Pond management:
More than just eye candy

Joe Lara

Limnology. Watersheds. Lentic ecosystems. The days of course managers just cutting and fertilizing turf and vegetation and skimming algae off ponds are long gone. Not only do superintendents need to be up to speed on a variety of horticultural innovations, they also need a holistic understanding of water and how water bodies play a larger and larger role in the overall golf course experience and golf course economics.

The ponds, lakes and streams within a course are more pivotal than ever. They help determine aesthetics, feed into the overall botanical health of a golf course and have a growing impact on the financial health of a course.

In my work with course maintenance pros, I see more and more concern about water cost, which is not surprising. In golf-course-rich areas of the country, current drought conditions and drought outlooks are a great concern and considered an ongoing assumption in a course’s water planning. In nearly all of California, and in large areas of Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and even Oregon and upper Wisconsin, the long-term drought indicators from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction range from abnormally dry to extreme drought. Current conditions plotted by the National Drought Mitigation Center show similar status in those states, plus abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions in Virginia, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Colorado.

The precipitation picture has strong ramifications for golf course ponds and lakes. An obvious impact is the fact that ponds used for irrigation are more important than ever. While many courses are using reclaimed water where accessible, water from a course’s own water bodies can be a great conservation and cost-control tool.

However, if algae growth or sludge buildup go unchecked, irrigation filters can get clogged, pumping efficiency can plummet, and that great irrigation source is suddenly a liability, not to mention an eyesore. Focus on preventive health for a clarified, clean water body by starting bioagronomic treatments early in the season before growth has a chance to take hold and get out of control as a cost-effective method for maintaining great looking, productive waterways.

The aesthetic value of ponds and lakes cannot be overstated in this competitive environment for golf patrons. Golfers will remember a water body that looks brilliant and fresh, is free of dense insect populations and noxious plant growth, and has no foul odor as a difference-maker that brings them back.

Products like natural bacteria nutrient control agents that mitigate unwanted contaminants and water colorants that can impart a natural, rich blue or reflective black appearance, can be a part of an integrated water management program. Aeration, drainage and tributary analysis, wildlife management, if relevant, and the interface of water with turf and plants can make a big impact on the total quality and economic performance of a golf course. Keep in mind also that well managed waterways can add significant value to a golf property’s selling price if it goes on the market.

If a body of water is attractive and inviting, it holds revenue potential. If that same water can irrigate turf directly in a healthy and sustainable fashion, it can conserve valuable water — and valuable cash, as well.

Joe Lara is a product manager of turf and horticulture for Becker Underwood, a specialty products company headquartered in Ames, Iowa.