Golf course planning to graze course with sheep (+electric fences) - any advice?

[ship69]

Hello

Do any of you greenkeepers have any experience of grazing a golf course with sheep during the off season, using electric fences?



If not, where could I best ask for some advice of other greenkeepers?




Background
We need to make a small remote 9 hole course in the West Highlands of Scotland more profitable. We can get useful grants if we graze the course 6 months per year. Moreover as well as reducing the amount of actual mowing that is needed, sheep are good at keeping down the rough particularly in the more inaccessible/steeper parts of the course. The sheep will be relatively light-weight breeds - mostly Blackface and hybrids with Blackface.


The plan would be to fence off each green separately, plus the clubhouse itself. There is a power supply in the clubhouse, so we may not need batteries for the electric fencing, although that would involve connecting everything up with rather long wiring... possibly using underground wiring. The plan would be to have a low standard 3-wire electric fence. We could possibly have gates in the electric fences, to allow easy access to golfers.


All advice welcome! (...including where to find any specialist greenkeeper forums.)


With thanks


J

 

[delc]

The Church Stretton course in Shropshire has sheep grazing on it throughout the year. Perhaps they could offer some advice?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Might be worth contacting these people?

http://www.bigga.org.uk/

 

[Junior]

Aberdovey have sheep grazing . Maybe contact them for advice ?

 

[User62651]

Brora golf club do this with cattle (dont know about sheep) seems to work ok as long as you get a free drop from the sharn. Could enquire with them.
Could use localised wind driven generators to power the greens fences, west Scotland will be pleny windy and you see those on farms often enough where they're keeping sheep off half a field of neeps.

When's the off season exactly and will there be any grass to graze in the off season? Must be mild where you are so guessing where you are now - Balvicar, Iona, Ballachulish, Lochgilphead, Ullapool, Arisaig??

 

[Robobum]

Minchinhampton Old course.
Cleeve Hill GC

 

[IanM]

adding to the list... New Forest GC at Lyndhurst in Hampshire has all sorts grazing on it. Sheep, cattle, horses... no lecky fences round the greens though.

 

[IanG]

The Vaul course on Tiree do this too.

 

[Hosel Fade]

Royal North Devon is another

 

[Duckster]

Doesn't Royal North Devon have sheep roaming through the course?

 

[patricks148]

as mentioned earlier, Brora have sheep and cattle on the course. The electric fences work fine for the sheep. I would have a word with them.

I remember playing in an open with their club sec and he was telly us about the damage the cows did to the bunkers was the biggest issue. They would like to stop the grazing if they could but its ancient crofting rights from the Sutherland Est which owns the land.

 

[user2010]

Play in wellies.:thup:

 

[jdpjamesp]

The Church Stretton course in Shropshire has sheep grazing on it throughout the year. Perhaps they could offer some advice?

I believe the Royal North Devon has sheep on it also.

 

[jdpjamesp]

Hello

Do any of you greenkeepers have any experience of grazing a golf course with sheep during the off season, using electric fences?



If not, where could I best ask for some advice of other greenkeepers?




Background
We need to make a small remote 9 hole course in the West Highlands of Scotland more profitable. We can get useful grants if we graze the course 6 months per year. Moreover as well as reducing the amount of actual mowing that is needed, sheep are good at keeping down the rough particularly in the more inaccessible/steeper parts of the course. The sheep will be relatively light-weight breeds - mostly Blackface and hybrids with Blackface.


The plan would be to fence off each green separately, plus the clubhouse itself. There is a power supply in the clubhouse, so we may not need batteries for the electric fencing, although that would involve connecting everything up with rather long wiring... possibly using underground wiring. The plan would be to have a low standard 3-wire electric fence. We could possibly have gates in the electric fences, to allow easy access to golfers.


All advice welcome! (...including where to find any specialist greenkeeper forums.)


With thanks


J

You'll need signs up so they don't pee against it... Oh and local rules I suppose for relief from the fences... A completely different type of hazzard!

