This Week In Green Golf - July 30th 2011

Tags


Whoa, lots happening out there. It's been a very busy summer for everyone and not just because of the weather. Sustainability and environmental technologies have seemed to grow exponentially and it's obviously at the forefront of the industries values. Yes we have skeptics, sometimes for good reason, a few golf courses are... slacking. Competition will continue to rage and slackers won't survive in this market.

On the good, I was at the Canadian Open last weekend and was pleasantly surprised by all their green projects for the event, although in my humble opinion they could have done a better job advertising it. For myself, there's a lot of interest in my line of work and I'm getting calls from courses all over North America for environmentally sustainable solutions. I recently joined forces with Andy Staples and the Golf Resource Group to provide GEO Certification Assistance services in the US and recently learned I'll be presenting at the upcoming GCSAA NorthWest Golf and Environment meeting at Oregon Golf Club in November (in very good company!). My Topic will be Sustainable BMP's: What sustainability looks like in action, and it promises to be informative and inspiring. Oh and GolfCourseTrades published my Getting to the Green: Improving Golf Cart Efficiency. Well enough about me, here's what happening in This Week In Green Golf... FYI - Articles are in no particular order and I do not discriminate against sources or topics, I figure it all paints a picture of where we are truly at. Enjoy.


Dupont Goes in to Damage Control with website - The Facts About Imprelis® Herbicide
Introduced in October 2010, Imprelis® is an herbicide for professional use on residential, industrial and institutional lawns and golf courses. It controls a wide range of broadleaf weeds, including dandelions, clover and plantains.


Upsolar PV System to Provide all the Energy Needs for Italian Golf Club
Published on July 25, 2011 - Upsolar, a leading international solar module supplier, today announced the company’s solar photovoltaic (PV) modules power a 190 kW PV system at La Serra Golf Club in Valenza (AL), Italy, the largest PV project installed at a golf club in Italy. Upsolar’s modules meets all onsite energy needs, helping La Serra to achieve its renewable energy goals in concert with the Italian Golf Federation’s “Commitment to Green” sustainability initiative.



Searching for the Right Stuff: Tolerating Hot and Dry
Rutgers University scientists examine genetic clues to improve heat and drought tolerance of creeping bentgrass cultivars. BY JEFF NUS, PH.D



Keppel Club, River Safari receive ABC Waters Certification 2011
Channel News Asia - Lynda Hong - ...He added that the widely-held perception that golf courses use too much chemical and waste too much water is changing. Mr Chua said: "Superintendents who ...


Brothers convert fuel source
YorkRegion.com - ... their truck for conversion to fuel oil at Maple Downs Golf and Country Club. ... They pick up 20000 litres of waste oil a week — the equivalent of one ...


tournament embraces green tech
Siliconrepublic.com - At the golfing tournament, which is taking place at Carnoustie Golf Links from ... Ricoh says all remaining carbon emissions will be offset through carbon ...


GGCSA announces environmental awards
Golf Course Industry Magazine - The new Georgia Golf Environmental Foundation “Environmental Leader of the Year” awards further reaffirm and highlight the Georgia golf
industry's ...


Homeowners Sue Golf Course Over Polluted Water
WFTV Orlando - 21 Jul 2011
DeLand, Fla -- A group of 42 Volusia County homeowners filed a class action lawsuit against the DeLand Golf Course over ground water pollution. ...


Boeing Classic recognized for "Green behavior"
PGA Tour - Jeff Szklinski - The Boeing Classic is the first and only professional golf tournament to be ... The Boeing Classic was able to increase their waste diversion rate from just ...


From tee to green as hotel and golf course cut waste
Waste Management World - Neil Evans - 7 Jul 2011
The golf club has also started using electric rather than petrol buggies. Peter Walker, general manager at Meldrum House, said before he started a waste ...


London 2012: How sustainable will the Olympics be? - live web chat
The Guardian (blog) - Previously, David Stubbs was director of the European Golf Association Ecology Unit and he established the first pan-European environmental management ...


