I must confess to being quite perplexed by the politics between some Golfers and some Nordic Skiers I've been exposed to in recent years. I really don't get the resistance in many golf communities to allowing Nordic tracks to be set for cross-country skiing on the acres upon acres of prime parkland that many golf courses enjoy in municipalities across the country, be they public courses, semi-private or private clubs.
I should note, I am not a Nordic skier, nor am I particularly well connected with any Nordic skiers or ski clubs. Rather, I am a seasoned golf club/course General Manager/C.O.O., having spent six years running a private and then a semi-private club, followed by a public golf course for the past five years that is also a Nordic ski venue in the winter months.
To me the Golf and Nordic ski seasons are complimentary to the business interests of a sporting and social club in Canada, not in conflict with one another. Provided that both groups respect one another and provided some parameters around the acceptable use and enjoyment of the property are established to protect the turf and Nordic set track conditions in each respective season, there is no reason the two sports cannot co-exist on the same property harmoniously. To my way of thinking, it is in fact beneficial to the financial and membership interests of clubs and public golf course properties to expand available services to potential share holders and patrons and utilize the full calendar year to generate revenues for the property from the land and amenities provided on it.
Let's face realities, Golf is at best a six month sport in most parts of Canada, from mid-April to mid-October most years. Nordic skiing is realistically about a five month sport; it typically being mid-November by the time there is sufficient snow accumulated to set Classic or Skate tracks and more often than not by mid April there is too much ice and grass showing to maintain the tracks further.
For Golfers, the primary argument I have heard against having Nordic skiing on the golf course is that the set ski tracks damage turf and leave unsightly wear areas on the course come spring as a result of the compaction of snow above it over an extended period. There is little question, in discussing the concern with turf grass experts, that the fragility of grasses on greens and tee boxes can be impacted by snow compaction if oxygen cannot get to the grass under the compacted area for a period of six to eight weeks prior to its exposure to the air again in the spring. It doesn't take a lot of man hours to set up snow fence around eighteen greens and tee boxes to keep people off them if need be, but appropriate planning and routing of the tracks set can prevent a vast majority of skiing and snow shoeing enthusiasts from having any negative impact on the quality of turf on the course come late April each year.
Appropriate track routing ensures that there is consideration given to where any potential wear areas may occur on the course come the spring, and prevents any intersections with fairways that would occur within a distance range that the average golfer would be hitting their tee shot; from 120 yards to 300 yards from the tee. Ensuring that set tracks intersect the course at strategic points and utilizing paved or gravel cart paths can minimize any turf damage and negative aesthetic impacts.
The reality of most grasses on the fairways of Canadian golf courses is that they are resilient. It is grass, and clubs have professionally trained employees who know how to grow it, and re-grow it or re-sod areas as need may arise in the spring. It seems to me rather absurd to turn away patrons and revenue potential for five months of every year just to save a bit of grass from getting compacted for a few months. If there is a bit of damage, so be it. I have seen some pretty badly damaged turf on golf courses every spring caused by mowers leaking hydraulic fluid, or improperly set blades or inexperienced operators shaving the ground down to the soil. There are service roads for course maintenance vehicles across all golf courses, and in inclement weather course equipment causes turf damage and leaves ruts that take weeks to heal and/or man hours and resources to repair.
I can pretty much guarantee you Golfers damage at least ten times more turf every golf season than any Nordic ski season ever will. Every season courses and clubs incur unnecessary grounds and course maintenance expenses from Golfers driving carts in areas where they are not supposed to be, by driving aggressively on saturated turf, by taking divots and not replacing them or not filling the cavity with sand & seed mix, or by not repairing ball marks on greens. At least the wear areas produced by set tracks compaction will grow back and disappear by mid June with appropriate Course Condition Standards that include aeration, top dressing and over-seeding programs. The damage done by far too many inconsiderate and disrespectful Golfers to their own courses every year, all season long, in my opinion gives few a right to indignation over perceived turf damages when there is three feet of snow on the ground.
Many club across this country today are experiencing membership attraction and retention concerns. Those can be mitigated if clubs begin to more openly embrace the fact that we live in a Nordic country and for at least four to six months every year golf courses offer acres upon acres of stellar parkland terrain that is otherwise sitting in dormancy. More inclusive and respectful attitudes can stimulate increased year-round enjoyment of courses and their amenities and can provide an additional five months in each calendar year to sell products and services to members and patrons who appreciate being welcome in all the seasons of the year.
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