2012 Great Places Awards - Call for entries

Golf courses serve multiple functions in our urban and suburban landscapes. Although they were originally designed primarily for recreation, our courses now play a role in urban storm-water management, habitat and corridor preservation, air quality improvement, and various other environmental functions. There is no doubt that a golf course in the year 2012 serves the community in more ways then ever before, even to those who've never picked up a golf club.

The Great Places Awards is all about honoring creative, multidisciplinary environmental design, planning, research and writing, of which the golf industry has no shortage of. The Environmental Design Research Association's (EDRA) Call for Entries for the 14th Annual Great Places Awards for Place Design, Planning and Research deadline is Friday, January 27, 2012. Click here for submission guidelines, rules and official entry form.

Mirimichi Goodness

My buddy Russ Bodie of Audubon Environmental describes some of the natural and green features at Mirimichi - Justin Timberlake's course near Memphis, TN. Recorded on August 18, 2010.

Business Ethics at Bandon Dunes

The Oregon Ethics in Business Awards honor those organizations and individuals who have demonstrated ethical business practice in its broadest interpretation: in the workplace, the marketplace, the environment, and the community. The recipients of these awards will have, by act and example, gone beyond the expected to achieve excellence in ethical business practices.

Back in 2009 the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, located on the southern Oregon coast, received Oregon Ethics in Business Award. The resort provides golfers with three championship style 18-hole layouts ranked among the nation’s elite public courses, along with several exceptional restaurants and lodging accommodations. Bandon Dunes understands the importance of keeping guests satisfied and aims to provide services that are “genuine, sincere, helpful and friendly.” However, Bandon Dunes does not only consider paying customers to be their guests, but instead, extends the same respect to stakeholders including employees, purveyors, the local community, and the environment. This golf resort, which has been barely carved from the landscape leaving nature largely unaffected, supported by the gracious hospitality of employees who are truly proud to be a part of the organization, has continued to become an exceptionally profitable, overwhelmingly generous, highly ethical enterprise.

Video: La Costa Resort and Spa Renovation

From their YouTube Account:

"La Costa Resort and Spa embarks on an all-new golf experience, renovating the legendary golf course of the PGA Championship location with the designers, Pascuzzo and Pate. Environmentally sustainable and player-friendly, we are excited about the new course, debuting in fall 2011."

Netherlands: "An Obligation to Build New Nature"

An interesting video looking briefly at Netherlands golf market and how Dutch golf development is taking on the role of increasing nature and supporting local farmers, workforce and industries.

Report by: Tania Nataya and Kwame Amoh, Featuring Jart Sluiter of Dutch Golf

Golf Development: Balancing Good Design and Client Demands

Here's an interesting little video about sustainability and golf development featuring interviews with John Goldwyn (Associate Vice President, WATG), Paul Stringer (Executive Vice President, Nicklaus Design), and Ray Wilson (Managing Director, Sourthern Golf).

Sustainability and the Environment from WATG on Vimeo.

Pitchcare Magazine: Developments in Sustainable Developments

From Pitchcare Magazine:
"The Golf Environment Organization & British Association of Golf Course Constructors have established a partnership that will see the bodies collaborate closely around the sustainability issues of golf construction.


The move follows the recent publication of the GEO Legacy™ Guidance for Sustainable Golf Development, which feature a common sense checklist for protecting and enhancing air, water, soil and ecology during the construction phase of golf developments. 

Portugal's Oitavos Dunes

This caught my eye the other day, from the website for Oitavos Dunes:

Much of the planning of the golf course involved protection of endangered plant species, maintenance of wildlife habitat (and their migration routes), nesting sites and food sources. Therefore, nearly half of the property remains in undeveloped natural areas, with golf holes connected by green corridors for movement of wildlife through the three dominant plant communities: wooded, open, and sand dune areas. 

Past Ten, Next Ten: Interview with Doug Carrick

As we roll past the first year of this decade I've asked two standard questions to a few key players in our industry. I wanted to know their thoughts, from their unique role and perspective, on what we saw over this last ten years and what to expect in the ten to come.

