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A Greener Green
North Shore Country Club
EPA530-F-03-029
July 2003
The grass on the golf course at the North Shore Country Club in Glenview,
Illinois, not only looks green, but it uses "green" methods
to keep it that way. Instead of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the
club uses a 50-50 mix of nutrient-rich biosolids from the Chicago Metropolitan
Sanitary Sewer District and compost made from yard waste to keep the greens
healthy and aesthetically pleasing.
This organic approach to landscape maintenance was started by club Superintendent
F. Dan Dinelli in 1995. During routine testing of the turf, he noticed
that sodium levels were too high to maintain quality turf and that the
soil and plant life were suffering. Installing a new well would have mitigated
the problem, but it also would have cost nearly a quarter of a million
dollars.
Dinelli began researching organic alternatives to the chemicals he had
been using. He found that replacing the chemical fertilizers with organics
reduced salt levels. As an added benefit, he discovered that using compost
could benefit the overall soil structure. At the time, there was little
research available on the effects of compost on turf, so Dinelli embarked
on his own in-house research project, using no outside funding—just
donated organic materials. As superintendent, he had the authority to
"select tools for the job as long as they were financially reasonable,"
Dinelli said.
Dr. Hank Wilkinson of the University of Illinois and Dr. Michael Boehm
of Ohio State University observed plots of various compost mixtures and
materials to detect signs of disease. Although the results were not significant,
the treated plots showed earlier "green up" and recovery rates
than control plots without compost. Further compost applications showed
up to an 80 percent fungal disease suppression (specifically Dollar Spot,
Sclerotinia homoeocarpa and Snow Mold, Typhula spp.), improved
turf color and density, and increased earthworm castings.
Following the 2-year study period, the North Shore Country Club applied
compost materials to all of its fairways. Dinelli estimates he uses between
300 and 500 yards of compost per year at the club, keeping these organic
materials out of landfills and helping to reduce both pollution and greenhouse
gases.
"One of the challenges for any practitioner is to understand what
is available in your area," Dinelli noted. He tried many different
products such as steer manure, poultry, yard waste, mushrooms, earthworm
castings, and sawdust before choosing the biosolids and yard waste combination.
"You have to use what is best for the money," he says, "not
what is necessarily the best product." Dinelli found that biosolids
worked extremely well with turf grass and the compost was great for growing
seedlings. The yard waste the North Shore Country Club uses ranges from
$15 to $17 per ton, and the biosolids are free. The two products he opted
to use offer him a good nutrient package, reducing the need for fertilizer
and other inputs. Most importantly, club patrons have noticed the improvement
on the grounds since the project started.
Although Dinelli is pleased with the outcome, the process has not been
problem-free. Compost encourages earthworm activity, a real problem on
any golf course. There is also a potential lack of consistency in the
materials from batch to batch, season to season, and supplier to supplier.
Dinelli recommends knowing the compost you are going to use and taking
samples on a regular basis. Most importantly, he said, "realize that
compost is a natural bioproduct and it will fluctuate." Because biosolids
are used on the premises, EPA keeps records to ensure they are safe, but
the Agency fully supports this innovative approach to turf management
and biosolid reuse.
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