NY Times - Vineyard Golf Club - Completely Organic Golf Course

[Richard Choi]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/sports/golf/17vineyard.html

Very interesting article on how The Vineyard Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard is the only completely organic golf club in US.

[Steve Lapper]

It is also an eminently fun course to play, especially during the shoulder seasons when stronger winds are more likely to sweep across the nines.

[Richard Choi]

The only thing that puzzled me was when they mentioned they used dish detergent for weed control. Isn't dish detergent synthetic?

And I think it is quite arbitrary to label something as synthetic/organic as pretty much anything that comes in a bag is manufactured.

[Greg Chambers]

Thanks for the link Richard. It would be interesting if the superintendent published a list of all products used on the course. Furthermore, I wonder if the GCSAA invites him to speak at their various conferences, or would publish a report on his practices. While many practices may not be transferrable the thought processes and approaches might cause other superintendents to think in different ways that could be beneficial overall.

Kelly,

Jeff Nelson does speak at the GIS each year, I think.  I have taken a seminar from him in the past.  Very interesting and he has a ton of knowledge on the subject.  They do a LOT of hand weeding, they really have a big staff.  His prgrams are certainly anything but inexpensive.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Sebonack is pretty crunchy granola as well.. how close is the southampton newbie to "completely organic"?

[Jud_T]

Thanks Greg for the info regarding the super.

Richard,

My wife and I were talking about it and she said there is an organic dish detergent, she thinks they remove the phosphate, not certain. She works at Rodale, an organic farm, but she was not aware of them using it for weed control. Another girl used it to bath the cats they have around them to remove fleas. She said it is perfect for flea control.

Flea control?  Perhaps we should bathe some of the characters here in the stuff....