Carlsbad CA's La Costa Resort and Spa has embarked on a new golf experience, renovating the legendary golf course of the PGA Championship location with the designers, Pascuzzo and Pate, making it more environmentally sustainable and player-friendly.
Cordova Bay GC
Dean Piller, 2010 CGSA Superintendent of the Year, talks about how golf courses can be (and are) environmental leaders. Dean has long spearheaded Cordova Bay Golf Course's environmental programs. In the past, Dean's work has made Cordova Bay Golf Course the first "Audubon Certified" golf course on Vancouver Island. Now Dean is introducing a 'nutrition' rather than 'fertilization' program aimed at providing exactly what nutrients the grass needs and no more.
Check them out at http://www.cordovabaygolf.com
5 Sustainability Q’s for the Trade Show Floor
Golf course sustainability does not start on the course, it begins with the supply-chain. All of your efforts to green your golf course operations can be undermined or enhanced by choosing products or services that may or may not be aligned with your own sustainability goals.
I’ve prepared 5 questions (and a few talking points) to help you make informed decisions, and transform your operations from an old linear style, towards a sustainable system.
Note: Although I’ve mostly covered the environmental aspect of the supply-chain, it’s important to remember that social and economic demands, together with the environment, make up the three pillars of sustainability and that all three should be considered within your procurement policies. I’ve put a * beside the questions I feel would be relevant to most superintendents. Also, when asking these questions try to be specific about one particular type of product or service to help frame the conversation.
I’ve prepared 5 questions (and a few talking points) to help you make informed decisions, and transform your operations from an old linear style, towards a sustainable system.
Note: Although I’ve mostly covered the environmental aspect of the supply-chain, it’s important to remember that social and economic demands, together with the environment, make up the three pillars of sustainability and that all three should be considered within your procurement policies. I’ve put a * beside the questions I feel would be relevant to most superintendents. Also, when asking these questions try to be specific about one particular type of product or service to help frame the conversation.
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| image courtesy of Out on a Limb |
PACE Turf: Golf Course Sustainability Metrics
In this 7 minute video, Dr. Larry Stowell provides guidance that will help you to navigate and achieve the demands for increased sustainability at your golf course.
To learn more about how PACE Turf provides turf managers with practical, yet science-based solutions to turf management problems, take their member benefits tour: http://www.paceturf.org/index.php/tour/
To learn more about how PACE Turf provides turf managers with practical, yet science-based solutions to turf management problems, take their member benefits tour: http://www.paceturf.org/index.php/tour/
Fertility: Are You Ready For The Season Ahead?
As the big thaw across Britain begins, our minds start looking forward to the season ahead and our thoughts turn to our maintenance programmes for the coming season. Without doubt one of the most crucial elements of producing good surfaces is how we apply nutrients to the plant. Too much all at once will produce soft, slow, spongy surfaces. Too little could thin out the sward encouraging diseases such as anthracnose. There has been a lot of talk over the past decade about how we have overfed our surfaces. This is probably true to some extent. Have some people now gone too far the other way? Could they be under-feeding their surfaces?
Flush: Rain Bird 900/1100 Series vs Toro R-Series
Do you have Rain Bird Eagle 900 or 1100 Series heads in a Rain Bird Sprinkler Body? Are you tired of ruining your paper uniforms? Toro has a suggestion for you.
Buffalograss Gaining Popularity on the Golf Course
There’s been much discussion lately on the subject of water conservation within the golf course industry, and for good reason. As water demands outweigh water supplies in many areas of the country, several courses are starting to feel the pinch and are looking for ways to cut back on irrigation needs.
Methods such as rainwater harvesting have shown huge potential for water conservation in golf course management. Although rainwater harvesting is a great way to provide a free, steady, and sustainable supply of water, it’s only one side of the irrigation coin. Not only do we need to be able to supply a sustainable supply of water, but we need to consider using turfgrass species that don’t require much water to begin with.
Toro Tours to "Master the Greens"
In the spring and summer of 2011, Toro toured the US with the new TriFlex, TriFlex Hybrid, Greensmaster Flex and eFlex walk mowers. Here are some initial customer reactions to these units from stops along the way. Want to request a demo? Go here.
Promo Video for the TriFlex and TriFlex Hybrid
Promo Video for the Greensmaster eFlex/Flex Series
Getting a Closer Look at Your Turf
Having a microscope at your property can help you do your job better. Being able to take a quick look at a suspect spot from the course could help save you money and/or heartache. The convenience of having a microscope at hand will also make it easy for random sampling or looking at a spot before you would usually send it in for diagnosis.
Orange and Gold makes for some serious Green
Turf maintenance equipment giant Jacobsen has agreed to a global partnership with the Golf Environment Organization.
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| David Withers and Jonathan Smith seal the deal |
The new arrangement will see the two organizations, which have been allied in Europe for some time, broaden their collaboration to promote awareness, understanding and solutions in the Americas and Asia as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
How To: Golf Course Rainwater Harvesting Part 2
See Part 1 of this series here.
...Now that’s all nice to see annual totals, but if we want to invest in the infrastructure to use this resource of ours wisely then we are going to have to get specific. The best way to do this is to find out exactly how much of this water you are going to use.
...Now that’s all nice to see annual totals, but if we want to invest in the infrastructure to use this resource of ours wisely then we are going to have to get specific. The best way to do this is to find out exactly how much of this water you are going to use.
Part 2: How can I tie it in to my current system
or maintenance routines?
To answer this question let's break it down into three parts: collection, storage and delivery.
Collection Method
Here we evaluate the effectiveness of 4 things - Material, Delivery, Climate and Other:
Material of roof
- Is the roof constructed of standing seam metal, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EDPM), slate or tile? (different materials have different runoff coefficients i.e. metal is .95, concrete and asphalt is .9, tar and gravel is .8-.85)
- Is the roof or exterior building walls capable of withstanding load or attachment of a "delivery system" (see below)?
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