Looking for an environmentally friendly way to clear invasive species from the fringes of the course, the maintenance crew at Radrick Farms Golf has hit upon the idea of grazing goats. The critters were fenced off near the targeted areas both to protect them from predators and to keep them from eating other areas.
The ten goats were brought in from nearby Twin Willow Ranch in Milan, Michigan.
Course superintendent Dan Mausolf, a member of the Michigan Golf Course Superintendent Association, says Radrick Farms is the only course in Michigan to use goats for vegetative management.
It is not only environmentally friendly. It saves on labor costs. Imagine what you’d have to pay a team of workers to clear out areas choked with honeysuckle and poison ivy. Goats will happily do the job for free.
On Amazon, you can hire a Goat Grazer
Radrick Farms is one of two University of Michigan owned golf courses. Designed by Pete Dye in 1962, Radrick Farms is one of his first works. It sits on 275 acres of land donated to the University by Frederick Matthaei, Sr. a Michigan alumnus. The course was not built until 1965, however. I know a guy who worked a bulldozer in the original build.
The other University of Michigan course, across from the stadium, was designed by Alister Mackenzie.
Photos courtesy of Radrick Farms Golf maintenance.
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