Doug Carrick founded Carrick Design in 85, and over the past thirty-six years he has been involved in the planning and design of over fifty golf course projects. Early in his career, Doug worked with Robbie Robinson, a very well respected Canadian golf course architect who had learned from the great Stanley Thompson.  For those of you unfamiliar with Doug's work, here is a Top Ten list from my buddy Robert Thompson.

Turfhugger has interviewed Doug Carrick before, and thought fit to invite him back to see his thoughts on the Past Ten, Next Ten in golf.

China's growing golf courses: the thin end of the wedge?

Jonathan Watts travels to the tropical island of Hainan, where locals are teeing up plans to turn protected rainforest into a luxury golf resort.




Read more here

Eco-Friendly Golf Development Case Study: El Chocolatal Eco Resort Part 2

As mentioned in Part One of this Case Study, El Chocolatal Golf Eco-Resort in Bolivia is going beyond regular expectations of an "environmentally friendly golf course" and is attempting to create the lightest possible footprint. It is a challenge to say the least.

How is this build different?

The 100 ha property is only 1.5 km from the Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory, separated only by steep, pristine forested municipal watershed reserve. The property consists of heavily-logged tall forest along with patches of secondary forest that were under slash and burn agriculture, when we bought the land. We have left wide strips of natural regenerating forest between fairways. Many species appreciate the increased surface area of the edge between forest and the open spaces provided by the fairways. We have also left corridors of forest between the steep, pristine land at the back, and the stream that forms one of the property boundaries. This acts as a buffer and controlled entrance to the protected areas benefiting huge region where wildlife is protected.

Eco-Friendly Golf Development Case Study - El Chocolatal Eco-Resort

The mainstream media tends to cover the BIG green efforts in our industry, which sorta leaves a nasty impression that in order to be "green" you've got to be able to host the president, a major PGA event, afford a Sci-Fi maintenance facility, or at very least hire some Green Washing PR firm to tell everyone how "green" you are. Don't get me wrong, any effort is a good effort in my books. But let's face it, the lower the non-renewable resource consumption (often related to aesthetic expectations, but not exclusively) the less of an ecological footprint is created. Golf course development in particular can be very resource intensive.

Recently I learned of a new development in Bolivia, El Chocolatal Golf Eco-Resort. Now I don't know much about Bolivia, so perhaps that is a good place to start, and we'll look at other aspects of this project in another post. I touched base with Morten Schimdt and Daniel Robinson, co-founders of the project to learn more...

This is a common reaction to the news of an 18 hole golf course near Rurrenabaque, the gateway to the Bolivian Amazon.  Over the last 15 years Bolivia has set aside almost 20% of its surface in some form of protected area.  Rurrenabaque is the principal access to 4.8 million ha of 5 contiguous protected areas, 3 in Bolivia and 2 in Peru.  To date virtually all of the direct costs of these areas have been covered by foreign governments, but there is an indirect social effect: what are local people to do if they are no longer able to fish, farm, hunt or cut wood in these vast areas? What is to be done with those areas outside?

Establishing Natural Areas from Construction with Architect Mike Nuzzo

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Mike Nuzzo, a well known golf course architect based in Houston, Texas. I was reviewing his website and came upon an interesting statement...

"We let the native areas come back naturally without irrigation. Typically irrigation is installed to establish the perimeter and then abandoned after grow-in. Using the irrigated method causes the grow-in to be thicker than the native environment and is a continual maintenance battle to thin out."

This statement demonstrated 3 things to me...

Trump the "Artist" is "Rich so it doesn't matter"

Speed the video up to 7:00 to see Trumps reaction to environmental criticism, and Jonathan Smith from the Golf Environments Organisations (GEO's new website is up too, check it) position. Heres some background on the golf project which unfortunately is giving golf a bad name in Scotland.

Tiger Woods' Golf Course Considers Environment... Finally.

From TheFanhouse Golf section: Tiger Woods' Golf Course Back on Track -- Golf FanHouse

An Asheville, N.C., golf course, designed byTiger Woods is back in construction mode after developers agreed to reduce the potential impact the course would have had on the local environment.

Construction on The Cliffs at High Carolina, a mountain course scheduled to open in the fall of 2012, has picked up again now that developers have dropped by nearly half the effect the course would have had on adjacent trout streams.

