reducing the cost of labor, to maintain the bottom line.

The term “out-of-play areas” should probably be changed to “limited-play areas” because most of a golf course tends to see an occasional errant shot. Sometimes these out-of-play areas also get termed “native areas.” This might or might not be correct. Certainly, out-of-play areas could become native in grass composition, but many native areas are intended as integral parts of the course design.

How much to mow?
The best consequence of this re-emergence is that it makes superintendents re-evaluate their rough-mowing practices. Many times, clubs become set in their ways about how much rough to mow and never give it a second thought. But when the cost of maintaining these areas nearly doubles in a couple of years, it makes superintendents scrutinize their practices.

A good example of this is when a new superintendent takes over at a club.

“When we toured the course during my interview, I was astonished at how many acres of rough were being mowed,” says Paul Hallock, new superintendent at Red Tail Mountain Club in Mountain City, Tenn. “I inquired why, and everyone just shrugged a little and nobody knew.”

Hallock says he can easily cut back about 20 acres of rough mowing and produce some dramatic savings.

“Not only can we reduce the mowing, but these out-of-play areas we create will add greatly to the design and aesthetics of the course,” he says.

Jason Tresemer encountered a similar situation at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo, Iowa. During his interview, he also was baffled at why the crew had been cutting so much rough.

“They were cutting about an acre or so around each tee complex,” he says. “One of the first things I’m going to do is purchase a bunch of turf paint, then grab the golf professional, and we’re going to evaluate the entire golf course from a rough-mowing standpoint.”

Tresemer says he can reduce mowing by 20 to 30 acres.

Consider this
When the decision is made to introduce out-of-play areas, it might not be as easy as laying down some paint lines. Because few areas never see a golf ball, special care must be used when selecting out-of-play areas. They also don’t need to be completed all at once. Many times, superintendents gradually pull these in towards areas of play as feedback comes from players.

Superintendents should look for a response from players such as, “That’s great to the right of No. 13. I’ve never seen anybody over there.” This type of input is the perfect go-ahead to move that area in another 10 to 20 feet and see what happens.

The reversal of this theory also is true. Sometimes superintendents might have let too much land grow to an out-of-play area. This doesn’t take long to realize because complaints usually fire in quickly. When this happens, it’s time to cut the area back a little at a time until players become satisfied, or, more importantly, the complaints subside.

Another important factor with out-of-play areas is watering from overhead irrigation. When these areas receive any water at all, they become extremely dense and difficult to manage. This density also creates major problems when balls land there. So, when creating areas that receive water, extreme caution should be taken.

Opposite to watered areas are those places that are watered only by Mother Nature. These usually grow into true native-type areas where native species such as fescues become dominant, while water-hungry field grasses disappear. Many superintendents have reported a complete switch in grass species once the water is removed.

As a general rule, introducing areas that receive water should be done with caution, while introducing areas to receive no water can be done much more easily.

A uniform look
Tee surrounds are the parts of rough that are usually the first to be converted to out-of-play areas. Although tee surrounds usually receive water from tee-surface irrigation, it’s not a concern because they’re truly out of play. Areas in front of tee complexes should be converted with a little more caution.

Once these areas are established, many believe they require no maintenance. But this isn’t the case. To ensure a nice uniform look, mowing and weed control might be needed. If mowing is necessary, these areas could be cut as infrequently as once per season to almost once per month. Mowing also could be more selective in nature, where portions of the out-of-play area receive mowing and other portions don’t.

Got weeds?
Without question, the most difficult management strategy is weed control. When weed control is successful, out-of-play areas have a uniform appearance and are much more aesthetically pleasing. When dryness causes these areas to be dominated by native grasses, weeds can be extremely invasive. Unfortunately, physiologically, weeds have a much better survival mechanism than even the best native species.

Another problem with weed control in these spots is equipment selection. Many superintendents prefer not to have vehicles, such as sprayers or utility vehicles, drive through these areas because of tire tracking. Tires tend to mat down the grass, and it takes an extended time before it returns to a normal look. Because of this problem, many superintendents have resorted to using backpacks or tanks with a hose and gun. This has increased labor costs but is usually minimal compared with the savings from mowing.

Another problem of driving machinery in these areas is fire danger. In many parts of the country, grass fires are a considerable concern because they can be started from machinery, primarily mufflers. Many superintendents decide to keep machinery completely out of these areas to prevent fire danger and tire tracking.

Let’s get wild
Throughout time, some of these areas are invaded by native species of wildflowers. Many superintendents like the look of the grass/wildflower mix. Some take it a step further by incorporating these wildflowers by seeding and try to promote their proliferation. Broadcast herbicide applications have to be eliminated when wildflowers are desired. This requires spot-spray only, during weed-control operations. This can be time-consuming, but many will agree it’s worth the effort.

As fuel prices increase and budget pressures continue to mount, out-of-play areas will likely increase in popularity. With careful thought before establishment, they can add to the design, aesthetics and natural environment of the golf course greatly, as well as help fend off rising costs. GCN

Kevin Ross, CGCS, is director of golf course management at Country Club of the Rockies in Vail, Colo., and president of Ross Golf Agronomy. He can be reached at kjross@vail.net.