Lake Park Golf Club joined the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary for Golf Courses in January of 2008 and has been working to become an Audubon certified golf course since. Lake Park is built on Army Corps of Engineer land that borders on Lewisville Lake. The golf course and lake both provide a perfect habitat for plant and wildlife to co-exist with the people who enjoyrecreational actives that Lake Park has to offer. 

Our irrigation water comes from Lake Lewisville. Back in 2006, the lake level was dangerously low. Water was not easily available, so it was then that we started to  implement a water conservation program. Some of the programs we implemented are:

• Transplanting native grass on mounds that used to required more wate
• Raising mowing heights on mounds and around lakes
• Adjusting run times in areas that had too much water
• Repair leaks in a timely manor
• Created more “no mow” areas that were not in play

 Native grasses transplanted on mounds 

Grass grown up around lakes In the summer of 2007, the lake rose to near record levels. The rain started in late May and continued through July and into early August. Lake levels forced us to close parts of the golf course and the driving range for just over a month. When the lake retuned to its normal level, all of the native are around the lake were completely destroyed. Since then, I am happy to say, that the area has bounced back and is becoming a sanctuary for wild and plant life of all types.

Flooded driving range, July 2007

 Hole #7, July 2007

 Hole #7, May 2008     

Lake Park is also home to an array of wild and plant life. The lakes and natural areas provide food and shelter for animals such as

•  Ducks

  Canadian Geese

  Coyotes

  Bobcats

  Wild turkeys

  Tarantulas

  Various snakes and other reptiles

  Numerous bird species

  Numerous plant species                                                                            

Plant life in flooded areas

Baby Canadian Geese

Fence installed to protect natural area

As Lake Park continues to move forward with its Audubon certification, many more projects are being added to improve the overall look of the property, the playability of the golf course and the ongoing effort to bring balance between the environment and golf

Projects:

Currently, we are working on adding more “no mow” or less frequent mowing areas. 

Some of the other projects that Lake Park will be working on will be:

•  Installation of more bird houses
• Working with organizations such as schools, boy/girl scout troops and local
• city officials to help educate the importance of the Environment as it relates to the golf course
• Adding more fencing to keep cart traffic out of environmentally sensitive areas
• Introducing more native grasses around course to aid in water conservation

Click on a photo to see a larger view and caption.