Buckthorn Removal Project

The Mens Club has been working since the winter of 2011 to remove Buckthorn from the golf course. We completed the 2021-22 project, which was our 10th year of work . With the golf course rennovation project underway (Nov 2022), we will puase to see what happens.

Buckthorn is a very invasive plant/tree in our area. Our goal is to eradiacte it from the golf course. Where we encounter it most is on the berms along 14, 16, 17 and 18.

Here are some articles and presentations on what's so bad about it:

What is Buckthorn
Why Invasive Buckthorn is bad for your yard, the environment (Chicago Tribune 5-13-21)
Invasive Plant Webinar (Go Green Wilmette): discussion of Buckthorn removal at the Chicago Bontanical Garden and Canal Shores Golf Course.
Battling Buckthorn Trees (Chicago Tribune Nov 2022)

Here is the chronology of the Buckthorn Removal Project by Year (highlighted areas have descriptions and pictures linked):

2021 (Year 10) : Focus is on the tees and greens:

17 green and 17 tee ( black and Blue tees and along the white tees)
14 green
16 berm left and near green
18 near green

2020: (Year 9) the Year of Covid; some work was completed by solo wokers

2019: (Year 8)

a lot of clean up around the course

2018-19 (Year 7) :

Trim trees on 1 : left bank, left near 10 tee)
Trim trees left of 3

2017-18 (Year 6) : our focus was to trim all the trees on the course up to around 6 feet (to allow mowers easier access as well as allow more sun and wind on the course).