Superintendent Vince Keats outlines his four-part strategy for successfully managing native species.

2000 Leo Feser award candidate

Using IPM techniques for native plants helps conserve water and reduce pesticide use. Care of native plants should focus on maintaining the plant community and the course's playable conditions. Some plants may have safety issues, such as causing skin irritations, so keep this in mind when selecting plants. Modify an IPM plan to fit your specific situation.

I have developed an innovative, four-point approach to using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on the golf course. It's innovative because it involves using IPM as a planning tool for non-turf applications, specifically to manage native plant areas.

Why is it important to use IPM to manage native plants? Using native plants on the golf course is a big step toward conserving water and reducing fertilizer and pesticide use.

As superintendents we are accustomed to applying IPM techniques on turf. Native plants generally have different needs and therefore must be managed differently. This makes IPM a valuable tool for managing native species.

Discovering the native option
Native plants can be added to a golf course at any time: by the design team for a new golf course, by the superintendent at an established course, or by the superintendent who needs to renovate existing native areas.

I gained five years' experience managing native vegetation at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, where I was assistant superintendent in charge of the Cliffs Course. The Cliffs, one of three courses at Olympic, is a nine-hole, par 3 with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. What gives the Cliffs its unusual character is the use of native coastal vegetation for the roughs.

Using natives for the roughs was a great choice. The native plants that grow along this portion of the California coast, like most California natives, are drought-adapted -- they depend on rainfall for irrigation. The majority of rain typically occurs from November through March, so these plants receive no water the rest of the year. These plants create a rugged-looking plant community that matches the rugged terrain of the California coastline.

The concept for the Cliffs was to give it a "links course" character by re-creating sand dunes and using native coastal vegetation. As the primary component of the rough, these plants would provide an open, sparse area so that golfers could easily find their balls and hit them out. However, the rough grew in thick and lush. In addition, one of the native species dominated, choking out the other natives in the mix. As a result, errant shots swallowed up by the rough were never to be found again.

This situation did not provide golfers with an enjoyable experience. Something needed to be done. I realized the only way to gain control of this situation was to implement an IPM program. My four-point approach was simple:

	Define IPM
	Understand the needs of natives
	Select plants
	Select plant locations

Defining IPM
Even though IPM is a well-known concept and practice for most superintendents, it's a good idea to reinforce this with a working definition. I wanted to be sure IPM would be appropriate for what I was doing and that my plan would be in accordance with an IPM program.

During his tenure at the Cliffs Course at The Olympic Club in San Fancisco, Vince Keats developed an IPM plan for the native non-turf flora.

There is a lot of good information about IPM on the Web. I found this definition of IPM on the EPA Web site: "Using common-sense practices, environmental information and available pest-control methods to prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage, economically and without harming people, property or the environment."

This is a wonderful definition because it tells you what to do, yet it gives you the freedom to determine how best to do it. As long as we follow the definition, superintendents' IPM programs can be as innovative as necessary to achieve our desired goals.

Understanding natives' needs
I will discuss native plants that are indigenous to the central coast region of California and that are drought-adapted, as I mentioned previously. The community as a whole has a very open growth habit -- patches of vegetation spanned by open, rocky or sandy terrain. In their natural states, these plants receive only the water and fertilizer Mother Nature provides. In nature these plants require no maintenance.

Likewise, on the golf course they do not require supplemental irrigation or fertilizer. They should only require the maintenance necessary to maintain a native plant community and playable conditions. Compare that with the needs of cultivated turfgrass on the course! Our turf requires supplemental irrigation, regular applications of fertilizer and constant mowing. Keep in mind that two different plant communities with different requirements are going to be placed next to each other. There is potential for conflict.

Using native plants for natural areas, such as in front of a bunker, gave the course a rugged look to match the terrain of the rugged Northern California coastline.

Selecting plants
So you want to use native plants -- good choice! But make sure your specific choices are good. Here are some helpful criteria.

Safety. This is the biggest concern because some natives, such as poison oak, can cause severe skin irritation. Other natives, such as blackberries, have spines. These plants are not safe for human contact and should obviously be avoided. Keep in mind that if they occur on the site, you'll have to deal with them as part of regular maintenance.

Appropriateness. Not all natives are appropriate, such as those mentioned previously. Still others may have undesirable growth habits (spreading, very thick and dense, and/or too upright). Identify the characteristics that fit your course and then choose accordingly. For the Cliffs Course, plants were selected using the above criteria and by inspecting the site and adjacent areas. Five native plant species were selected for use in the roughs.

Selecting plant locations
Location is critical. There are four points you must consider: placement, isolation, manageability and visibility.

Placement. The characteristics of native plants are far different than those of the turf varieties used on the golf course. Natives do not offer a great playing surface. Placement of natives can become a question of design when deciding on their function. Will they have architectural significance? Will they be part of waste areas? Consider the role they will play on the course and place them accordingly. We realized that placement of some of the native areas on the Cliffs was too penal. We scaled them back to create fair playing conditions.

Isolation. As I mentioned, keep in mind that two different communities with different requirements are going to be placed next to each other. There is potential for conflict, and you must isolate the natives from your turf maintenance practices. The Cliffs Course features a very tight and challenging layout. The reason my native areas exploded with growth is that I let turf maintenance practices spill over onto the native areas. Whenever the turf was irrigated, so were the natives. Whenever the turf received fertilizer, so did the natives. This resulted in an explosion of growth and caused one species to dominate. Locate native areas so that they can be easily isolated from your turf maintenance. Adjust sprinklers to water only the turf and make sure fertilizer can be applied easily without spreading to the natives.

Keats stresses the importance of selecting the right plants. On the Cliffs Course at The Olympic Club, one native plant species grew in too thick and lush and became a pest by swallowing up errant shots.

Manageability. Do not create areas so large that they are difficult to manage. Even if you have successfully isolated your native areas, they will still require some management. Unwanted natives will creep in, along with the usual assortment of exotic weeds. To gain control on the Cliffs, I focused on areas that adversely affected play. Some sections could be improved by thinning and adjusting irrigation to remain on the turf. Some sections were converted to grass to provide acceptable playing conditions. Though these sections were just a small portion of the total acreage of natives, working them had a big impact in gaining control.

Visibility. Part of the golf experience is enjoying the surroundings. Native plants are an excellent way to tie the golf course into its surroundings. Locate native plants so they can be seen. Pick out three or four locations where they will be showcased. Showcasing on the Cliffs was easy. You can stand in one spot and see the entire course. After addressing the playability issue, I found that these sections were adjacent to key visual areas. By focusing maintenance on these areas, I finally gained control over the native roughs.

Starting a program
Following these four simple steps can help you avoid many of the problems I encountered. The beauty of this plan is that you can start using IPM before you even plant a seed.

Does this plan fit into the definition of an IPM program? Yes. Common-sense strategies are being used in the planning process. Environmental knowledge is essential to understanding the needs of native plants. You will be taking big steps to control pests economically and without harming people, property or the environment.

For more information on IPM, visit www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/ipm.htm.

Use this plan, but modify it to fit your situation. Maybe it can be useful in other non-turf applications. It won't take care of all your pest problems, but it offers a good start for successful management of native areas. Take it to your course, experiment and be innovative!

Vince Keats is superintendent at Napa Valley Country Club in Napa Valley, Calif., and a six-year GCSAA member. He is a former assistant superintendent of the Cliffs Course at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. He presented this information at the Innovative Superintendent Sessions at the GCSAA conference and show in New Orleans.