Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Copperleaf Environmental Sustainability

I was recently interviewed for a turf magazine and one of the questions was "What should I know about Copperleaf?" My answer consisted of a general description of the facility, location, membership, etc. I also added the following comment: "Copperleaf maintains its designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary with an operational emphasis on environmental sustainability". At that point, I wondered how much our general membership knew of these routine environmentally conscious maintenance practices and efforts.

While I could probably write a small book going over our programs and how our operation positively impacts the environment, I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight some of the initiatives and programs that make Copperleaf unique. 

As a segway into the nuts and bolts of our initiatives and efforts, below is our "Environmental Policy", which summarizes our involvement with Audubon International and goals for positive environmental performance as it relates to everyday Golf Course Maintenance practices.

The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf is an award-winning education and certification program that helps golf courses protect our environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf. By helping people embrace the valuable natural areas and wildlife habitats that golf courses provide, improve efficiency, and minimize potentially harmful impacts of golf course operations, the program serves an important environmental role. Copperleaf has proudly held Audubon Certification for the past 18 years.

In addition to our Certification with Audubon, I wanted to share some specific environmental initiatives and practices that demonstrate our continued commitment to environmental sustainability.

➤ We have two osprey platforms located on the golf course. There is a camera located on the platform in between holes #3 and #4 with a 24/7 video feed. New hatchlings are typically observed in the month of February each year. 
➤ There are 17 Birdhouses and 6 Purple Martin houses found on property. Common residents found this time of the year include Eastern Screech Owls, Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Great Crested Flycatchers and Purple Martins. Additional birds found nesting include Bald Eagles, Osprey and Great Horned Owls. 
➤ Our butterfly garden is located between holes #3 and #4, just past one of our Osprey platforms. The butterfly garden includes dozens of pollinating plants and frequently produces many different species of butterflies.
➤ Recognizing the Florida Golf Course Best Management Practices Program, H.B. 967 was signed into law in 2022. We hold Certification with this program, and have also adopted our own Copperleaf BMP manual, which serves as a guide for us to conduct routine golf course maintenance practices while preventing contamination, waste, and habitat loss.
➤ We maintain a closed-loop water recycling system to wash off our golf course maintenance equipment. The recycled water utilized to wash equipment is filtered, free of grease, oil and contaminants. This provides a clean source for our equipment, keeping our operations in compliance with EPA regulations. 
➤ Our chemical mixing center consists of a self-contained area to mix and load chemicals prior to treatment. All spills are collected and managed using an in-ground sump pump basin. This prevents any pesticide leaks or spills from ultimately contaminating our water bodies.
➤ Aquatic plants can be found surrounding all lakes at Copperleaf. These beneficial littoral plantings provide habitat for fish and wildlife, serve as a filter by absorbing nutrients and contaminants, improve water clarity, stabilize our shorelines and enhance our overall aquatic ecosystem.
➤ Moisture meters are routinely used on the golf course to determine precise irrigation needs. Overwatering the golf course is an undesirable practice leading to less-than-ideal playing conditions. Greens are often hand-watered to ensure the correct amount of water is applied.
➤ Fertilizer applications are based on soil test results and plant needs. Overfertilization of the golf course is costly, environmentally irresponsible, and also produces undesirable playing conditions.
➤ We utilize Integrated Pest Management, which is a method of reducing overall pest management expenses and exposure by using a combination of tactics to control undesirable pests, such as cultural, biological, genetic, and chemical controls. Unnecessary applications of pesticides are costly, increase the development of resistance and can also present environmental concerns. 
➤ Wildlife Tours are routinely offered to our members and are led by Brian Beckner of Native Bird Boxes. Brian provides wildlife services to Copperleaf, including the care and upkeep of all bird boxes on property. 
➤ Lastly, Copperleaf will soon be utilizing the services of a professional beekeeper to manage honeybee hives on property. The location of our hives will be hidden from sight and completely safe for golfers and residents. Not only do honeybees provide valuable pollination services for plants on the golf course, but also provide honey that we will soon be able to sell, with profits returned to help sustain our environmental programs. 

