Maintaining Native Roughs on the Golf Course

The rough is an area golfers try to avoid. No one really likes to hit their ball from the rough, or worse, lose one in the high grass. Roughs are an integral feature of a golf course, though, both for aesthetics and for the challenge they present. A lot of superintendents are embracing the concept of keeping roughs as natural as possible, but this does mean one has to put in the work of maintaining native roughs. 

What Are Native Roughs?

A golf course rough is an area bordering the fairway where grass is deliberately left to grow longer. A native rough utilizes grasses native to the area rather than the specifically cultivated turfgrass found on the fairway. Native rough can also refer to denser out-of-play areas with taller growth.

Benefits of Native Roughs

The primary drivers for the establishment of native roughs are cost, compliance, aesthetics and environmental responsibility. By their nature, native plants require less input and management than turfgrasses. The reduced costs associated with using less pesticide, fertilizer, water, fuel, equipment hours and labor are all driving course managers to look carefully at naturalizing wherever possible.

Mowing may only be necessary a couple of times a year and fertilizer is typically not required. Even more importantly, far less irrigation is needed, reducing cost and helping a course to meet water usage regulations. Water use in roughs can be less than half of what it takes to maintain other areas.

Native roughs also add aesthetic value to the golf course. Flowing grasses and colorful wildflowers can provide a beautiful and interesting counterpoint to manicured play areas. Native plants also provide food and habitat for wildlife, providing an important ecological benefit. 

Ecological diversity provides an opportunity for a golf course to engage more of the local community. Once native roughs have been established, promoting the golf course’s environmental stewardship by inviting students, photographers, bird watchers and nature lovers to visit can be an excellent goodwill opportunity.

Drawbacks of Native Roughs

While there are a lot of benefits to native roughs, there are some drawbacks, too. The time it takes for native grasses and plants to become established is a big one. Properly integrating native areas into course design is another concern.

While native plants typically thrive in their local climate, that doesn’t mean establishing and maintaining native roughs is easy. It often takes years for a native rough to become fully established, a fact that managers and superintendents must be aware of before embarking on the process.

Irrigation may also be needed to give the native vegetation a good start and to maintain its health, but the requirements differ significantly from the turfgrass on the rest of the course. As such, irrigation systems must be specifically tailored to provide water much less often, and sometimes not at all once native roughs are established.

Properly blending a native rough into the overall design of the course is important, too. Tall grasses and other vegetation must be reserved for areas that are out of play. If located too close to the fairway, more errant shots will end up there. Finding a ball in dense vegetation is not only frustrating for players, but slows down course play, as well.

Low Maintenance Is Not No Maintenance

Using native grasses is much more economical in terms of maintenance, but native roughs are not maintenance free. Weed control is one of the biggest issues in maintaining native roughs, particularly in the years before they are fully established. Because of the naturalized state, local weeds will thrive just as well as native grasses.

Different Requirements

Because many herbicides will also harm native plants, finding a solution for weed control can sometimes be challenging. One or two applications of herbicide per year may be needed, but careful attention must be paid to selecting the right product that will not harm desirable plants. Manual weed pulling is sometimes the only effective option.

Native roughs can yield savings on fertilizer, but this can also be a challenge for superintendents and maintenance teams. Native plants adapted for the local soil often require little to no additional fertilizer and in fact will suffer if too much is applied. Extra care must be taken to make sure naturalized areas are exempted from the fertilization routine used for the rest of the course.

Natural, But Under Control

Keeping naturalized areas under control also requires some effort. While native roughs do not need to be mowed nearly as often as the rest of the course, they will require it a couple of times per year. Trimmers and brush cutters may be needed for thicker vegetation.

Controlled burning is another option that some golf courses have implemented in the yearly maintenance of native roughs. Burning can eliminate excess biomass and weeds while also priming the soil for new seed germination. Obviously, there is a lot of risk and local regulations must be consulted before even considering controlled burning as an option.

The important part of maintaining native roughs is that they should look natural and pleasing to the eye while still being somewhat golfer-friendly. Grasses can be tall and wispy, but should not make finding a ball impossible. Ideally, naturalized areas will not be frequent landing zones, but they still must be accessible.

Assistance Is Available

Maintaining native roughs is quite a bit different from keeping turf grass looking beautiful. Knowledgeable help is available for golf course superintendents and managers in preserving natural habitat. National and regional organizations like Monarchs in the Rough and Arkansas’s Acres for Wildlife are good examples of information sources.

Whether you’re seeking to establish native roughs on a new course or naturalize parts of an existing one, Jerry Pate Design professionals can help. Please get in touch and let us talk it through. Native roughs can improve the appearance of your course and reduce expenses at the same time.