A coalition of environmental groups had challenged permits issued by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, charging that the course would negatively impact trout streams without mitigation. Course developers slowed down the construction to address the issues, and cut the number of linear feet of impact from 3,132 to 1,665 by making the course shorter and by lengthening the walk between tees and greens.

A Quick Conversation with Doug Carrick

Here in Ontario, much like the rest of the world, water availability and water quality are big concerns for environmentalists, environmentalists like Doug Carrick.

Although Carrick’s design and renovation portfolio largely consists of projects North of the American border, he is well known through the golf industry for his environmental considerations.

So… in what has developed in to my turfhugger tag line, I decided to learn more!

Turfhugger.com – What techniques or design considerations do you employ to help a golf course use resources conservatively during regular operation.

Doug Carrick – Some of the techniques we use to conserve resources include creating large water storage reservoirs to reduce the requirements for drawing water from aquifers and or streams for irrigation purposes. The reservoirs are designed to collect as much surface water from runoff as possible. Examples include Copper Creek (which is collected entirely from surface runoff and the high flows in the Humber River) Cobble Beach, Eagles Nest and Ballantrae are other good examples of collection of surface runoff into large storage reservoirs. Other techniques include establishment of unmaintained non-play naturalized areas to reduce maintenance requirements and inputs.

Turfhugger.com – I’ve seen a number of new projects where the holding capacity of a large reservoir truly reduced the amount required from aquifers, rivers, lakes or alternative sources. What are some of your designs that employ this technique?

Doug Carrick - Examples include Copper Creek, Osprey Valley, Cobble Beach, Muskoka Bay, Eagles Nest. On renovation projects water storage reservoirs have been implemented at Weston Golf & CC, Islington Golf Club and Sunningdale Golf & CC to conserve water.

Native buffer-zone materials were planted along the banks of Weston's pond on number 4.

Water was drawn down to accommodate aquatic plantings.

Turfhugger.com – What about alternative water sources?

Doug Carrick - Alternative sources of irrigation water include storm-water runoff and effluent water. Ballantrae uses a combination of both. Eagles Nest, Copper Creek, Cobble Beach use storm water runoff to varying degrees.

Turfhugger.com – Is it necessary to keep a pond in play?

Doug Carrick – Ponds do not necessarily have to be in play. Sometimes if a pond is used primarily for storage of irrigation water and has a large fluctuation in the water levels, it is best to try to screen them from view.

Turfhugger.com - Can we still have ponds without buffers?

Doug Carrick – Where ponds are adjacent to play areas on the golf course ie. beside fairways or greens it is preferable to have the pond banks maintained for playability and aesthetic reasons. It is not necessary to always have a buffer adjacent to ponds.

Turfhugger.com – Do you try to incorporate filtration features like buffers?

Doug Carrick – Buffer-zone plantings along water courses is a fairly standard requirements on golf courses today to ensure the protection of water quality and habitat areas adjacent to stream and lakes.

Turfhugger.com – Do you consider runoff from clubhouses or parking lots?

Doug Carrick – When it is possible to direct water from the clubhouse area and parking area into a reservoir we will try to do that. This can be achieved either above ground in swales or underground through pipes. Sometimes it is beneficial to direct runoff water from parking areas etc. through naturalized swales to help filter some of the contaminants out of the water.

Turfhugger.com – On the issue of aquifers, is there an opportunity for golf courses to help regenerate groundwater?

Doug Carrick – Groundwater recharge occurs on every golf course to a certain degree through the infiltration of irrigation water and rainwater back into the ground. The turfgrass is one of the best filters for removing contaminants from the water. Some of the golf courses we have designed show ground water quality on the golf course is much improved from previous agricultural uses or when compared to adjacent agricultural land or other land uses. Osprey Valley, Eagles Nest, Ballantrae, Cobble Beach all have a number of ground water recharge areas within the golf course.

Want to learn more about Doug Carrick?
Doug Carrick Q & A on the Walking Golfer
Doug Carrick - ASGCA

Who is the Environmental Institute for Golf?

What began as a modest $200 scholarship awarded to a student in 1955 has evolved over the past 50 years into a collaborative effort of the environmental and golf communities directed at strengthening the compatibility of the game of golf with the natural environment. As the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Environmental Institute for Golf relies upon the support of many individuals and organizations to fund programs and projects that help golf courses fulfill the environmental, recreational and economic needs of their communities.

