2009 Golf Inc. Green Awards

Proactive approaches to environmental sensitivity, sustainability and conservation win top honors in second annual competition

Wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, broad-winged hawks, brown trout and dozens of other species of fauna and flora thrive there now. Precious water and elements of Mother Nature are preserved and conserved. Vast acreage once abandoned and condemned as contaminated is today a flourishing source of recreation, community pride, jobs and wildlife habitat.

Those testimonials to a growing wave of eco-consciousness in the golf industry are all embodied in the five courses selected as winners of the second annual Golf Inc. Green Awards.

Those courses were joined in the winner’s circle by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and its Environmental Institute for Golf for their tireless work in compiling data and best practices through an industry-wide Golf Course Environmental Profile survey, and by the environmental sensibility early adapter Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Design firm.

Winning courses were Stone Mountain Golf Club by Marriott in Stone Mountain, Ga., Three Crowns Golf Club in Casper, Wyo., Bahia Beach Resort Golf Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., and Old Greenwood/Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, Calif.

Honorable mention selections were Erin Hills Golf Course in Hartford, Wis., Fairmont Scottsdale/TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Haymaker Golf Course in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

The five course winners, selected from more than 25 course entries, were chosen on the basis of their outstanding and innovative programs and practices that protect and preserve the environment. We asked winners to submit detailed information about their efforts, including evidence of the impact — both physical and fiscal — and documenting positive effects on the environment.

Judges for this year’s contest were Ron Boyd, president of Williamsburg Environmental Group, Bruce Williams of ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance and Bill Love of William R. Love Golf Course Architecture.

Winners of this year’s competition will be honored at the Fall Golf Inc. Conference at La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, Calif., September 14-16.

Here is a look at the 2009 Golf Inc. Green Award winners:

COURSES

Stone Mountain Golf Club by Marriott
Stone Mountain, Ga.

The project: Beginning in 2005, Stone Mountain developed a seven-pronged “E-plan” encompassing what they termed “Environomics.” The ongoing project encompassed water management, habitat management, resource conservation, financial management, Integrated Pest Management, education/outreach and awards/accolades.

What they did: The club reduced water consumption by reducing maintained areas and controlling water use, created nest boxes for birdlife, implemented fuel saving and material recycling programs, significantly reduced pesticide usage and hosted “E-tours” for superintendents and operators from throughout the world to share environmental best practices.

The payoff: The club reduced water use by 45 percent, or 30 million gallons of water saved in 2008 alone. Nearly 350 new fledglings were hatched in nest boxes on the property last year. Fuel conservation resulted in over 600 gallons of fuel saved and Integrated Pest Management programs cut chemical costs by $28,000 in the first year. The improvements have saved the club $173,000 since the program’s implementation in December 2005.

Three Crowns Golf Club
Casper, Wyo.

The project: A nearly 100-year-old oil refinery, closed and abandoned in 1991, became the site for what today is a thriving, award-winning golf course designed by the firm of Robert Trent Jones II. A collaborative effort by the BP Petroleum oil company, the state of Wyoming, Natron County and the city of Casper resulted in complete remediation of the contaminated site, where today wildlife thrives, benefiting from bio-trails, new habitat and a clean river.

What they did: The partners involved created, funded and executed an extensive remediation effort, turning the site into a palette where Jones and his firm, and management company OB Sports, could create a golf course that provides jobs for local residents, revenue for the city and a home for thriving wildlife.

The payoff: The golf course today does approximately 20,000 rounds in a short playing season, and was named the No. 2 Course You Can Play in Wyoming by Golfweek magazine. It has won a number of engineering and environmental awards.

Bahia Beach Resort Golf Course
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

The project: The redesign of an existing golf course by Robert Trent Jones II four years ago was done in large part to create an environmentally sensitive and sustainable golf course, in conjunction with Audubon International. Virtually all aspects of the golf course design and subsequent maintenance were planned to enhance and preserve existing ecosystems and the plant and animal life in the region.

What they did: Storage ponds were created to catch rainwater for course irrigation, no-pesticide 25-foot buffer zones around all ponds and waterways were introduced to reduce runoff contamination and enhance habitat and new irrigation heads were added to eliminate unnecessary watering of native areas. Only small amounts of Audubon-approved fertilizers and pesticides are used on the course, an in-house nursery produces native plants for planting and endangered leatherback turtle nests are located, monitored and protected to ensure that young turtles survive. The clubhouse was built using green building practices and materials and a number of recycling practices were instituted.

