Post by heymatt on Oct 18, 2011 5:52:46 GMT -6
On holes 2, 3, 4, and 5, there is massive erosion. We have lost several inches of soil on the floor of the forest.
The erosion has to be stopped or we will have sandstone poking out soon.
On hole 3 some of this erosion has been stopped by the loss of trees. The loss of the tree canopy has allowed grass to grow on the footpath. The same process is occurring on hole 5, lose the tree, get the grass.
Hole 2 is going to be the next to begin to change rapidly. We have already seen tree loss, this will accelerate when the large cherry on the right 3/4 's of the way down the hill dies. Grass will attempt to grow on the hillside, but it will be tough to hold it with all the foot traffic. If the grass could be established, the hole would stay in better condition.
Hole 4 is also about to change radically.
My suggestion is to make course changes for one year, so that we can establish grass and other barriers to save the soil in the woods. We should move holes 2,3,4,5. This might require reconfiguring some of the rest of the course: holes 1, 8, 6. But this short term difficulty would be an attempt to save the trees that remain on the front wood's holes.
I do not see another course opening in Lancaster to take the brunt of all the players that now come to Flatrocks. A new course would be the ideal solution. The other solution to the erosion problem is to cut trees down. Once the trees are removed the grass will have a better chance to grow, especially if we plant grass. If we do nothing, we will lose the trees anyway, but the soil won't be there for the grass.
Waiting isn't working, continuing to compress the soil and kill the understory plants is killing the trees. Soon we will have patchy grass fairways that look like war zones. Change the course and fix the problem and then we can put it back together in 2013.
matt young.
The erosion has to be stopped or we will have sandstone poking out soon.
On hole 3 some of this erosion has been stopped by the loss of trees. The loss of the tree canopy has allowed grass to grow on the footpath. The same process is occurring on hole 5, lose the tree, get the grass.
Hole 2 is going to be the next to begin to change rapidly. We have already seen tree loss, this will accelerate when the large cherry on the right 3/4 's of the way down the hill dies. Grass will attempt to grow on the hillside, but it will be tough to hold it with all the foot traffic. If the grass could be established, the hole would stay in better condition.
Hole 4 is also about to change radically.
My suggestion is to make course changes for one year, so that we can establish grass and other barriers to save the soil in the woods. We should move holes 2,3,4,5. This might require reconfiguring some of the rest of the course: holes 1, 8, 6. But this short term difficulty would be an attempt to save the trees that remain on the front wood's holes.
I do not see another course opening in Lancaster to take the brunt of all the players that now come to Flatrocks. A new course would be the ideal solution. The other solution to the erosion problem is to cut trees down. Once the trees are removed the grass will have a better chance to grow, especially if we plant grass. If we do nothing, we will lose the trees anyway, but the soil won't be there for the grass.
Waiting isn't working, continuing to compress the soil and kill the understory plants is killing the trees. Soon we will have patchy grass fairways that look like war zones. Change the course and fix the problem and then we can put it back together in 2013.
matt young.