The Institute is fortunate to have more than 9,000 active donors, representing each of the United States and 67 countries worldwide, supporting its efforts. The Institute funds more than $1 million annually in environmental programs, including scientific research, education, information collection, outreach and scholarships.

So what does the EIG provide to golf courses?
A ton of great resources! Click on the topics below for a great collection of Case Studies, Research Papers and Advertisements:

Surface Water Quality

Integrated Plant Management

Golf Course Siting, Design and Construction

Wildlife and Habitat Management

Energy and Waste Management

Ground Water Protection

Water Use and Conservation

All Case Studies

Have Turfhugg'n Hippies Taken Over the Golf Industry?

For years I've heard scepticism about the environmental certification programs (Audubon, EPar, GEO, Par "0") meant to create a high environmental operations standard across our industry. I've faced a few environmental groups who claim these industry efforts are not sincere and are purely PR driven. Although there's been greenwashing in our industry, I believe the majority of Superintendents and Architects have taken big steps to prevent negative impacts to the natural environment. Despite my certinty, I wash shocked, and impressed when a Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) press release crossed my path.

The press release begins by claiming the Waterford County Council has "disregarded the principles of sustainable development and failed to fulfil its obligations under existing legislation and international environmental agreements" by granting permission for a proposed golf resort on Irelands southern shoreline.

The press release goes on to list a number of EU and local regulations that the Islandikane Golf Development has disregarded. From the document:

"Furthermore, despite the fact that the developer has proposed to follow the principles of the Golf Environment Europe ECO Management Programme (now superseded by the Golf Environment Organisation certification scheme) and apply for accreditation, the development design and assessment process has run contrary to those principles, by selecting a protected area for development, failing to act on the advice of government scientists and leading environmental experts, and by assuming that any negative impact can be overcome by future mitigation measures".

"While GEO appreciates the intrinsic value of dramatic cliff top golf, and the great potential that creative golf planning and design can have in many contexts, we believe that in the modern day, harming fragile assemblages of rare species and habitats is not acceptable. The technology and expertise exists to create great golf developments that avoid environmental conflict and deliver true environmental and economic gain, but that requires adaptation of the development model to specific site conditions, and respect for fundamental social and environmental values".
Photo courtesy of PunkBirder

"The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has formally objected to the development proposal, highlighting the sensitivity of the site and stating: “the Islandikane area has been identified by the chough survey team as being of particular importance for choughs within the proposed SPA…….The area is host to a large comunal roost……… the developers own survey team recorded 127 choughs on site in one visit. Research has shown that choughs spend 78% of their time within 300 metres of the coast. The proposed golf course would run the entire length of the coastline within the development site…for over two kilometres. At some points associated buildings appear to be within 160m of the main communal roost…..For these reasons this Department has serious concerns regarding this proposed development. Therefore, we recommend that planning permission should not be granted for the proposed development in its present form.”

Mr. Conor Kretsch, a technical advisor on biodiversity and ecosystems for GEO, says the decision to grant planning permission is bad for the environment, and bad for golf: “Appropriate golf development can support nature conservation planning and thereby provide significant benefits to local communities, the economy and the environment, but only where every available option has been taken to guarantee the conservation of local biodiversity, and respect the integrity of protected areas and ecosystems. As with any development, it must be a case of the right project in the right place at the right time. By co-operating with the Department of the Environment and BirdWatch Ireland, rather than resisting them, there could be ample scope for a developer to incorporate sustainable golf development with nature conservation objectives at Islandikane. It is a shame that such initiative has not been shown, that the current design and approach to planning is contrary to the principles of sustainable golf development, and that Waterford County Council has failed in its remit.”

Okay, the reason I've posted this info is because it gives a clear snapshot as to where our industry is today. We've stepped away from neglecting the issues and are facing them dead on! By issuing this press release I believe the GEO has given the industry a great deal of credibility and integrity when it comes to responsible golf course developments. Cheers to GEO for this one!

More press info here.

Funny enough it comes at the same time that a famous American Pop Star Justin Timberlake has opened the doors to his newly restored, and Audubon Classic Certified Mirimichi GC.