Proposal would restrict golf cart traffic
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bvwv/Sports_and_Recreation/6725/
If the Bella Vista Property Owners Association’s golf committee has its way, carts will be restricted to on-path only beginning Jan. 1 in order to allow the growth of Bermuda grass on the courses.
Committee members made a proposal to that effect at their July 9 meeting.
The proposal would restrict golf carts from driving off paths during winter — from Jan. 1 until further notice, which will be set by POA Maintenance Manager Casey Crittenden when he finds the courses suitable for cart traffic.
After voting twice, once in May and again in June, to discontinue overseeding this year, the POA Board asked the committee to draw up a proposal regarding the restrictions on golf cart traffic.
Overseeding refers to planting short-lived rye grass over dormant Bermuda grass. While overseeding protects the Bermuda during its early stages and allows for golfers to take their carts off paths and onto the fairways, the practice also causes the Bermuda grass to struggle for necessary nutrients and allows weeds to grow.
The board’s decision to not overseed is a one-year experiment.
The committee and board members acknowledged that restricting golf carts to the paths would be an inconvenience for most — if not all — golfers, and might even prevent some residents from using the courses at all.
However, the board recently talked to a representative from the United States Golf Association, who said if the decision is made to stop overseeding, golfers must keep their carts off the grass, according to golf committee member Louis Adler.
The USGA representative also said overseeding is not something that must be done every year.
Crittenden supported the decision to stop overseeding and agreed it is necessary to restrict carts to paths. He added that he hopes people will respect the trial process.
The committee also discussed the possibility of implementing annual fees for golf carts. Most of the members seemed in favor of some type of annual fee, but they conceded there are many variables to consider before a proposal could be made.
Committee members mentioned that nearly all golf courses have yearly fees, including the courses in Hot Springs Village.
Also on the committee’s agenda July 9 was algae. According to Crittenden, this summer’s combination of heat, humidity and rain have caused an abnormally high amount of algae on many area courses. Several potential solutions were discussed, but the committee did not make a decision on which one to use.