Every golf course that has synthetic practice tee mats knows that they will wear out at some point. There are several interesting ways I have seen courses repurpose them over the years, which is much better than having them end up in a landfill. Another common observation at practice facilities is that the area where ball pickers regularly park usually has deteriorated turf, or no turf at all. At Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, New Jersey, these two observations married into a single solution – a range picker parking pad built with worn out practice tee mats. The range attendant has a clean place to park for basket unloading, does not have to walk through mud, the soil in the range picker parking area does not erode, and the mats blend into the surrounding rough for a much better look than a bare spot next to the range. As robotic range pickers and autonomous mowers increase in popularity, their charging stations will also need a clean, firm surface and old mats may be a good fit.
So, before you send old practice tee mats off to the landfill, consider extending the functionality of synthetic turf as a low-maintenance way to improve high-traffic areas or other problem spots around the course.
Northeast Region Agronomists:
Darin Bevard, senior director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org
Elliott L. Dowling, regional director, East Region – edowling@usga.org
Brian Gietka, agronomist – bgietka@usga.org