New turf at golf course to save council thousands

Strathfield Council has completed a major sustainability project at Hudson Park Golf Course using turf which could deliver potential savings of up to $40,000 annually.

The upgrades involved the returfing of all 18 playing greens and two practice greens to a new drought-resistant turf species, irrigation upgrades, and tree and root pruning as part of Sydney Water’s Irrigation and Landscape Efficiency Project (ILEP).

The ILEP project is a component of the Hawkesbury Nepean River Recovery Program, with council receiving a grant of $62,500 from the federal government towards the total cost of the project.

Mayor of Strathfield Cr Paul Barron said the project was an important major sustainability achievement for Strathfield.

“The Hudson Park Golf Course project was successful in delivering a better quality community golf course and will see a reduction in environmental impacts and operating costs associated with  maintaining a public golf course,” Cr Barron said.

After a successful trial of a new turf in 2010, the project commenced in September 2011 with the staged returfing of the course greens to a paspalum turf species to replace bent grass, which was often unreliable in Sydney’s hot summers and resulted in heat stress and green closures.

The SeaDwarf Paspalum variety was selected for its drought-resistant, disease- and saline-tolerant properties as well as its high colour retention quality.

The turf properties allow for significant reductions in water, chemical and fertiliser consumption; reduced requirements for ongoing maintenance; and increased reliability and playability of the course by maintaining good playing conditions through the hottest and coldest months of the year.

An irrigation system overhaul and landscaping works has enabled a new approach to water usage at the 17-hectare golf course. The tree and root pruning was undertaken to reduce stress on greens as well as a staged approach to eradicate weed trees at the course. The works are estimated to result in a saving of 12,000 kilolitres each year and along with the reduction in chemical usage and subsequent operational costs, council will see a potential annual saving of $40,000.