Ponds on the Golf Course
Unsightly Algae seen in a pond in 2008
Ponds play a big role on a golf course. They serve an aesthetic purpose, making the golf hole more pleasing to the eye and they serve a playability purpose, increasing the difficulty of the hole. For a golf course superintendent, ponds can be very difficult to maintain and for many different reasons. Controlling Filamentous Algae, which left untreated can make a pond look unsightly, is a big part of pond maintenance. The main reason for an outbreak or bloom of this form of algae is an increase of nutrients, mainly phosphorus and nitrogen which is found in most grass fertilizers. Golf courses take care to make sure that they never fertilize within 20 feet of a pond, as per New York State law, or when heavy rain is forecasted. Abiding by these fertilizing practices helps reduce runoff into ponds thus keeping nutrient levels low and preventing a bloom in Filamentous Algae.
