Golfclub am Donnersberg

Sustainable care concept introduced

Having run our golf course for 20 years, we faced some difficult decisions two years ago: What to do if the greens show thatch and are prone to grass disease due to traditional care with limited mechanical work and too little sand mixture and if the fairways absorb insufficient amounts of water due to soil compaction? In order to get rid of the latter problem, spreading high amounts of sand was helpful in the past, so this seemed to be the first choice, and 25,000 € were allocated to the budget.

At this point we came fortunately in contact with the “Turf Fox”. After a first appraisal, we implemented with Norbert Lischka’s help a comprehensive multi-year restructuring plan which is particularly based on intensive mechanical work, aeration, and cautious sanding of the greens and fairways while simultaneously reducing and optimising the application of fertilisers. Already after one maintenance season, a self-strengthening of the plants was visible, associated with reduced thatch on the greens and increased water permeability on the fairways. We could waive the extensive sanding on the fairways, which enabled us to invest the financial resource into new care machinery urgently needed.
Norbert Lischka supported our restructuring plan by on-site visits and consulting. Due to his long-term experience and his educational skills, he succeeded time and again in convincing and motivating the maintenance team during critical situations. Together with him, we are sure about reaching a change to sustainable maintenance terms and continuing to offer first quality playing conditions to our members and guests.

Golfclub am Donnersberg e.V.
Roswitha Weiss/Werner Prätorius

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