Using Integrated Plant Management to Anticipate Problems

In the summer of 2007, The Rim Golf Club was ravaged with disease and insect damage. After experiencing the issues that summer, I began to think of solutions to make sure that this type of damage would never happen again. My assistant and I spent the winter months creating an Integrated Plant Management Program. We included all the insects, diseases, and weeds that had caused problems at our facility. We found that using prediction models gives us insight to anticipate problems and take proper precautions to prevent these problems in the years to come.

Who is Dixon Golf?

Recently I had the opportunity to ask Dixon Golf Executive VP William Carey to explain why Dixon Golf chose to create a fully recyclable golf ball. I was very curious to learn what the motivation was and how their program worked.

Scott "The Witch Doctor" Anderson

This article was first posted one year ago, I've decided to re-post it because of the interest in Anderson's methods he discusses in the following 4 videos. Enjoy...again!

middle stage of composting golf course and clubhouse waste at Huntingdon Valley Country Club

Recently I was introduced to Scott Anderson CGCS of Huntingdon Valley Country Club of Philidelphia (#69 of Golf Weeks Best American Classic Golf Courses 2008), and was pleased to learn he was incorporating "sustainable"(he hates that word) agriculture principles at the golf course and is seeing great results. I'll be interviewing Scott in the near future to learn more about biodynamics, radionics, and various other technologies he uses, but figured I'd provide some background info first. Here are a few videos and links to interviews with Scott about his approach.

Golf's Not Green in Middle East

With the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship (European Tour), Dubai Desert Classic (1st European Tour event held in the middle East), Dubai Ladies Masters (Ladies European Tour), and the first Dubai World Championship (European Tour) coming up in November of this year, it's no wonder there's a golf boom in the Arab states. According to the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), the increase of development (from 16 golf courses in 22 Arab states to 40 courses within the next few years) is an unsustainable use of resources.

An Easy Way To Find Your Exact ET!

We've covered Evaportranspiration Rate a few times already. We've defined it, and have demonstrated how it is used in the field. There's many options available to help you figure out your ET, but one that has intrigued me for a while, a website called ExactET.com, is cost effective, accessible and an easily understood option. This is why I asked the Turfhugger "Irrigation Guru" Daryl James to track down Graham Duffy, CEO of ExactET.com, to find out more.

LEEDing The Way!

I received an email from a reader wanting to learn more about a term mentioned in the interview with Jim Seeley from Kemper Sports, "LEED". So I figured I'd ask a few experts in the field to explain what exactly this means and how it currently, or could in the future, relate to golf.

"God Bless the Superintendent"

When I heard the above line from golf course architect Mike Hurdzan, I knew I had my title.

Mike, like many other designers/architects, focusses on environmental issues in his website, but it's in his articles, interviews (and here) and even an Endowment Fund with the Environmental Institute for Golf that his passion for the natural environment comes out.

Recently I've witnessed some “greenwashing” attempts in our industry and interviewed a film director with somewhat of a negative view of golf. Which is why I contacted Mike to learn of his efforts to help dispel this negative image of our industry. As you can see in this brief interview (and links above and below), this guy walks the talk!

Pictured here is Bully Pulpit

Environmental BMP on Golf Courses

Created by The Alabama Department of Environmental Management, with help from Auburn University and financial assistance from the EPA, this two part video series discusses Best Management Practices on golf courses. It's a great overview, basic, but informative.

Have You Repurposed Lately?

Victoria BC is an expensive place to live. To help with the cost of living, we have taken in students from other countries. After two years of participating in this exchange program, I have identified two of the greatest challenges living with people from another country. The first is language barriers; the second is differing regional customs or cultural practices. For example, students from some areas of Latin America do not have sewer systems of sufficient capacity to flush down toilet paper. Instead, they place newspaper in the garbage next to the toilet. I found it difficult to explain and justify our cultural practice of flushing the paper down the toilet.

What is Sustainability?

The term sustainability has taken on a life of its own. It seems everyone has decided that they have their own meaning and that that is good enough. Taken this way, sustainability is more like a value—not unlike, love, life, or happiness—than a business strategy. While this in itself is not a problem (after all, we all have the right to decide what we make of the world), when were trying to work towards sustainability, something a little more concrete would be helpful. In fact, I dare say, necessary. How could you possibly move towards sustainability when you have no real idea what that means on a working level?!

A Wind Swept Course Takes Advantage Of It

I’m currently working on a handful of alternative energy projects to help courses lighten their energy load, so naturally when I saw this article I felt I had to contact Barbara Mitchell, Owner/Operator of the Highlands Golf Course in Coldstream B.C., to learn of her experience, and to collect some tips.