What a Mess!

As the snow finally disappears, we're left with a big mess, thanks to the thousands of geese who decided to spend some time on the course this winter.  Unlike the handful of resident geese we see, who try to call this home year around, we were bombarded by a multitude of migratory birds. 

They will scare easily and take flight, but often circle around and land on another part of the course if they can't find someplace more inviting to spend the night.  We saw thousands of these geese this winter, and it seemed that as soon as one flock departed, another group must have seen a "Vacancy" sign, and come in the next day.

The good news is that, unlike in past winters, we've found little evidence of turf damage from the geese munching on the golf course grass.  The bad news is that these thousands of geese apparently were dining elsewhere then using the course as their private restroom.

We've started the cleanup process by focusing on the tees and greens, and are working out from there.  When the material is dry, it can be blown and picked up pretty easily.  Unfortunately, with the snow and rain, the droppings are far from dry, and are not at all easy to clean up.  Depending on what was for dinner, they may break apart, or simply smear like grease.

Goose droppings dot the surface of #13 green.