Door to open for golf course developers
VietNamNet Bridge - Local and foreign golf course developers are ready to tee off following a key Ministry of Planning and Investment proposal. Twenty-eight golf courses in 19 provinces including Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Thai Binh, Bac Ninh, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa and Kien Giang, will be added to national golf course development plan till 2020, according to a Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) proposal sent to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung for approval. The projects were selected from 42 ones proposed by local authorities.



Golf in Godzone: Good News For Christchurch
Contributor: Stan Sutherland, Monday, 25 July, 2011 - 20:26
The announcement that a South Korean businessman has overcome a major hurdle to build a $160 million golf academy and resort near Spencerville, north of Christchurch, is indeed very good news for the area,
According to Liz McDonald in Christchurch’s The Press, ‘Environment Canterbury (ECan) had been appealing the development through the Environment Court but has now dropped its opposition, clearing the way for the project to begin. Resource consents are still required, but the developers hope to start work on the 160-hectare site within a few months…The resort will include 86 villas, 141 sections, academy facilities, lakes, a hotel and a championship golf course as well as other recreational facilities, and bring in several hundred overseas golfers each year.’



Going green for US Junior Amateur a community effort
Kitsap Sun - The golf course is hard, fast and maybe a little brown in spots. What they're trying to do for theenvironment is all "Green." Officials at Gold Mountain ...


Persistent heat, drought and flooding strain golf courses nationally July 27, 2011
Extended periods of excessive heat, widespread moderate to severe drought, and pockets of flooding have beset golf courses for the second consecutive year, putting a strain on revenues, golfers and the professionals who manage the game’s playing fields – golf course superintendents.


Hermitage Country Club Recognized for Environmental Excellence
Goochland Gazette - The Hermitage Country Club golf courses have achieved designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program. Hermitage Country Club is the 27th course in Virginia and the 824th in the world to receive the honor.


GGCSA announces environmental awards
Golf Course Industry Magazine - In that role, Cink has already been quoted in Sustainable Golf Practices, a nationally distributed electronic publication produced by the Environmental ...


Home sales on the rise at Pelican Preserve
Pelican Preserve was awarded the Gold Seal of Sustainability from Audubon International’s Sustainable Development program. In addition to sidewalks and walking trails, the community includes 38 acres set aside for an observation boardwalk and nature preserve.


Diamond Resorts International(R) Engages in Green Initiatives ...
Benzinga - Virginia and Vilar do Golf in Algarve, Portugal each utilize on-site sustainable gardens for everyday cooking in resort restaurants. ...


Is this what Golfers do?
For Argyll - Links golf of course, began as a warm up to that other great Scottish sport, ... I recorded their disrespect for our environment for posterity to shame them ...


Golf Nut Blog: We don't know how lucky we are
Stuff.co.nz (blog) - The Chinese golf industry is in its infancy. The first golf course was only built in ... Back home our courses are more natural, minimalist and sustainable. ...


Deer Resistant Perennials - Plants that Deer Usually don't Eat
It is a natural desire to protect the perennials you take care of with so much affection, and it can be so disappointing to find your plant damaged by insects or eaten by much bigger visitors of your garden such as deer!

Googles Street View trike rides into Canada - Canada - CBC News
Bathurst Glen Golf Course visited by Googles Street View trike
Would you want street view on your cart paths?


Newfoundland and Labrador bans use of cosmetic pesticide on lawns
Winnipeg Free Press - 14 Jul 2011
... to ban the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides on household lawns. ... pesticides in agriculture, along roads and transmission lines or on golf courses. ...


End of the line for nutrients and pesticides
Golf Course Industry Magazine - 11 Jul 2011
Besides the filter material's chemical characteristics, what design elements are crucial in developing a system to remove nutrients and pesticides from golf ...


California Deploys Wasps, Scientists Highlight More Green ...
Huffington Post - 13 Jul 2011
An estimated one billion pounds of pesticides are applied to US farms, forests, lawns and golfcourses each year, despite the promise of alternative ...


Town's pesticide practices reviewed
Scarborough Leader (blog) - Dan Aceto
The policy states “widespread use [of synthetic pesticides] is both a ... Our yards are not golfcourses and I think a few dandelions make it look just fine ...