Golf Course Superintendents are proud environmental stewards. We are fortunate to have a direct positive impact on natural resources, improving the environmental health of Florida. Copperleaf is a beautiful property filled with native flora and fauna. Our Golf Course Maintenance team remains committed to practicing environmental stewardship while continuously enhancing the overall experience for both our members and guests.

Below are some photos taken on property over the past few years.

Anhinga

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Tricolored Heron

Purple Martin hatchlings

Killdeer

Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Northern Flicker

Common Gallinule with hatchling

Osprey with hatchlings

Wildlife Tour

American Alligator

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

February 2024 Update

The golf course is currently in great shape and holding up to the increased amount of play very well. We have fortunately had some better weather over the past month, however, turfgrass growth remains minimal. Because of this, recovery from cart traffic, ballmarks, divots and all biotic and abiotic stressors remains slower than usual. 

Sunshine has been a warm welcome to 2024, but turfgrass growth is still limited due to the cooler temperatures.

I recently sent out an email blast to the membership outlining some proper golf course care and etiquette guidelines. The feedback from this email was overwhelmingly positive, so I thought it would be beneficial to share the highlights here: 

  • Repair ball marks on the putting greens. Proper ball mark repair includes inserting the tool at the edges of the ball mark and pushing in from the outside instead of prying up.
  • Fill divots with the mix provided in the golf carts. Our divot mix contains organic material utilized to help expidite the recovery process.
  • Keep all four golf cart tires on the cart path around tees and greens. Cart traffic is the number one issue working against us in our turfgrass growth efforts this time of the year. Keeping four tires on the path around tees and greens help protect the turfgrass along the edges of the cart path.
  • Utilize the 90-degree rule when exiting the cart path after your tee shot as you head toward your ball. Do not follow the cart in front of you and please avoid driving in the rough unnecessarily. Our fairways can withstand cart traffic and stress much better than our rough. This will also help maintain the definition in the fairway-to-rough interface.
  • Be careful when removing your ball from the cup once it has been holed. The hole is only 4.25" in diameter, which does not leave much room to retreive your ball without touching the edge of the cup. The slightest interaction between your hand the edge of the grass around the cup will damage the grass edge, leaving a very unsightly scar. 
  • Rake all bunkers after use and tap your shoes to clean them of sand before walking on the green. Enter and exit the bunker at the lowest point. After raking, place the rake with the "tines up" into the lowest point of the bunker, with a small portion of the bunker handle remaining on the turf. The handle should be facing down the fairway (parallel to play) to avoid interfering with incoming shots. 
  • Lastly, always remember to leave the golf course as YOU wish it to be found.
We greatly appreciate your continued attention to these routine golf course course care practices, as they greatly help in continuing to provide the high-quality golf course conditions we strive to achieve.

This image captures the cart traffic after a full day of play on hole #9. Less than 10% of all golfers have appropriately observed the 90-degree rule. 

Over the next two weeks we will be gearing up for the club championship. The weather over the past few months has shifted our agronomic plan from emphasizing turf performance to turf health, however, we are confident that we will be able to deliver championship conditions for this marquee event. 

Putting greens have remained in excellent health this year, despite the challenging weather conditions brought with El Nino.

Our landscaping and irrigation installation around the new pool cafe has been completed. We look forward to opening Ospreys and showing off our updated facility in March! We are now working on the planning and design aspect of the clubhouse landscaping. We will completing our work in this phase of the project over the next several months.

We are currently adding bleachers at the tennis courts located between courts #1 and #2. This new viewing area will mimic the bleachers previously installed between courts #3 and #4. Once the area is prepped, a paver base will be added and the new bleachers should be installed sometime in the next month. There has been a tremendous volume of play at our tennis facilities. We do ask that you please sweep the courts after use so they are properly prepared for play at all times. 

The osprey nest located between holes #3 and #4 has been very busy lately, with three eggs that will hopefully be hatching sometime in the very near future. The link to access our live video feed can be found here: Osprey Cam

We are hopeful to see the three eggs in the osprey nest hatch sometime in the next few weeks.

