Mick

  

Mick, our Border Collie is in the prime of his life and enjoying being at Pinehurst. Mick came to the club about 5 years ago to chase geese off the property. He does a great job and is getting better. 

                           

                                 

Mick is in the hands of our irrigation supervisor John Samuelson. John is a stern dog handler and is very good with Mick. John utilizes a number of commands to communicate effectively with Mick for an effective approach toward geese. Many times, having Mick around is a deterrent for geese as we watch them fly by.

Over the years Mick had some wandering tendencies. We would find him chasing ducks, rabbits and even hanging around the clubhouse. He is getting better with age and John is doing a great job keeping him in line.

John has him on a strict route twice a day in the usual locations of the property that attract geese. The goose hazing season has begun as the Department of Wildlife has restrictions to hazing from April through July due to the mating and molting season.

Goose patrol has been a hot topic for a long time and not just in golf. We have found these birds to be quite smart and very adaptive. We have adjusted a number of practices for control and they figure out the down times and take advantage of them.

Having Mick saves a lot of headaches and clean up. He doesn't eradicate the issue, but makes it far more manageable. We will continue to throw new approaches at geese to deter them from the property.