Apples Get Rotten Press Coverage
Canada Free Press - Jack Dini - 19 Jul 2011
What about other studies on pesticides? Research published earlier this year ... It turns out that the dastardly chemical being spayed on the golf course, ...


Vandals strike at Canadian Open
The Associated Press via ESPN - A case of vandalism on one of the greens didn't affect play this past weekend at the RBC Canadian Open. Grounds crews discovered bleach had been poured on the grass on the eighth green, a par-3 hole at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country in Vancouver, British Columbia.


Survival of bluebirds on golf courses
Golf Course Industry Magazine - 12 Jul 2011
Birds are particularly visible residents of golf courses, ... despite the potential threats of human disturbance, pesticides and intensive turf management. ...


Signature campaign against course
Kuensel, Buhutan's National Newspaper - Gyalsten K Dorji
Dr Karma Phuntsho also pointed out that use of pesticides and insecticides to maintain the golfcourse will lead to “killing of countless lives”. ...


USDA Study Finds Higher Rates of Herbicide Volatilization Than ...
eNews Park Forest - 19 Jul 2011 ... weeds and annual grasses in crops, golf courses, and residential lawns. ... Avoid contributing to a food system that relies on toxic pesticides that ...


A Conversation with Senator Brubaker - Improving Water Quality
Boyertown Berk Montgomery Newspapers - Mike Brubaker - 21 Jul 2011
... in reducing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. ... to turf areas such as lawns, golf courses and athletic fields. ...


Street legal golf carts are common off course
Princeton Daily Clarion - Suzy Hulfachor - 17 Jul 2011
It also helps the pollution when you drive these around town instead of your vehicles.” Oakland City Mayor Alfred Cooper said his town adopted a golf cart ...


State agency investigates Trump tree removal
Officials with the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District on July 22 announced they’ve launched an investigation into a 2010 incident in which hundreds of trees and shrubs were clear cut from the Trump National Golf Course in Lowes Island. The investigation will determine the impact the removal of the trees had on erosion control and shoreline stability. In fall of 2010, employees of the Trump Organization removed more than 465 trees from the property, including the native species of American elm, green ash and black locust – all well suited for protecting the nearby Potomac River from runoff pollution, according to the Conservation District.


Green with enmity: Golf course, district in wastewater battle
Stockton Record - Dana M. Nichols - 8 Jul 2011
The water district wants the golf course to use more wastewater, ... California water pollutionregulations can make it difficult to get rid of treated ...


Rolling Hills Estates gives Chandler Ranch project the go-ahead
Daily Breeze - Melissa Pamer - 2 days ago
... and create a new golf course for private Rolling Hills Country Club. ... would clean runoff and reduce pollution downhill in Harbor City's Machado Lake. ...


Carthage Eases Buffer on Nicks Creek
Southern Pines Pilot - John Chappell - 21 Jul 2011
Residents have expressed concerns about pollution of their drinking water source by chemicals used for golf course irrigation. The commissioners were told ...


Judge hears Lode water dispute case
SAN ANDREAS - Attorneys spent an hour Tuesday debating the possibility of watering the greens and fairways at La Contenta Golf Club in Valley Springs solely with the sewage plant byproduct they referred to as "recycled water." According to Kenneth Foley, an attorney representing La Contenta, the Calaveras County Water District is not providing enough recycled water.


Golf course burn-off prompts complaints
Otago Daily Times - Rebecca Fox - 4 Jul 2011
Another burn-off on the hill behind the golf course probably added to the problem. Mr King said the higher burn-off was within air-plan rules. Air pollution ...


Brubaker bill targets lawn, field fertilizer
Lancaster Newspapers - Ad Crable - 12 Jul 2011
If passed, homeowners and those who tend golf courses and scholastic athletic fields would be allowed to fertilize their lawns only at certain times of year ...


Sudbury bans use of commercial fertilizer with phosphorus to ...
Winnipeg Free Press - 14 Jul 2011
The only exceptions are for agriculture use, golf courses and newly laid grass ... will help ease the damage done by fertilizer making its way into area ...


EmoticonEmoticon