The crew had their guesses of who was responsible. A certain member that complained more than his fair share or the school kids walking home or causing mischief at night. Many ideas were shared to catch the perpetrator such as trail cams, or placing rope outside the homes of members serving as our neighborhood watch. This was a case of senseless vandalism, and somebody was going to pay for it.
Neighboring superintendents suggested coyotes, but the cut was too perfect. I ventured onto the TurfNet forum and read a long thread about this issue and many people swore the cut from a coyote's teeth is as clean as a knife. Finally, I got smart and escorted Izzo, our resident canine detective, to a recent site of "vandalism." She smelled the rope and the hair stood on her back. She darted around sniffing more pieces of rope and a tree and stopped to mark multiple spots. I could replicate this at every new location.
So, mystery solved, we are no longer searching for Edward Scissorhands, which was the criminal nickname the club awarded to our suspect. The problem, however, still exists. Many nights the rope is cut, sometimes across the entire course. Traffic control, unfortunately, is a necessary tool to manage turf conditions.
Our solution is a split rail fence that is dyed to match the color of the mulched areas. The photo above is the 4th fairway, our longest current stretch of fence. I have much more in the shop that will be installed later this year to eliminate daily repair of coyote damage and provide a cleaner look than rope and stakes.
