Bare earth on one side – deep green on the other. “There’s really no better way to illustrate the difference,” says Florian Opitz. The landscape architect points to the fields on the right, which are used for conventional farming, and to the area of the Darmstadt-Traisa GC on the other side. The club’s lush hedges, the tall trees – it is immediately clear that the golf course plays an important role in biodiversity as a habitat for numerous animals, insects and plants alongside the fields. “In the beginning, the nature conservation associations were very skeptical when it came to the topic of golf – now we work well together,” sums up Opitz, who is mainly in contact with the regional chapter of NABU.
The GC Darmstadt-Traisa in Hesse is a prime example of how commitment to the environment has little to do with the size of a golf course, lavish staff or a high budget. The 9-hole course, which is located on a foundation site, is slightly hidden on the outskirts of Darmstadt. Michael Opitz is responsible for processes in the secretariat, while the greenkeeping team consists of head greenkeeper Anselm Schröder and three other employees. The golf course at Dippelshof in Traisa, which has been gradually built since the club was founded in 1973, is not a course for major championships, but is ideal for golfers who enjoy unspoilt countryside and the experience of nature.
The Gold award in the German Golf Association ‘s quality management program Golf and Natur is based on many individual projects presented by Florian Opitz and Anselm Schröder. They range from cairns to a large number of mapped trees, and include beehives and deadwood piles. A reed biotope catches the eye, which is cleared of bushes when necessary, but is otherwise left in its natural state.
Species-rich meadows greatly expanded
The GC Darmstadt-Traisa is overgrown with species-rich meadows, which come into view in many areas of the course. In 2009, rough pastures were developed in various places, which were extended in 2021 by a further area on fairway 7. 15 centimeters of nutrient-rich topsoil were removed and filled with natural stone gravel and sand. Typical local wildflowers and wild grasses were sown with seeds from the region. With regard to the most recent addition, another rough pasture on lane four, the Opitz brothers also note that it is not always easy to thin out the areas. They are further optimized by removing the cuttings.
In addition, the lush meadows, which have grown particularly well in a wet spring like this one, are a thorn in the side of many a golfer. “We have reduced the playing surfaces, but made sure to only remove surfaces from the program that do not hinder the flow of play,” Florian Opitz sums up. The grass is now higher in front of and between some of the tee boxes.
Ecological inventory plan
The ecological inventory plan drawn up by the golf club together with the NABU group Nieder-Ramstadt provides a perfect overview of the overall situation. Ponds, streams, orchards and much more are listed in detail, but above all their significance is explained.
The golf club has also listed its principles for conservation-sensitive maintenance here once again: They range from the use of water from storage ponds and cisterns for irrigation to the strip mowing of extensive meadows. The areas of water, plant protection and area maintenance are included. The great advantage of this plan from December 2023: By documenting the measures and principles, they can still be viewed even if, for example, the responsible persons in the Executive Committee change. The continuous work can thus be pursued further – an essential basis for the success of the GC Darmstadt-Traisa.
