Reinventing Palm Springs

The golf and real-estate market is in a major shift right now, across the world these planned communities appeal primarily to a disappearing demographic - the baby boomer golfer and second home buyer/vacationer. Palm Springs California makes a great case study for the uncertain future of golf communities, luxury resorts and the trickle-down-effect on local retailers, daily fee courses and total economic impact. 

Little boxes on the hill side...

In the recent Desert Sun article (found on mydesert.com) Mike Perrault reviews the situation in Palm Springs and offers some insight from developers, operators and patrons in the region. 

From the article: 

"The recession exposed the vulnerability of the business model that created an unbreakable linkage between golf and real estate. We're entering a new normal; we're in a recasting era,” said Pete Halter, chairman of The Halter Companies, an Atlanta firm that advises developers. “We can't think that this will be over soon. Things have changed for good.”

"Fewer people play golf, and baby boomers don't have the time, money or interest in the game their parents did. The number of golfers in the U.S. has fallen by 13percent in the past five years."

"A glut of club memberships. There are at least 12,000 openings in the Coachella Valley. Nationally, golf memberships have dropped by a million since the early 1990s."

"The housing bust. Nearly 25percent of homes for sale in the Desert Multiple Listing Service are on golf courses."

Crop Coefficient for Turfgrass

The Center for Agriculture at UMass Amherst is studying ways to preserve irrigation water on sites such as golf courses, which would reduce leaching rates and protect water supplies from pesticide and other chemical contamination.

BIGGA Video Series: Reconstructing a Green

BIGGA's Reconstruction of a Green training video takes a look at the basic problems and solutions associated with various types of green construction and maintenance. Don't let the Old School video editing throw you off, this is an excellent introduction to understanding how a golf green works.

BIGGA Video Series: Irrigation

Another great set of educational videos by BIGGA. Irrigation water and the precise use thereof will continue to be one of, if not the greatest, the most important environmental, economic and social issues facing the golf industry. These three videos cover the basics from source protection, to BMP's and technology (circa 2001).

BIGGA Video Series: Raising the Standards

BIGGA's Raising the Standards training video is... Vintage!

She's an oldie but a goldie with typical 90's fonts and special effects for educational films, but it's an interesting look back at the basics of mowing. Keep this video bookmarked if you have a computer available for training purposes, it makes a great introduction for seasonal staff.

BIGGA Video Series: Golf Course Ecology

This is an excellent video series by the British and International Golf Greenskeepers Association Limited (BIGGA) covering various aspects of typical british golf course ecology management strategies. This 4 part series was released back in 1997 but is still very relevant.

Snake Oil, A Load Of Balls?

As we enter the depths of winter we are well and truly in the middle of the seminar/conference season. Listening to all these companies, they all seem to have the answer or magic cure for what ails our greens. Compost tea, phosphites, seaweed, all seem to be hot topics this year. We are being told that these are the way forward for both plant health and reduction in pesticides. But is this correct? Should we commit fully without solid independent evidence?

Last spring I was lucky enough to meet in person the legendary doctor Mr. James Beard. Me being me, I was right on him, trying to get inside that experienced mind of his. After two long days of careful probing there were two things he said that really stuck in my mind. The first was that there was no merit in so called ‘snake oils’ (meaning magic cures). He went on to say that in the future, some companies might find solutions, but at the moment it was like ‘throwing a load of balls up in the air and hoping that one would land correctly’. His words not mine!

Super Grass: The Advantages of Endophyte-Enhanced Turfgrass in Golf Course Management

We'd like to welcome Guest Contributor Skylar Christensen to Turfhugger. From his earliest days growing up in a small northern Utah town, Skylar could always be found in the great outdoors. He developed a great love of nature and appreciation for beautiful landscapes, both natural and manmade, which led him to pursue a career that would allow him to spend as much time outdoors as possible. With an educational background in Horticulture from Utah State University, Skylar’s many years of experience in the landscape/turf industry has taught him much about working with nature. This in turn led him to realize that the future of this industry rests upon sustainability and responsible agricultural practices. He works for Naturesfinestseed.com, a company that believes strongly in the principal of sustainability.

We all remember the story of Spiderman. A boy gets bitten by a radioactive spider, transforming and infusing within him superhuman strength and spider-like abilities. He’s able to do things normal humans could never achieve. I love the story of Spiderman. Who hasn’t fantasized about the possibilities of becoming superhuman, powerful, and able to shoot web out of your hands? Although this example is a work of fiction, and human symbiosis with spiders is, sadly, out of our reach, that’s not to say that symbiosis within other life forms, such as turfgrass and fungi, is impossible.

David "Treehugger" Phipps Earns Some Hardware

David Phipps doing what he does best!

Over the past 2 1/2 years (and 500 posts!) of Turfhugger I've been lucky enough to have the support of David Phipps. David is always there to lend an ear, to share his experiences and to help you find the info you need. So I was honored when David asked me to speak at the North West GCSAA Environmental Meeting back in November, was excited to see Stone Creek and proud to learn of his earning of two major industry awards this year.

Christmas Bird Count Dec 14 - Jan 5

From December 14th through January 5th tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count. For 112 years "Citizen Scientists" have monitored local bird populations and submitted their findings to help in nation wide conservation efforts. To find the date of a Christmas Bird Count near you and/or to register for a count --> CBC Count Date Search. Your local count will occur sometime between December 14th and January 5th. If you have more than one local count, they will probably be conducted on different dates within the Christmas Bird Count season. You can pick the most convenient date, or participate in more than one count.

Want to learn more?

Learn how data from the CBC helps birds.
View results from this year's count or from previous years
Explore the CBC Photo Gallery of birds seen during counts.
Christmas Bird Count printable program overview (in PDF).
Audubon President's letter to CBC volunteers.

Fencing Out Predators in NZ

Imagine the experience of playing golf on a world class championship course, immersed in the natural beauty of a true New Zealand wildlife sanctuary. The ambitious project of the Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary has seen a $2 Million (NZ) ‘Xcluder’ fence installed and the entire course perimeter of five kilometers. The fence stands more than 2 meters tall and has been specially designed to keep out predators like rates, mice, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs, feral cats and possums.

Other initiatives include removal of blackberry and scrub from the course perimeter and the re-planting of around 25,000 native trees. Two hundred mixed color pheasant and a small herd of around 15 fallow deer and a stag are being reared on site, within a deer fenced area.

Discussions are also underway with conservation agencies regarding the eventual release of some endangered species - like kiwi and brown teal - on to the property.

Bringing a Bunker Mentality to the Litigation of Golf Disputes

The left side bunker on the second hole at the Yale golf course is situated 25 feet below the green. I know that eventually I will escape. The only question is when, and at what cost to my score. 

From the Yale GC Yardage Book

Similarly, when it comes to litigation, less than five percent of civil lawsuits are tried to conclusion before a judge or jury. Thus, for a business that finds itself in litigation, the question is not whether the parties will settle, but when. Because litigation is expensive and disruptive, a prudent business will attempt to accelerate the resolution of cases, except in the unusual case where the expected benefits from a protracted proceeding will exceed the incremental costs.

Understanding the obstacles to settlement is crucial to facilitating a more expeditious and cost effective exit from litigation: