The Many Benefits of Dredging a Golf Course Pond

Have you ever seen a golf course with multiple water holes that look and smell like they've seen better days?

• Weeds
• Noxious odors
• Water scum
• Discolored water

Those issues can negatively affect a golf course pond that doesn't undergo annual dredging. Many golf course maintenance departments think they can solve the problem of unsightly water by dumping a couple of 5-gallon buckets of herbicide into the water. The problem with chemicals is that they're only a short-term solution and can be highly hazardous to both plant and aquatic life. They also tend to have a recurring monthly cost of tens of thousands of dollars annually. We will examine why dredging is a viable and cost-effective alternative to dumping a 5-gallon bucket of chemicals into the water.

Intake Cleaning

Golf course ponds serve multiple purposes, above and beyond being the proverbial black hole whose insatiable appetite requires it to be fed a steady supply of $5 golf balls daily. Many golf courses use their ponds as water retention devices, which the irrigation system pulls from nightly. Without the ponds, a single golf course's water bill could easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over 12 short months. A properly cleaned intake will prevent the million-dollar irrigation system from becoming fouled up with gunk, grime, and algae. An intake screen cleaning service will also help prevent damage to the irrigation system. If screens become too damaged, they can be cleaned, repaired, and replaced. Annual pond dredging is a small but effective preventive maintenance measure.

Formation of Sand Bars

From the minute the golf course pond was initially filled with water, Mother Nature has been trying to reclaim the land that is rightfully hers. Through natural processes, the earth attempts to absorb the water and turn it into a swamp, mosquito-infested marsh, and grassy field. Sandbars can form when water conditions deteriorate to the point where the pond is just a few months away from completely drying up. Dredging will remove sand, muck, and accumulated sediment over the past year. It will also restore aquatic life and water clarity.

Nuisance Algae, Weeds, and Cattails

You can often smell a dirty pond long before you see it. The yellow/green algae on the water's surface look like toxic sludge and can give off offensive odors. If left unchecked, the algae bloom will take over the entire pond and choke the life out of it by blocking the sun and eating up all the nutrients. Dredging can remove the layer of organic sediment at the bottom of the pond that feeds these nuisance algae blooms. As a bonus, the organic material dredged up can be used as high-quality fertilizer for plants and shrubs or even sprinkled over patches of grass that have turned into dirt.

Aesthetics

Last but most certainly not least are a properly dredged golf course pond's overall aesthetics. Golfers pay big money to be challenged by 9 or 18 holes. They might encounter neglected ponds that have not been maintained for ages. In that case, the chances of them returning to play another round are slim. The beauty of a golf course is part of the experience, and if golfers have a poor experience due to smelly or unsightly water, sales and revenue will drop. By creating an annual maintenance plan that includes dredging, golf courses can save tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance costs. Many expensive and potentially hazardous chemicals will no longer have to be purchased and dumped into the water holes. A properly dredged pond will not only add value and beauty to the golf course but also create a memorable experience that will keep golfers coming back again and again.

Golf Course Pond Maintenance

At American Underwater Services, we specialize in dredging and maintaining golf course ponds. Our experts have decades of experience that can benefit both you and the golf course you've been tasked with maintaining. Schedule dredging once a year to lower your annual pond maintenance budget. Golfers and wildlife will be thankful you did. Call us today at (817) 377-8512 for a free quote. We are headquartered in Texas but can travel to any state. No job is too big or too small for our expert team of golf course dredgers!