Prescribed Burn South of Hole 14

The Preserve Golf Club is surrounded by environmentally protected habitat that is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The wetlands to the south of our property along holes 14 and 15 has a pine savannah appearance with a diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs along with pockets of carnivorous plants such as pitcher plants and sundew.  Prior to this region being settled, fire was a frequent occurrence and many of our natural species like the 'long leaf pine' adapted internal mechanisms that depend on fire to trigger certain growth stages during their life cycle. TNC incorporates the use of prescribed burning to manage this habitat and performed a successful burn yesterday.




Fire burning along 14 green being monitored by the fire management team.



Prescribed burning has many benefits to the natural habitat and positively affects our facility. The use of fire as a management tool adds to the beauty of our surroundings by promoting a greater diversity of plant species and improves playability by reducing the growth of woody shrubs.



View from 15 tee looking back to 14 green.

TNC must perform their burns on short notice when the weather conditions are ideal for minimal impact to I-10 and every precaution is taken to try to minimize the impact of smoke to our facility.  But of course mother nature does not always cooperate so please be patient and notify our Pro Shop staff if you happen to be on the course and your golf experience is negatively impacted.

Over the next couple of months I will share before and after photos to show the results from the burns.