A growing number of Salt Lake Valley golfers are returning from a round on the course complaining about a crappy day.
But they are not talking about their scores.
Urban Canada goose populations are booming across North America, creating the greatest challenge in years for golf course superintendents.
The drought is nothing compared to the complaints of golfers about goose poop.
"Sometimes it is just ridiculous. You head to the parking lot just covered with it, and you have to smash your shoes on the ground for half an hour to get it off," said Kevin Woolston, a Sandy golfer playing Glendale Golf Course on Wednesday.
Like many other golfers, Woolston is torn between enjoying the wild waterfowl and cursing them when a pile of poop is blocking the way to the pin.
"It is always nice having wildlife on the course; it adds to the experience," Woolston said. "But there has to be a better way of cleaning up after them or controlling them."
Golf course superintendents are already spending more time than in the past cleaning up after the Canada geese, and the future looks just as smelly.
"No doubt, this is the biggest problem right now," said Glendale superintendent Mike Forrest. "It is a constant battle keeping the areas mowed and playable for people. Nobody wants to walk through goose crap to play golf."
Forrest has been managing the grounds at Glendale for 25 years, and he did not see Canada geese on the course until about 15 years ago.
"Six or seven showed up. People loved seeing them fly in," he said. "Now, we see hundreds of them at a time."
Golfers wonder why the birds aren't controlled. Perhaps it is the promise of six months in jail and a $ 1,000 fine that Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials will hand out if they find groundskeepers who decided to thin the flocks. Canada geese, and other waterfowl, are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
"My hands are tied. There isn't a lot I can do," Forrest said. "I can make them as uncomfortable as possible, and that's about it."
So Forrest brings his black Labrador retriever, Diggity, to chase the huge flock away from the 12th tee. He also uses bird bangers -- loud whistles and fireworks -- but the geese just fly to another area on the course until the threat is gone.
Glendale is not the only golf course managed by Salt Lake City with goose problems. Steve Wetherell, golf division manager for Salt Lake City, says five of the nine courses he oversees are affected by Canada geese.
"We are sensitive to the issue in an unfortunate way," Wetherell said. "We respect their nesting practices and back off when they are on them. Strategically, that is a bad decision because the goslings become imprinted and that will mean more birds in years to come."
Wetherell said the city has looked into creating money in the budget for controlling the geese through trained dogs. The problem is most noticeable in the morning and evening hours.
"They stay close to the water when the golfers are on the course, but once we leave they take over and the evidence is everywhere," Forrest said.
Forrest has found that mowing the droppings is the most effective way to make the course presentable and passable for golfers, but he has to wait until the pellets and piles dry. Sometimes, the rollers on the mowers get jammed up from all the fecal matter.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)