October 30, 2015 -With 16 ponds and 40 acres of wetlands on Club property, the potential for geese to quickly become a big, messy problem is always on our minds. Preventing this is an ongoing battle, and requires a multipronged attack.
The measures we use to discourage geese from calling Laurel Creek home include noise makers, stringing wire across the lakes, egg addling, and the stare down from pooches Buster and Thor. While these tactics get most geese to quickly take flight, there always seem to be a few stubborn ones that just don’t want to leave.
Thankfully, we acquired a new piece of equipment this year which has proven to be very effective in getting the geese to go–a laser pointer.
To be clear, this isn’t the kind of pointer you’d use for your Powerpoint presentation. No, this is a powerful beam which can even be used during daylight. As the photo shows, the laser can easily be seen across the lake on the rocks behind #5 green. Focusing this on geese quickly makes them nervous, and off they go.
Chad Braun, the equipment director at Town & Country Club in St. Paul, Minn., is…
This column features recollections of the author’s 38 years as a golf writer. These installments…
Renowned golf architect Tom Fazio, who counts nine original course designs among Golf Digest’s ranking…
Major redevelopment at one of Thailand’s most iconic golf courses is reshaping six holes through…
Our online directory, directory.GolfCourseTrades.com is the go-to resource for the busy superintendent. It is your opportunity…
Every day, your turf is responding to two environments. The first is below the surface, where…