Animal Instincts
Human nature and Mother Nature meet on the golf course
The morning was crisp and cool, one could say uneventful. However, that was about to change. After cutting a new hole location on the eighth green, I put my maintenance cart into gear and headed towards the ninth.
At full speed, I crested a hill and nearly had a heart attack. A massive black bear was directly in my path. I almost T-boned him, swerving out of the way at the last second.
Thankfully, the bear was more frightened than me and bolted into the woods. Disaster averted. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case when animals and agronomy collide.
While my golf course maintenance days are long over, my appreciation for wild animal encounters – especially at a safe distance – remains. And my hunch is you probably feel the same. My aforementioned “bear scare” took place way back in the early 1990s when I worked for a couple of seasons on the turf team at the Golden (B.C.) Golf Club. Bear sightings were, basically, a daily occurrence there.
Simply put, wild animals, especially large mammals, are awesome. And the “in nature” aspect of golf courses – where food sources and water are typically the main attractants – can be desirable places for critters of all types. In the Pacific Northwest, especially, where golf courses are often situated in unspoiled and rugged landscapes, wild animal issues are normal. It comes with the territory.
And the issue of animals and golf courses can be a sensitive topic. Depending on the lens you’re looking through, the issues – or the responses or solutions to those issues – can vary dramatically. Bottom line, though, is animal welfare, golfer safety, and turf care are all relevant; and they are not always easy to balance.
Of course, while many courses in the region face constant challenges with large (or small) animals, some don’t really have an issue with this at all. At Bandon Dunes, for example, Director of Agronomy Fred Yates didn’t have a lot of pressing concerns when I raised the issue.
“I would say the crows stealing guest’s food and flipping divots is about as bad as it gets here,” Yates said, casually. “Geese come and go and can be a nuisance and grey diggers can occasionally cause a problem if they venture out of the rough.”
But, interestingly, a little later in our conversation he offered this. “Oh, but there was one time about 15 years ago when one of our guys was walk-mowing a green and when he turned to make another pass a large mountain lion was staring him down on the other side of the green. I believe he soiled his pants.”
Scary incidents aside – and bears and cougars can certainly author those – damage to turf is a whole different matter. And outside of bears rummaging through coolers, garbage, and snapping flagsticks like they are toothpicks, they typically don’t damage turf. Most often it’s the hooved, horned, and antlered animals that cause the most carnage on golf courses.
At the aptly-named Bighorn Golf & Country Club in Kamloops, B.C., a large herd of approximately 75 bighorn sheep have called the course home for a couple of decades now. And even though many of the regular golfers at the course relish the experience of golfing around this unique gallery, there can be a downside.
“When the turf is soft, which can happen in winter or during rain events, they can definitely cause damage,” says General Manager Ian Henson. “But fortunately, Kamloops is often warm and dry. And in the 20 years or so that I’ve been here we’ve never had a serious injury-related incident with the herd. Sure, hoofprints in the bunkers aren’t ideal. But as long as people keep their distance and respect the animals, we can all win. That said, we are working at finding ways to keep the herd more on the boundaries of the course to limit damage and minimize interactions.”
Not surprisingly, elk herds can be an even bigger concern for superintendents who are commissioned to keep turf healthy and people safe. While bull elk, especially, are spectacular creatures, they have been known to wreak havoc. Elk can stand over five feet tall and weigh over 1,000 lbs.
“Elk are heavy grazers and can cause wear on fairways, especially when they gather in groups or linger in certain areas,” says Glenn Griffis, course superintendent at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course in Jasper, Alberta. “And during rutting and calving seasons they become even more protective and aggressive. We work closely with Parks Canada and follow their guidance and seasonal bulletins. On the course, our team actively monitors wildlife activity throughout the day. If an elk or bear is near a playing area, we may temporarily close or delay specific holes and reroute golfers.”
Even though Griffis and his team can mitigate damage and reduce human interaction with the animals (strategic wildlife fencing that limits access to the course has been highly effective), turf issues are inevitable. For example, during rutting season bull elk can use their antlers to shred greens like sod-cutters gone wild. Hoof damage can be widespread. And their nitrogen-rich urine can burn turf on contact, similar to a highly-concentrated fertilizer spill. All of this keeps turf teams busy re-sodding, re-seeding, and repairing.
Not surprisingly, given the unpredictability of the animal kingdom, there are countless stories of animals causing damage and disruptions on golf courses. You’ve probably got your own personal stories that relate to the issue. And if you do an online search you’ll find everything from ornery geese attacking ladies’ leagues to grizzly fights on the fairways.
Thanks to their brawn and beauty, it is the bears that usually get the most attention. In places like Jasper, which is in a national park and surrounded by Canadian wilderness, their numbers are strong. And they don’t always play nice on the golf course. For example, approximately 25 years ago one determined bruin decided the organic fertilizer around the cup was pretty tasty. So, he went from green to green digging massive two to three-foot craters around every flagstick he could find. While he didn’t find all 18 of them, he got pretty close.
But for Griffis – and his entire team, for that matter – bears are actually a symbol of something else, something much more positive. In fact, one particular bear that frequents the course has become a symbol of the strength and resilience of this community. In the summer of 2024, a catastrophic forest fire wiped out a third of the Jasper townsite. Although the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge was spared, thousands of trees on the golf course were reduced to ash. The course was shuttered for close to a year and the town is still in the rebuilding phase.
“We’ve got one bear, Bear 222, that has been a famous bear in the area for quite a few years,” says Griffis. “After surviving the wildfire with her cubs, she’s once again come back to the area and the course. Her return has become a powerful symbol of resilience for Jasper and a reminder that, even after fire and disruption, wildlife finds a way to reclaim and restore the places it depends on.”
Wild animals will always be part of the golfing landscape. And we all need to do our part to respect them and give them space. And be careful with your speed with your cart – you never know what’s lurking over the hill.