The payoff: The property became an Audubon International Signature Golf Sanctuary for the resort and a Silver Sanctuary for the golf course in 2008 – the first Audubon-certified golf course in the Caribbean.

Saucon Valley Country Club
Bethlehem, Pa.

The project: With the support of a group of members called the Saucon Sanctuary Club, superintendent James Roney Jr., who arrived at the club in 2005, implemented an Environmental Master Plan. The program had far-reaching and significant impact on the wildlife, water quality and natural resources on the club’s property and its surrounding area.

What they did: Roney converted 20 acres of out-of-play areas to naturalized low-maintenance meadowland, established a 12-mile nature walk incorporating numerous bird and bat nesting boxes and conducted extensive water management programs including stream assessment and streambank restoration for the 2.3 miles of the Saucon Creek that runs through the property. In addition to storm runoff controls, Roney is currently exploring the possibility of securing a supply of effluent water for irrigation to reduce potable water usage.

The payoff: The club secured growing grants from the state of Pennsylvania’s Growing Greener program totaling nearly $400,000. Wild turkeys have thrived so well in the unmaintained out-of-play areas that the club now relocates some of the birds to areas where the turkey population is declining. Native brown trout are thriving in Saucon Creek. Water quality monitoring has shown that water leaving the club’s property is cleaner than when it entered the property.

Old Greenwood/Tahoe Mountain Club
Truckee, Calif.

The project: As part of an overall resource conservation and preservation program, the club focused initially on construction of a LEED-certified maintenance facility, incorporating not only comprehensive green building practices but also a full range of water conservation systems and practices.

What they did: The club termed the new maintenance facility its “Natural Resource Management Center” and applied a wide range of green building practices to construction of the $3 million building. Those included use of locally produced or recycled materials, installation of environmentally friendly lighting, heating, power and plumbing systems, and an irrigation system for exterior landscaping.

The payoff: The club received LEED certification for the maintenance facility in 2006. Potable water use for irrigation was reduced by 52 percent, water use in the building was cut by 32 percent and water for equipment and cart washing was nearly 100 percent recyclable. It was estimated that the annual savings in energy and water would more than cover the initial costs of the maintenance facility construction.

OPERATORS AND ASSOCIATIONS

GCSAA/The Environmental Institute for Golf
Lawrence, Kansas

The project: GCSAA and the Environmental Institute for Golf initiated, beginning in 2006, development of a survey-based Golf Course Environmental Profile designed to guide golf course operators in environmental best practices and to serve as a scientifically based reference point for publicizing the golf industry’s commitment to the environment.

What they did: The Institute, with the help of the National Golf Foundation, distributed a series of five surveys to superintendents throughout the U.S. to gather data for the Environmental Profile. The survey topics were: Property Profile and Environmental Stewardship Practices of Golf Courses; Water Use and Conservation Practices; Nutrient Use and Management; Pesticide Use; and Energy Use and Environmental Practices.

The payoff: Survey response rate was over 10 percent for all surveys. The compiled data for the first two surveys was published in the Applied Turfgrass Science journal, and the other surveys will also be submitted for publication. Organizations including the PGA of America and World Golf Foundation are using the data to publicize the golf industry’s environmental proactivity and practices with government officials, the media and the public, and to share best practices with course operators.

PRODUCT-SERVICE PROVIDERS

Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Design
Columbus, Ohio

The project: The design firm headed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry added the word “Environmental” to the firm’s name as a point of emphasis for the company’s more than 20-year commitment to environmentally sensitive design practices. The architectural firm has long been known for that commitment, actively encouraging clients to adopt a less-is-more approach to course layout, construction and maintenance practices.

What they did: The firm does extensive pre-planning on-site before producing a course design, to examine existing micro-climates, water, soil, wildlife, air quality, vegetation and resource areas. They also work to interact with local citizens and officials ahead of time to establish support for the golf course project as an environmental asset to the community. Hurdzan and Fry also conduct extensive professional education and outreach efforts to share the message of environmental preservation and sustainability within the golf industry.

The payoff: As an early adaptor in the environmental movement within the golf industry, in combination with an impressive portfolio of highly acclaimed course designs throughout the world, Hurdzan/Fry has been a high-profile spokesman for the environment, and has also demonstrated that environmental sensitivity and quality golf course design can go hand in hand.

HONORABLE MENTION

Courses
Erin Hills Golf Course, Hartford, Wis.
Fairmont Scottsdale/TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Haymaker Golf Course, Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Operators & Associations
Marriott Golf, Orlando, Fla.

Product-Service Providers
Solar Motion, Scottsdale, Ariz.