The Golf Course:
Beyond the by Justin Parsons, Engage Agro
G
olf is a great game. We tend to lose sight of this from time to time. We tend to get bogged down in the politics and the bureaucracy of it all. It is nobody’s fault really. It is a natural consequence of growth. As things evolve and expand, there is more at stake. Of course this means that there is more analyses, evaluation and scrutiny. All too often as of late, golf, and in particular turf maintenance, has made headlines for the wrong reasons, so every once in a while it is nice to stop and remind ourselves of all the positives this game has to offer. Matthew Booth, Assistant Superintendent at the Oshawa Golf and Curling Club, recently submitted a collection of photos that help accomplish exactly that – his images remind us of one of the things that makes golf exceptional. This is truly the only game that allows the participant to be immersed in nature. It is an escape. For a handful of hours the player has the opportunity to leave behind the trappings that accompany big city life and get lost in a landscape full of natural beauty. We must not forget that it is turf managers who nurture and care for this environment. Some are too busy finding faults in golf course operations that they don’t stop and take the time to think about what the alternative is. Consider what would exist in place of that golf course around the corner? It is a safe bet that whatever the substitute, the land would not be cared for to quite the same extent.
Left: A Snowy White Owl spotted near Carruthers Creek Golf & Country Club, Ajax; Below, left to right: Baby foxes at the Oshawa Golf & Curling Club, Oshawa; This Long-eared Owl, caught Booth off guard. “I turned a corner and it scared the heck out of me cause I wasn’t expecting to see anything,” recalls Booth of this shot.
14 Green is Beautiful • Spring 2014