Golfdom, June 2011

Continued on page 24 w w w g o l f d om c om Golfdom 23 Superintendents need to do more to make outsiders understand the environmental benefits of the golf course B y C h r i s s o r r e l l E a g l E s R i d g E g o l f C l u b W illustrations by istock international inc e are an easy target Golf courses are one of the most unnatural natural things around What we do is against nature Grass does not grow at 125 it dies at 125 We have to do unnatural things to grass to make it survive the conditions that we demand from it Dan Dinelli CGCS at North Shore Country Club in Glenview Ill wrote once that there is nothing sustainable about a golf course If we as superintendents stop all maintenance for a week and leave there will not be much of a golf course to return to Another thing making us an easy target image Although the history of golf began in the fields and shorelines of Scotland when it migrated to the United States it lent itself to being a blue blood game Golf still suffers from this image making it an easy target for those unscrupulous enough to engage in class warfare But then consider the agricultural industry Agriculture uses vastly more chemicals than the turf market and relies on the outdated fertilizer technology of water soluble products compared to the more ecologically friendly slow release products that are commonly used on golf courses Yet the agricultural industry is rarely if ever criticized Thats because the agriculture market has a more positive image than the golf industry Whereas golfers are stigmatized as rich folks sitting around sipping martinis while pondering their next business deal farmers are perceived as working from sunup to sundown growing their crops and raising their stock by the sweat of their brows to produce the food we all need Which one of these pictures is more appealing to you Whose side would you take Which one of them is easier to exploit Are you doing enough Its time we start making it harder to take advantage of our industry We must start learning how to defend ourselves This article is not directed at the industry