Golf courses are wonderful places to spend time at. They’re often pristine and great examples of nature, with their wide open spaces, manicured greens and towering trees. Trees are an important part of the landscape on a golf course — they influence the play but also the look of the environment. And who hasn’t been grateful for the shade of a tree on a hot day or for the shelter on a wet one!
The thing is, trees change. Beautiful old trees have the size and stature that can cause harm if there’s a failure, such as branches breaking or the tree itself falling. Not a risk you want when you have players wandering around your course, occasionally looking for shelter.
Pakuranga Golf Course wanted a risk management plan for the vegetation across their 6013m, 18-hole course, so we completed an assessment of all trees on the course and then developed a plan.
Their risk management plan outlines how employees can manage the on-going risk of their course, including a suggested risk tolerance and what to do at every level of risk, from completely safe to realised risk. The plan outlines in detail what actions to take, when to do them, and how to do them.
We also teach on-the-ground staff what passive and visual tree inspection is so they can help manage risk by recognising it when they see it, such as after a storm or a new development in a tree trunk.
The trees’ data, photos and mapping are recorded on our digital software, as a reference point that allows us to track changes over time.
This risk management plan became part of Pakuranga Golf Course’s overall H&S plan and shows the steps they’ve taken to mitigate risk.
Talk to one of our tree experts.
Please reach out if you’d like your own tree assessment and risk management plan.