Contractor scorches greens at Hains Point golf course

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(Andrew Harnik/Examiner)
Crews work to lay down sod on the fifth hole of the blue course at Hains Point after a contractor used the wrong chemical on the greens, destroying the grass.

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - A government contractor mistook a herbicide for fertilizer and scorched 36 putting greens at Hains Point, one of the nation’s busiest golf courses and one of the few public tracks in the District of Columbia.

Groundskeepers for Golf Course Specialist Inc. killed the grass on all the greens at the course in East Potomac Park, according to National Park Service spokesman Bill Line and Golf Course Specialist spokesman Michael Williams.

“It was human error,” Williams said.

Line said the grass had already been re-sodded and was growing lushly on the 36-hole public course, but The Examiner visited the site Wednesday and found little but dust on many greens.

Crews were working furiously to lay sod, but the new grass cover will be too fragile for use by golfers for several weeks, Park Service officials said.

A source familiar with the course, who spoke anonymously because he feared for his job, said that Golf Course Specialist crews accidentally sprayed herbicide instead of fertilizer.

The source also said that Golf Course Specialist officials have been warning the Park Service for years that the course was in bad shape and would be severely affected by any mix-ups in applying chemicals to the grass.

The contractor’s blunder has deprived golfers of full access to one of only three public courses in the District.

The course is scenically located on the south side of D.C.’s Tidal Basin, in the shadow of the capital’s monuments. Its driving range is popular among professionals who work nearby.

Park Service officials have blamed the bald spots on dry summer weather, even though signs have been posted on the course admitting “human error.”

Williams said that his company regretted the use of grass-killing chemicals and was working quickly not only to restore the stricken greens but also to improve the fairways and tee boxes.

“We’re on a program to minimize the impact on the golfers,” he said.

But Williams said the task was made more difficult by the fact that 150,000 rounds of golf are played at Hains Point every year. That places an extraordinary amount of wear and tear on the course even when conditions are optimal.

Because of the damage to the course, the company is reducing greens fees by 33 percent across the board, Williams said.

D.C. Public golf courses

» East Potomac Park (Hains Point)

» Langston Golf Course & Driving Range

» Rock Creek Golf Course

Anyone with information on the Hains Point situation may call Bill Myers at 202-459-4956 or e-mail bmyers@dcexaminer.com.

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