Cart Path Traffic
Golf Carts on the Courses
It is almost time to allow cart traffic back on the Courses full time and we are sure it hasn't come fast enough for many of you. The concept of "cart path only" can be frustrating, but it is a vital practice for the overall health of the new Ryegrass. Allowing carts on the Course too early can have detrimental effects on the grass that can last all season. Our goal is to ensure we provide the best playing conditions possible throughout the whole season.
Cart Damage can be explained in two general categories:
1) Turf Injury – The wear damage by carts and equipment is influenced by the speed of travel, amount of stopping and starting and turning, and the tread on the tires. Wear symptoms include leaf blade matting and additional traffic then causes bruising to the leaf blades. Damaged plant cells eventually give the turf a dark, water-soaked appearance that equates to water loss in the plant, eventually causing the loss of chlorophyll and cell / plant death.
2) Soil Compaction – The soil compaction caused by carts reduces the shoot growth rate and the reproductive potential of the grass plant. Compaction reduces air and water porosity within the soil as well as water movement through the soil profile. Long term effects of compaction can result in poor drainage and plant death which affects the overall playability of the golf course.
Studies have been done to show the overall area that is affected with various modes of transportation on the golf courses that are broken out below.
1) Walking – single 1,283sf / foursome 5,132sf
2) Walk and pull cart – single 12,908sf / foursome 51,632sf
3) 1 Rider with Golf Cart – single 61,845sf / 4 cart foursome 247,380sf
4) 2 Rider with Golf Cart – 1 cart 61,845sf / 2 cart foursome 123,690sf
As you can see by the numbers the walking golfer does far less damage to the course than a golf cart, but the even bigger number is the amount of possible damage with 4 carts in a group compared to 2 carts. This is why you see almost all clubs require a 2 cart maximum per group, to help with the overall condition of the golf course.
Entrance / Exit Poles
As we start to come off the paths from overseed – please keep in mind the effects that your golf cart can have on the course. One way of protecting the courses on the Private side is to use the entrance and exit poles. Please review the guidelines of how they are to be used:
1) Our best option and one that we want to see on every par 3 is cart path only. The drivable areas on par 3’s are so limited it is always the best practice to park by the green on the path and walk to your second shot.
2) The next best option on par 4’s and 5’s is to use the 90 degree rule. If you hit a drive 250 yards down the hole and do not need to enter at the entrance point then please keep following the path and enter at a 90 degree point from where your ball ended up.
3) The last option on par 4’s and 5’s is to enter through the 2 posts that are up on the hole and then exit through the 2 posts that are placed at the end of the hole. These stakes will be adjusted as needed by your maintenance team to avoid driving over the same area for too long and spread out the wear to prevent turf issues on the course.
Courses coming off the cart path only restrictions
Below are the projected dates of your Courses coming off cart path only restrictions for the season:
- Tom Weiskopf – Currently off of cart paths only
- Nicklaus Tournament – November 25
- Nicklaus Private – November 28
- TPC Stadium – November 28
- Arnold Palmer – December 6
- Greg Norman – December 13
Thank you in advance for you support and thoughtfulness the next time you take your golf cart onto the course.