PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Golf Club has a great reputation and a lot of advantages, but the gaggle of wild geese that gathers on the greens isn’t necessarily one of its assets.
“The geese are beautiful animals, and I love to watch them,” said Mike Early, manager and owner of the nine-hole public course at 1948 Blaine St.
“But they are impossible to manage, and they can ruin a green.”
Early follows the geese around to take care of what they leave behind.
“They don’t do much to the regular grass, but their droppings can eat right through a green,” he said of the short grass that surrounds each hole.
“If you don’t scoop it up, it burns right through the grass and can’t be fixed.”
Early said the number of geese drawn to the golf course varies from year to year.
This year, about 50 are hanging out there — more than some years and less than others.
Over the past 25 years, Early has tried a number of geese control procedures, such as getting a dog and attempting to herd them off the course.
Lately, coyotes and an occasional eagle have winnowed down the gaggle.
Early said the geese ignore the golfers and don’t react when a foursome plays through the area where they are eating or loafing.
The geese have no set schedule for their visits to the golf course, which sits on property leased from the city of Port Townsend.
It is impossible to predict how long they will stay around this winter or what time of day they will converge on the greens.
“We thought they would have moved on by now,” Early said.
“But it looks like they might stay around all winter, which will cost me a lot of time and money.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
