Audubon Certification

The Forest Country Club is a part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf with our mission to create an environmentally sustainable club. We have worked over five years to be one of the 800 certified golf courses with the environmentally-conscious sanctuary recognition. To reach this certification as a golf course, you must satisfy requirements in categories like Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management.

The Forest's Audubon accomplishments include reduction of water consumption on the courses by utilizing recycled water for irrigation, removal of exotic vegetation and replacement with native species, and reduction of fertilizer and pesticides. "Our entire club is thrilled to achieve the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Certification," said our general manager, Matt Gaudet. "Making sure that we continue to do our due diligence and to try to live in harmony with nature and preserve mother nature's most valuable resource."

Our members and staff understand the importance of protecting the natural environment and wildlife that not only enhances our beautiful and unique community but proves this is golf the way nature intended. From alligators to eagles among the thousands of pine, oak, and cypress trees that have stood tall for many centuries, these are the sights and sounds that greet us daily. Our club's wildlife is just another reminder that there will never be another Forest Country Club, and our commitment is to preserve it for generations to come.

Preserving the Courses

While some courses shut down or offer discounts to golfers during maintenance or even a week or two after, we offer golf 365 days a year. That's right; you don't have to wait for a smooth putting green following the aerification process. Some golfers view the aerification process as an inconvenience that takes the greens out of play for weeks. Some clubs use temporary greens or have the golfers play their approach shots instead. Of course, to top that off, aerification is best done during mid-summer when the greens are in their prime condition. Luckily for you, you don't have to worry about missing a single day of golf at The Forest.

All golf courses' grassroots demand oxygen, and in healthy soil, the roots get the oxygen from tiny pockets of air trapped between the soil and sand particles, so what happens when the roots aren't getting enough oxygen? They implement an essential process called aerification, which loosens the soil that has been compacted by golfers, machines, and golf carts. The aerification process is when a machine punches the surface of the green and pulls up a small core of the earth. The process leaves behind a small hole about a quarter-inch to a half-inch across in the green. Thus, air can now circulate down to the grassroots allowing the grass to breath making it lush and healthy all season long. The healing process leaves little holes in the green causing a bouncy or bumpy putting surface, but at The Forest; we just move over to our other course when one is undergoing maintenance.

Now, there is more to preserving our courses than punching them. It is prevalent for golf courses to be diagnosed with various diseases or root rot, most common on the putting greens. Caring for the greens is a delicacy, so we treat it not only with environmental concern but with highly qualified diagnostics. We send our turf grass samples to the UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center located in Gainesville, FL, on the University of Florida's main campus. Their mission is to provide plant diagnostic knowledge and services to solve plant health problems as their lab is part of and accredited by the National Plant Diagnostic Network.

The University of Florida's Rapid Turfgrass Diagnostic Service grows the sample out to determine what is attacking the plant. This service was designed and implemented for managers of high-quality turf grass in Florida. The most significant distinction between this and other standard services is the turnaround time for sample results. They provide a preliminary diagnosis within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the sample. This time frame is so essential when you can lose a green in a matter of days if not treated promptly. Sending samples to the UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center takes advantage of experience with the help of Local diagnosticians that are usually networked with other experts in the area who can visit our course and look at the problem.

We are so thankful for the dedicated Golf Course Maintenance team we have and of course our members who also do their due diligences for course upkeep: "Ball marks; Fix One Plus One." We come together as a community to keep our courses looking beautiful.