Published in The Age 27 August 2022.
A flock of sheep, alpacas, ponies, goats and a whole host of microbes don\u2019t usually make their home on a suburban golf course. But then the Eastern Sward Golf Club, in Bangholme in Melbourne\u2019s south, is not your usual course.<\/p>\n
Over the past three years Eastern Sward, which was founded 50 years ago on land owned by Melbourne Water, has undertaken a novel ecological experiment, which backers say could have profound implications for clubs across Australia, as well as parks and gardens.<\/p>\n
Golf courses are engineered sites, with the greens and tee usually built using sand. Because of this, they are heavily reliant on synthetic pesticides, fertilisers and fungicides to keep the grass pristine, and this comes at an environmental cost. Because courses require heavy watering, these chemicals run off into the storm water system.<\/p>\n
But at Eastern Sward, microbes are king, explains project co-ordinator Garth Cusick. \u201cThe intent is to eliminate artificial chemicals and replace them with microbes that live within the root system of the plant,\u201d Cusick says. \u201cWe don\u2019t know if it will work \u2013 no one has ever done it. Our golf course is the test for the industry, to see if it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
After coaching golf for 30 years, Cusick was hired five years ago as a consultant at Eastern Sward to decrease its expenditure and increase cash flow, in a push to set the nine-hole course up for the future.<\/p>\n
He certainly didn\u2019t expect to become a passionate student of microbiology, but he was encouraged to explore alternative methods of soil management, and undertook a course with US-based\u00a0Soil Food Web, which champions an approach to soil health created by soil biologist Dr Elaine Ingham.<\/p>\n
Cusick introduced a flock of ruminant animals to maintain the non-play areas of the golf course (about 10 hectares out of the total 23 hectares). The animals came from the Strong Hearts Animal Sanctuary, which rehomes animals surrendered by farms. The club started small, with four goats. It now runs 160 animals \u2013 sheep, goats, alpacas, ponies and cows \u2013 at the height of the growing season.<\/p>\n
It now costs the club nothing to maintain these 10 hectares, but that\u2019s not the only reason the animals are used, Cusick explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey eat the foliage and it passes through their four stomachs, coming out as manure loaded with microbes,\u201d he says. Pieces of this manure are selected by hand, with Cusick spending about two hours a week picking up and choosing poo from animals in good health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe compost it with locally sourced materials to enhance the microbial population, and it works in a symbiotic relationship with the local flora \u2013 grass, trees, and shrubs,\u201d says Cusick.<\/p>\n
The club has introduced multiple ways to compost kitchen scraps, grass and garden waste, including vermiculture (worm farms) and aerated composting systems.<\/p>\n
Cusick even uses a microscope to figure out which compost to use: \u201cIf a leaf falls on the ground, if a piece of grass is cut, if a tree dies or has to be trimmed, all of these products are used to be put back into the course, creating a circular economy.\u201d The compost is submerged in water and air is blown through it which agitates the microbes off the organic material. This microbial water hasn\u2019t been added to the greens yet, because it would be killed by the artificial pesticides.<\/p>\n
The goal, eventually, is to no longer use any synthetic chemical treatments on the golf course. But because the grass is not used to these conditions, the new management practices have to be gradually introduced. Reduced amounts of pesticides and fertiliser are still used on the playing surfaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe intent is to use it on the whole site, but we need to wean the grass off the drugs. The grass needs to be entirely chemical-free or it will kill them,\u201d says Cusick.<\/p>\n
Club member Marg Schmidt was unsure if the changes would be good for the course, but says she has seen an increase in birdlife and insects over the past three years. The areas where the animals graze are pristine, and club members often bring their friends and grandchildren to visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe birdlife is getting to be amazing, there are lots of parrots around. It\u2019s quite unique,\u201d Schmidt says.<\/p>\n
Cusick hopes the club can be a working model for the sport of golf, and a test case for the rest of the country: \u201cI\u2019m lucky enough to work every day. Some days are paid, some days are for love, but it doesn\u2019t feel like work to me\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The golf club that shares a fairway with sheep. Published in The Age 27 August 2022.A flock of sheep, alpacas,…<\/p>\n