WILD HORSE (Courtesy of GCA)
In the second half of my interview with Josh Mahar, the superintendent of Wild Horse, he discusses their practice of burning the native grass rough once every three years. There are pros and cons to this practice, but to me it is a very attractive option. It recreates the process that naturally manages the prairie and it requires less fuel than mowing the roughs. (video after jump)
The downside is that it does really seem to revitalize the native grasses. Last summer was wetter than average in the Sand Hills and the rough was frequently a jungle, making finding a mis-hit ball almost impossible. This problem is one that affects all the courses in the region. Keeping irrigation out of the native is a very difficult task which I think Ballyneal has done the best job of accomplishing.
Josh goes on to talk about the size of his staff. His ability to keep this course in such great shape with so few resources is something that should be studied in these lean economic times. Josh claims that because the course has so few extras (trees, landscaping, etc.), he can get away with a very small crew.
For the first half of the interview, click here.
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