At nearly 100 years old, Vero Beach Country Club is a classic-era golf course by definition, but the way in which it handles water is anything but old fashioned.
Dealing with dirty water is a fact of life at many golf courses around Florida, including Vero Beach Country Club, which is a par-5 or so west of the Indian River, the brackish lagoon that is part of the Intracoastal Waterway system. A canal that drains much of Vero Beach cuts through the golf course as it connects agricultural land and residential neighborhoods to the river.
At an elevation of just a few feet above sea level, this 1924 Herbert Strong design is prone to flooding throughout much of the year as tides back up through the canal.
"The main relief canal in the city runs along the golf course and into the river. Most of the area is at 2 feet elevation, which makes it a flood plain," said superintendent Shane Wright, CGCS. "We have many areas on the golf course below 2 feet. It's worst when the winds blow in and during the King Tides."
Wright has tested water with at least 24,000 parts per million of dissolved salts. Sea water contains 35,000 ppm of dissolved salts, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The course has been growing seashore paspalum for more than two decades, which is longer than most, says Wright, who inherited the dirty water-friendly turf when he arrived at Vero Beach 15 years ago from BallenIsles Country Club, a 54-hole property in Palm Beach Gardens that from 1963-74 was the original PGA National Golf Club.
It's free, but it's high in bicarbonates. It can be clean or ocean level saltwater. The paspalum really handles the water. It's deep-rooted and it can handle a variety of pH's.
"I thought working with paspalum would be enticing. They were one of the first courses around here to get it," said Wright, who celebrated his 15th year at Vero Beach on Dec. 4. "Growing Bermuda was always difficult here, so about 20 years ago, they started experimenting with paspalum from the University of Georgia."
The course also pulls irrigation water directly from the canal that has direct ocean access through the river. The quality of the water varies depending on the season or even the time of day. The paspalum at Vero Beach is mostly SeaIsle 1 and SeaIsle 2000, and the recently rebuilt ninth hole was regrassed with Platinum TE. All of it handles all the impurities just like the water is straight from a bottle.
"It's free, but it's high in bicarbonates," Wright said. "It can be clean or ocean level saltwater. The paspalum really handles the water. It's deep-rooted and it can handle a variety of pH's."
Although the paspalum thrives on dirty water, Wright periodically tests the water in a half-dozen storage ponds on the property for impurities. His management program includes only occasional applications of gypsum and a regular regimen of venting and flushing the greens as needed.
"That way, I can justify why I've added something to our nutrient or spray program," he said. "I've never been asked, but if I have the paperwork I can back up those decisions if anyone ever comes in."
Introducing aquatics and aerators have helped clear up other issues with the surface water at Vero Beach.
"When I first got here, the lakes weren't planted. They were out of control with algae because of our poor water," Wright said. "The water was high in dissolved oxygen and the fish weren't doing well.
"I convinced the board to let me plant these out with native plants, which acts as a natural filtration system. That's really cleaned up our water."
The rustic look the aquatics provides has been popular with members of the club that was founded on Old Florida citrus money when Calivin Coolidge occupied the White House.
"The club is serious about protecting the environment," Wright said. "Aesthetically, the members love the look, but the function is less about aesthetics and more about maintenance."