We have also recently installed a new osprey platform located behind the back tee on hole #17. Within days, this platform saw activity and there is already an osprey building a nest in this new location. This platform is visibile from hole #17, hole #13, the fitness center, pool and pool cafe. We are hopeful to install an additional camera in this location sometime in the next year. 

Our newest osprey platform was installed on February 9th.

This new platform will have visibility from many different areas of the club. We are hopeful that the nest remains active, as it is located in a prime osprey nesting site.

Our wildlife tours have been extremely popular this year. They are led by local ornithologist and wildlife expert, Brian Beckner. The next tour is scheduled for Thursday, March 21st, so please be sure to sign up!

Our Wildlife Tours are a great way to see the birds/waterfowl and other wildlife found on property.

As always, feel free to email any questions, comments or concerns to parkerf@copperleafgc.com.




Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Welcome to the New Year!

As we enter a New Year, we are excited to see what 2024 has to bring! The Golf Course remains in great condition, however, we have battled some challenging weather conditions over the past month. This winter's forecast has been spot on thus far, as we have been experiencing El Nino at its finest. El Nino conditions call for a wetter-than-normal winter, due to an enhanced southern jet stream. For comparison, the past three winters have brought "La Nina" conditions, leading to the drought we have recently experienced.


Winter Forecast as provided by NOAA earlier this year.

So what does this mean for the golf course? Well, turfgrass needs at least 8 hours of full sunlight per day to perform at its best. While rainfall is beneficial, consecutive cloudy days are not. Especially when these conditions bring low temperatures. There was a two week period in mid-to-late December that brought virtually no consistent sunlight. This is on top of the fact that December is the shortest month of the year in terms of sunlight. As a result of this, turfgrass growth is significantly reduced, disease pressure is increased and overall turf health and appearance is negatively impacted. 

Cool, cloudy, wet weather was observed through most of December.

To combat these less-than-desirable growing conditions, we slightly modify our maintenance practices. Our mowing and rolling frequency are both reduced in order to avoid over-stressing the turf. Additional preventative fungicides are applied to minimize the development of disease. Plant growth regulators are reduced, additional fertilizer and biostimulants are applied, and sometimes heights of cut are increased. Simply put, we shift focus to prioritizing plant health over performance. 

Mowing #18 green in late December. The reduction in turf growth observed through recent weather patterns have enabled us to reduce the frequency in which we mow our playing surfaces. Greens are often rolled in lieu of mowing to provide similar conditions without overstressing the turf.

Fertilizer is applied in early December to the putting greens. While most nutrients are applied to our putting surfaces via foliar sprays, we oftentimes supplement vital macro and micronutrients through granular fertilizer applications in the winter months.

One of the very few sunny days observed in late 2023. Looking back from #4 green.

While the weather has certainly reduced our maintenance intensity in terms of traditional mowing and trimming, we have been extremely busy working on the landscape and irrigation installation around our pool cafe renovations. Beginning in mid-December, we installed new irrigation and landscaping along the lake bank from #13 black tee all the way to the cart barn staging area, on both sides of the new boardwalk. The new landscaping will greatly enhance the view looking out from our new pool bar. In the near future, we will also be installing new irrigation, landscaping, and lighting in the remaining surrounding areas of pool and the island beds located in the pavers. 

New irrigation was installed on the entire lake bank.

While some of the existing Shady Lady Olive trees were untouched during the project, a majority of the lake bank was replanted with palm trees, Shady Lady Olive trees, schefflera, jasmine, and carissa. 

5 Foxtail Palms were planted outside of the fitness center, near the new pool bar.

Sabal palms, Pygmy Date palms, schefflera, jasmine and carissa were planted from the cart staging area towards the boardwalk.

The view looking towards the new pool bar and boardwalk as you exit the cart staging area.

View looking from the cart staging area towards #18 Green.

Below are a few "festive" photos highlighting the end of 2023!

The front entrance lit up during holiday season.

Lastly, I will leave you with this gem of a photo from our 2023 Employee Christmas Caroling. Special thanks to GCM employee Lena Tovar, for sporting the festive costume!


As always, please feel free to send any questions, comments or concerns to parkerf@copperleafgc.com.