Restoring the section of Red Clay Creek that passes through Kennett Square Golf and Country Club has enhanced wildlife habitat and improved the golf experience.

Golf Course Superintendent Paul Stead is aware of the scrutiny that golf courses face. “It makes you really think about what you’re doing to make sure you’re doing it as well as you can,” he said. Stead works every day to set a positive example through the stewardship efforts at Kennett Square.

One improvement Stead made was in his equipment wash area. There was a risk that grass clippings from the mowing machinery could end up in an adjacent stream. Stead learned that discarded organic material contributes to nutrient loading in waterways, which encourages algae growth.

So, Stead created rain gardens in the equipment wash areas to help absorb and filter wash water before it reaches the stream. Rain gardens are sunken landscapes that capture runoff and filter it through soil and native plants. Clippings and sediment from the mowers are now captured by the rain garden rather than potentially washing downstream.

Stead also noticed a recurring runoff issue from the clubhouse parking lot after heavy rains, so he created a bioswale to help improve the situation. He removed a flower bed in the parking area and replaced it with a 3-foot-deep depression filled with a variety of plants that can absorb overflow water. “It’s not just about marigolds and mulch,” said Stead. “It’s about connecting the dots and seeing how everything fits together.”

Red Clay Creek’s east branch flows through the course on holes 13 through 16, so each year, Stead and other club volunteers help to clean debris along the stream. Consistently monitoring the creek allowed Stead to recognize shoreline erosion and its negative impact on the 13th green and 14th tee at Kennett Square. Stabilizing the shoreline would not only stabilize the holes adjacent to the creek, it would also improve water quality on the course and in the surrounding community.

At Stead’s urging, the club contributed to a stream restoration project that ultimately cost $800,000. He secured a $200,000 grant, but the rest of the funding came from the club, which later received a stewardship award from the local watershed association. “I convinced our golfers to look at the stream holistically and to see our facility as a community asset and not just as a golf course,” he said. “When you take that approach, you’re more likely to get involved with community initiatives and to consider the surrounding area.”

A Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary since 2010, Kennett Square has also dramatically reduced its use of fertilizer. Stead estimated that he used less than one pound of fertilizer per green in 2016 and did not fertilize the rough at all. He reasoned that if they watered the course less, the grass would grow less, and if it grew less, they would mow less and need less fertilizer, providing additional cost benefits. “We decided to use water as a growth regulator for the grass,” said Stead. “And it caused a domino effect on everything else.”

Dave Oatis, director of the USGA Green Section’s Northeast Region said, “Superintendents are working harder than ever to maintain courses while protecting and enhancing the environment. Well-managed golf courses can provide valuable habitat for wildlife and are a tremendous environmental asset to communities. Rockland and Kennett Square are two wonderful examples of golf courses that embrace environmental stewardship, and their environment, community and golfers are enjoying the benefits.”

Written by Lisa D. Mickey
Florida-based freelance writer and a Florida master naturalist who frequently contributes to USGA websites.