By Rob Steger, CGCS Saginaw CC
Golf course superintendents like me are very often asked one question: “why do you want to cut down all of the trees?”
The fact is, I don’t.
There is nothing glamorous about tree removals and there will always be people who didn’t like the decision to either remove or leave a tree standing. As a golf course superintendent, I prefer to steer clear of political decisions; my goal is to make objective decisions based on science.
Trees are beautiful, but trees are growing in the same soil as the turf on a golf course. Turf and trees growing together creates a competition for sun, moisture, and nutrients; a competition that is almost always won by the tree, leaving a sparse stand of turf underneath. I once had a very smart professor who posed the question, “do you want to grow trees, or do you want to grow great turf?” The point of the question is you can’t have both, so you need to choose.
One factor that is rarely considered when planting a tree is the amount of money the tree will cost the golf course over its lifetime. Tree–lined fairways can be appealing to the eye, but what are the costs to the budget and the playing conditions?
Will the additional water needed to keep the turf healthy lead to soft fairways and increased water budgets? Has the tree been planted in an area that will require trimming and/or removal when it reaches its mature size? Will tree roots infiltrate drain lines, requiring costly repairs? Can the golf course afford the labor required to keep the course playable when the leaves begin to drop? Will the tree impact the intended design of a golf hole?
These are some of the questions that every golf course superintendent thinks about when considering the planting or removal a tree on the golf course. We don’t hate trees, but we do value the playability of the course and turf quality more. There is a place for trees on a golf course, but the type and location of each tree planted and/or removed needs to be carefully considered from both a monetary and playability standpoint.
