Goose Control Tactics

With 16 ponds and lakes on Club property, as well as 38 acres of wetlands, people are often amazed at how few geese are able to call Laurel Creek their home.  We incorporate a number of strategies to discourage geese from nesting on the course, however there is one particular spot where they seem to have felt pretty safe year after year:  The island between #5 green and #6 tee.

As we always say, we have to work with what Mother Nature gives us, and while January's frigid temperatures have held us back on some projects, it also gave us an opportunity to make the geese a bit less comfortable with the island.

A safety line was placed from shore to shore, and the "S.S. Minnow" stood ready, just in case any thin ice was encountered.  

This week we created a fence around the perimeter of the island.  Because of the small size and coloring of the materials we used, it isn't visible from "the mainland."   By removing easy access to and from the water, our hope is that the geese will no longer find this to be an island paradise.

Rebar was placed every 10' around the perimeter of the island, and wire was run from piece to piece at two different heights, so the geese can't limbo under or easily hop over.