Golfdom, October 2011

Turf on Trial 16 Golfdom October 2011 OPENING ARGUMENT An ongoing case study at Stone Mountain Golf Club is an effort to recover the yellow daisy with no spray zones Photo courtesy anthony L wiLLiams cgcs cgm ENVIRONMENTAL stewardship is the oldest tradition in golf The first superintendent Old Tom Morris was famous for his golf course designs and maintenance practices that allowed for the game of golf to be played in concert with the natural lay of the land Those organic beginnings in Scotland have sustained a deep and ongoing environmental heritage that is embraced by the modern golf course manager now more than ever Despite golfs roots in stewardship some people still cling to a stereotype that emerged several decades ago Some golf properties were seen as wasters of water and liberal applicators of all types of chemicals The general perception was one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch forever That dated and biased view of golf has left an impression that even the latest science and hard facts have a hard time changing It is all too common to hear the generalization Golf courses use chemicals and superintendents dont care about the environment But something Ive learned Those same people are willing to visit a golf course or watch a presentation to learn more about the facts When presented with the facts they often respond I never knew that golf course superintendents were so well trained and produced such amazing environmental programs Superintendents are breaking new ground in areas such as water quality and conservation habitat management integrated pest plant management advocacy and sustainability communicating that information to a diverse group of stakeholders Exact information on water and chemical use at the local course is now as common as the presence of tees and greens The best evidence of superintendents commitment to keeping Mother Nature happy can be found in their active membership and influence in many environmental organizations Audubon International has helped improve and certify environmental stewardship on golf courses for over 20 years Through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses hundreds of member clubs have developed long term sustainable environmental practices and embarked on a variety of environmental case studies aimed at proving the value of their environmental programs The GCSAA has no problem proving and showcasing the great environmental work done by its more than 19000 members It sponsors the latest in continuing education aimed at environmental stewardship The GCSAAs Environmental Management Program offers six specializations