Controlled use of products at Golf Sainte Baume

Caring for the environment is a core concern for Golf Sainte Baume. We do this by controlling the use of products at our Resonance Golf Collection courses and preparing for the introduction of the zero phytosanitary product requirement. Our teams on the ground have been working towards this goal for several years.

We only use organic fertilisers whose origin is known to us in full. We use them not only for their environmental properties but also because they suit our overall maintenance approach.

We use these fertilisers hand in hand with mechanical processes, as organic matter has simple needs to live. It needs oxygen so it can decompose and mineralise. Without mechanical processes, that does not work. You must also understand how the plants respond to those organic fertilisers.

They do not make the turf grow excessively; in fact it grows quite steadily. It does not grow as quickly as with synthetic fertilisers, but once we have understood the organic fertiliser’s reaction time, everything easily falls into place and the density of the teeing area and greens reaps the benefits.

This fertiliser makes the turf more autonomous when faced with diseases. Of course we still get outbreaks, but they are generally less virulent than at other golf courses which use synthetic products. Winter fusarium wilt does not affect us much here, simply because this disease is linked to stored nitrogen which, when released, promotes its spread. So the more we use synthetic products, the more exposed we are to this type of outbreak; everything is interlinked.

The best indicator is the overall cost of phyto products, which we have consistently and significantly decreased over the past few years. We pay more for our fertiliser because we are using high quality products. But it improves the quality of our course and shows in the density and overall health of the turf.

We use many different fertilisers because we need to vary the nutrients. The aim is to avoid making plants sensitive to, lacking in or deficient in any nutrients. We therefore strengthen them with potash, trace elements (useful for nutrient exchange and blade health) and silica, which promotes foliage growth and makes grass blades much more solid. The turf must be prepared for frequent foot traffic and mowing.