“Not much is intentionally invested here – but there are still smaller projects added every year,” sums up President Claudia Zwilling-Pinna. The large area of 90 hectares, the operation of an 18- and a 6-hole course, plus the club activities are a challenge for the management of the facility anyway. In the Sinsheim GC, the Baden-Württemberg Golf Association’s “Habitat Golf Course” campaign is therefore an opportunity to get a good overview of the local conditions and to develop possible new steps from this.
Lizard resettlement
The biggest project in recent years concerns the lizards that the golf club had to relocate near the short course due to a planned redesign. Club members set up 525 meters of reptile protection fence themselves , a special company examined the lizard area, and finally the lizards were collected and resettled in 2020. A big project, as President Zwilling-Pinna says, but which also created awareness in the club for the variety of species on the golf course.
The square is characterized by the large contiguous areas: one of the three small groves was left completely to nature. “Here we have the black woodpecker, for example,” explains club manager Günter Widl . Since the construction of the facility, a large area of completely natural space has developed between fairways 13 and 14. In other places, fruit trees were planted, flower meadows laid out, and a body of water has already been mapped as a biotope. Coypu feel extremely comfortable at the pond of lane four. Greenkeeper Sprenger has also created dead wood corners and hung nest boxes.
Awareness of nature issues is increasing
One thing is certain: for potential newcomers or club members, the natural experience factor is extremely important here. “Within the membership, much more attention is now being paid to this topic,” summarizes Zwilling-Pinna. With the first experiences from the golf course habitat project, it is now a matter of developing new projects for the club.
For example in the area of the spruce segment, which is located within one of the groves. It fell victim to the bark beetle and the trees died. However, it is still unclear how to deal with the small area. Replanting? Leave the area to itself? Questions that don’t actually concern classic greenkeeping or club management. In golf, according to the experience of those responsible at GC Sinsheim, they are now taking up more and more space. The golf course is primarily a sports field, but also a place to live. The combination of both ultimately ensures a positive playing experience for the golfer.
https://golfsustainable.com/cc-schloss-langenstein-top-thema-wassermanagement/
