How innovation powers biodiversity on golf courses

For many, golf offers an escape from the world, a chance to socialize outdoors while challenging both mind and body. For others, the pristine fairways represent a blot on the environmental landscape.

Behind the scenes, however, greenkeepers are working hard to create valuable habitats for pollinating insects and wider biodiversity across their courses, balancing quality and ecology.

Thanks to innovative turf management solutions for greens and other closely-mown areas, time is freed up for environmental projects.

As golfers across the globe settle down for the prestigious Ryder Cup, let’s take a closer look at how product innovation and agronomic information has helped to drive ecological success, improve playing surfaces, and enhance the appearance of golf courses.

Innovation at ground level

Needless to say, root-and-branch biodiversity projects are time-consuming. That’s where product innovation comes in, as Aplin explains.

“I started to use a product called Primo Maxx. Historically, we used to cut our tees three times a week, and fairways three times a week. I cut fairways once a week now, and tees twice a week. In terms of man-hour savings, it’s huge.”

Syngenta’s Primo Maxx is a plant (turf grass) growth regulator. It slows the production of gibberellic acid, a plant hormone that promotes cell elongation. Vertical shoot growth is slowed, while lateral and below-ground growth of stems, runners, shoots and roots is stimulated. It promotes denser, healthier turf that is better able to withstand a variety of stresses including heat, drought, disease, and traffic.

Sean Loakes is Technical Manager UK & IRE - Turf, Landscape, PPM and Ornamentals at Syngenta. He says that greenkeepers are keen to ensure that their surfaces perform well for golfers, but that comes with lots of challenges.

“There’s the weather, but also pests and diseases will come and attack the turf. The managers need to be able to provide the best possible playing conditions all year long. We have products that help control diseases, help control weeds and help control pests. The more time you spend repairing damaged patches, the less time you can invest in the outside areas of the course and look at ecological projects.”

He adds: “With grass [on golf courses], they really only want to be taking a tiny little bit off each time. But the more growth you get, it becomes a grass factory and it’s very hard. You have to keep emptying clippings and taking them away. It’s more and more work. Our plant growth regulator means it controls the amount of growth they get, and they get a denser plant.”

Aplin says: “In the past we would have wall-to-wall mown everything because it’s what we always did. Aesthetically, it was a change for us. But everyone starts to go ‘wow’, look at all the wild grasses, look at the wildlife, there’s butterflies everywhere. It enabled us to get 16 beehives on the course. The members buy the honey. We can’t sell enough now. We’re increasing hives by the year.”

He continues: “Everything inside the golfing corridors is still intensively managed. Everywhere outside is now managed environmentally, which wasn’t the case before…Everything we’ve done has resulted in an improvement in turf quality and in turf health, and an improvement in golf course playability.”

As turf conditions have improved, Aplin and his team have greatly reduced the volume of products applied to fairways and greens.

Ben Habgood is a nature-based Solutions Manager at Surrey Wildlife Trust in South-East England. He works with Syngenta on the Operation Pollinator scheme as an ecological expert.

“Golf courses offer extensive areas where out-of-play land can be managed for nature, providing food and shelter for bees, butterflies, birds, and small mammals. With many clubs now adopting sustainable and wildlife-friendly management on their courses, these areas are becoming even more critical for our native flora and fauna.

“Their value is especially high in urban and peri-urban areas, where green space is scarce. Here, golf courses act as green corridors, linking gardens, parks, nature reserves, and farmland.”