Best Management Practices for Maryland Golf Courses

Best Management Practices

• Retain a qualified golf course superintendent/project manager at the beginning of the design and construction process to integrate sustainable practices into the development, maintenance, and operation of the course. • Design the course to retain as much natural vegetation as possible. Where appropriate, consider enhancing existing vegetation through the supplemental planting of native species next to long fairways, out-of-play areas, and water sources. • Design out-of-play areas to retain or restore existing native vegetation where possible. Nuisance, invasive, and exotic plants should be removed and replaced with native species adapted to that particular site. • Select a greens location that has adequate sunlight to meet plant-specific needs and that provides sufficient drainage. • Choose a green size and sufficient number of hole locations that can accommodate traffic and play damage but are not so large that they are unsustainable. • Select an appropriate root-zone material for the site. • Consider the number of bunkers as related to resources available for daily maintenance. • Select cultivars based on an evaluation of the site and climate conditions. • Consider bunker entry and exit points. Consider wear patterns and create adequate space for ingress/egress points on greens, tees, fairways, and bunkers. • Select the proper color, size, and shape of bunker sand to meet needs. • Define play and non-play maintenance boundaries.

Construction

Environmental issues concerning construction will have been addressed during the design phase. Detailed plans, such as the erosion and sediment control plan and the stormwater management plan, will be used by a qualified course builder to construct the facility. Environmentally sound construction methods and management that follow the construction plans and specifications prevent environmental impacts to the site. For more information, see An Environmental Approach to Golf Course Development . 2008. American Society of Golf Course Architects.

Best Management Practices

• Use a qualified golf course builder, such as a member of the Golf Course Builders Association of America. • Conduct a pre-construction conference with stakeholders. • Construction should be scheduled to maximize turfgrass establishment and site drainage. • Use soil stabilization techniques to minimize soil erosion and maximize sediment containment. • Maintain a construction progress report and communicate the report to the proper permitting agencies. • Temporary construction compounds should be sited and built in a way that minimizes environmental impacts.

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