A groundskeeping issue poisons the Ross Bridge golf course

HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) - The chairman of the company that operates the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is setting the record straight about the course at Ross Bridge.

Sunbelt Golf Corporation Chairman John Cannon said a series of groundskeeping mistakes damaged the course’s greens. The maintenance staff mistook a one ton bag of herbicide for green sand, and then spread it on almost every green on the property, effectively poisoning the sensitive bent grass, according to Cannon.

“That is exactly what happened. Whether we can flush that poison out of the system and regrow the grass to accommodate this Fall and next Spring’s play, that is what we are trying to determine in the next few weeks,” said Sunbelt Golf Corporation Chairman John Cannon.

The team plans on dry injecting charcoal and a ceramic layer to try and flush the poison out and allow the grass to grow.

“If that has no progress in the next couple of weeks, we are going to have to start thinking about what our long term options are,” said Cannon.

The management group is now considering transitioning to new greens a lot faster than their original three-year plan.

Right now you can’t book a tee time to Ross Bridge.

“Wow what happened out here. Something not good at all. So it is really sad,” said local golfer Jesse Hernandez.

Reactions like that are why John Cannon is trying to spread the word. He says if you are booked to play at Ross Bridge you should contact the Pro Shop so they can ensure you have a memorable experience on the Trail. However, this doesn’t just impact golfers. The course is one of the most popular on the Robert Trent Jones Trail.

“Between us and our eight hotels, the Robert Trent Jones Resort Collection, of which, Ross Bridge is one of the crown jewels. There are hundreds of millions of dollars spent by tourists on the trail every year,” said Cannon.

Those millions translate into tax revenue.

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