Move the path or remove the tree?

Cart paths and adjacent trees are like oil and water, they don't mix. When Glendale was built there were no trees on the course. The cart path routing was laid out and trees were planted. Maybe trees were planted to hide the paths, who knows? Fast forward fifty years and we have a lot of tree issues that need to be resolved.

This tree on the 5th hole is typical of so many trees on our course, it's located right next to a cart path. The path is damaged from the tree roots and needs to be repaired. The only real fix is to dig up the path and remove the tree roots. This is an expensive process and we have paths all over the course in this condition. Golf carts and the people in them take a beating driving over these areas. Cutting off those large roots will buy us a couple years before the tree puts out more roots and the path is back in the same condition. The permanent solution is to remove the problem causing the path condition-cut down the tree! Does that tree really need to be there? That is the real question that needs to be determined.

This photo shows the path heading through the trees an the third hole where almost 300' of path needs to be replaced. In the past we were able to add another 2" overlay to smooth out the rough areas caused by the tree roots. As the trees continue to grow the roots get bigger and the overlay process is not an option any more. This path will need to be dug up and the asphalt hauled off to a recycle facility, the tree roots removed, a new layer of gravel added, and 4 " of new asphalt installed. This is big money and a lot of time and disruption to do the work. The solution is to remove those trees causing the problem.

This Spruce tree is located on the right side of the 7th hole. The roots have made the path unusable and most cart traffic drives around it on the left side. Removing those extra large roots will probably kill the tree so it makes sense to remove the tree at the time the path is repaired.

This tree is located next to the path between #16 and #17 fairways. There have been several overlays made to the paths in this area in the last ten years. The path is so high that no more overlays are possible. The asphalt will need to be dug up and hauled away. Do we spend the money to repair it and leave the tree only to do this again down the road? This question will need to be answered before any repairs are made to this and many areas like it on the course.

The condition and location of the tree will also have to be looked at as well. This almost dead Pine on the 16th hole should be removed whether the path was damaged or not. The cart paths on the golf course are in bad shape and some big decisions need to be made regarding the trees casing the problems. I'm not recommending we cut down all of the problem trees, but in certain areas tree removals will make sense.
Steve Kealy
GCC Golf Course Superintendent