Early 2015 the Grand Canyon University got a lease to run the municipal golf course of the city of Phoenix. The university funded the project and invested in a complete renovation. Giving the already popular golf course a facelift that would attract even more people. During construction, the area was overrun with thousands of geese. Thanks to the Agrilaser Handheld the golf course maintenance team succeeded in reducing this amount to almost zero.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Product: Agrilaser Handheld 100
Reason: Reduce maintenance cost and maintain a professional looking course
In use since: Late 2015
Benefits for the Grand Canyon Golf Course:
• The company got rid of 99% of the birds
• No more damage by geese on the greens
• Golfers can enjoy playing without harassment from birds
Situation before
At one point, the Grand Canyon Golf Course had thousands of geese on their course. Not being able to use pyrotechnics they tried to scare away the birds with dogs and turbine blowers. These efforts did not provide the desired effect.
Situation after
With the Agrilaser Handheld the Grand Canyon Golf Course has been very successful in getting rid of thousands of geese. Now they are only dealing with the occasional handful of stubborn birds.
“An immediate return on investment.”
Early 2015 the Grand Canyon University got a lease to run the municipal golf course of the city of Phoenix. The university funded the project and invested in a complete renovation. Giving the already popular golf course a facelift that would attract even more people. During construction, the area was overrun with thousands of geese. Thanks to the Agrilaser Handheld the golf course maintenance team succeeded in reducing this amount to almost zero.
You can imagine what a mess thousands of geese can make. Leaving dry spots on the greens, damaging playing fields and leaving droppings all over the area. Dean Hall, Grand Canyon Golf Course superintendent: “It was an unsightly mess. The geese were also very aggressive towards our golfers making the situation even worse.” The golf course was not allowed to use pyrotechnics so they tried to scare away the birds with dogs and turbine blowers. It did not have the desired effect.
Great tip
Hall received a tip from the local United States Golf Association about lasers being used as a bird control method. “I looked it up and saw it’s used on airports a lot. After an extensive comparison, Bird Control Group came up as our best bet. Several days after using the Agrilaser Handheld we went from literally thousands of geese to the occasional 10 to 15 geese. I’m proud to say we’ve been 99% successful.”
They just do not like it
The property is situated on 130 acres. When needed, the designated person on call walks around during dusk or dawn to scare away geese.
“We are located in the Arizona dessert which means very bright sunlight during the day, making the laser less effective. But at the start or end of the day the geese run off when you hit them with the laser. They just do not like it.”
An immediate return on investment
“The golf course supports the golf program and golf teams from the university. We’ve got a great mix of local golfers and students. It’s an important place for many people. For us, buying the Agrilaser Handheld was an immediate return on investment. Not only because we got rid of the geese instantly, but also because the President of the Grand Canyon University was just amazed by how the laser works.“
“We went from literally thousands of geese to the occasional 10 to 15 geese”
Already recommending it
Would Hall recommend the tool to others? “Absolutely. In fact I just answered an email from another golf course and strongly recommend the Agrilaser Handheld.”