 

[Rlburnside]

Hello Do any of you greenkeepers have any experience of grazing a golf course with sheep during the off season, using electric fencesIf not, where could I best ask for some advice of other greenkeepers?BackgroundWe need to make a small remote 9 hole course in the West Highlands of Scotland more profitable. We can get useful grants if we graze the course 6 months per year. Moreover as well as reducing the amount of actual mowing that is needed, sheep are good at keeping down the rough particularly in the more inaccessible/steeper parts of the course. The sheep will be relatively light-weight breeds - mostly Blackface and hybrids with Blackface. The plan would be to fence off each green separately, plus the clubhouse itself. There is a power supply in the clubhouse, so we may not need batteries for the electric fencing, although that would involve connecting everything up with rather long wiring... possibly using underground wiring. The plan would be to have a low standard 3-wire electric fence. We could possibly have gates in the electric fences, to allow easy access to golfers. All advice welcome! (...including where to find any specialist greenkeeper forums.)With thanksJ

We have sheep on our course all year and we have only one electric fence around our 18th, I can't help much regarding fencing all the greens, but we find no significant damage to the the greens caused by sheep other than droppings on the greens which is not a big problem.You mention you can get grants/help for grazing sheep I would appreciate any information regarding this.

 

[backwoodsman]

....
The plan would be to fence off each green separately, plus the clubhouse itself. There is a power supply in the clubhouse, so we may not need batteries for the electric fencing, although that would involve connecting everything up with rather long wiring... possibly using underground wiring. The plan would be to have a low standard 3-wire electric fence. We could possibly have gates in the electric fences, to allow easy access to golfers.

....

J

The courses I've seen that have sheep tend to have a just single strand wire around the green - think it has to be just above knee-high for sheep (ie the sheep's knee not mine. The wool insulates the main bit of sheep (I think) )

As to "gates" if it's low enough you don't need them, or you can have a plastic handle on the wire and a bit of a spring/coil in the wire - you just unclip, walk through and re-clip - the spring keeps the wire tensioned enough to keep the current flowing

Most vital is to have a good crop of mint growing round the back of the clubhouse

 

[Crow]

I recently played Anglesey and that had sheep grazing.
No green protection (I had to clear a few piles of sheep crap from around the hole on one green before I chipped on).

I guess that the grass is so short on the greens that the sheep are more than content to stick to the lusher fairways and rough.

 

[ship69]

The courses I've seen that have sheep tend to have a just single strand wire around the green - think it has to be just above knee-high for sheep (ie the sheep's knee not mine. The wool insulates the main bit of sheep (I think) )

As to "gates" if it's low enough you don't need them, or you can have a plastic handle on the wire and a bit of a spring/coil in the wire - you just unclip, walk through and re-clip - the spring keeps the wire tensioned enough to keep the current flowing

Most vital is to have a good crop of mint growing round the back of the clubhouse

Interesting about the single strand. CAn you name any courses that do it that way, as it would be good to talk to them. I'm guessing that would probably work with adults but I fear not lambs. Depending on when they lamb that may/may not be a problem though.

What with the mint - does that stop sheep in some way?

 

[HDID Kenny]

Interesting about the single strand. CAn you name any courses that do it that way, as it would be good to talk to them. I'm guessing that would probably work with adults but I fear not lambs. Depending on when they lamb that may/may not be a problem though.

What with the mint - does that stop sheep in some way?

Brora's are single strand about 15" off the ground, for access they simply have a couple of sections of rubber hose pipe covering the live fence you simply step over.

 

[backwoodsman]

Interesting about the single strand. CAn you name any courses that do it that way, as it would be good to talk to them. I'm guessing that would probably work with adults but I fear not lambs. Depending on when they lamb that may/may not be a problem though.

What with the mint - does that stop sheep in some way?

Like Kenny, I was thinking of Brora. And also Baron Hill just outside Beaumaris on Anglesey - but that was a long time ago; they may not still do it.

The wire may or may not stop lambs, but due to their small size & weight, i guess they are probably not considered much of a problem even if they do walk on the green.

As to the mint, think about it man! It's what you make the mint sauce with...