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Presented in partnership with Eagle One Golf Products YOUR GAME
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Recreation summit
not just for fun
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Carrie Riordan, GCSAA’s director of information and public policy, discusses environmental stewardship with a participant at the NRPA Environmental Stewardship Summit. Photo by Lyne Tumlinson |
GCSAA was a supporting organization of the first National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) National Environmental Stewardship Summit for People, Parks and Public Lands, May 4-7 in Portland, Ore. GCSAA was asked to partner with NRPA for this event because GCSAA and its members offer environmental expertise and resources, and also because many municipalities across the nation have golf courses within their park systems.
The summit was attended by recreation and parks professionals, parks directors, golf course superintendents, wildlife biologists, parks environmental education staff, parks commissioners and others involved in the management of public lands.
Ongoing efforts and progress by GCSAA and its members to ensure golf is compatible with our natural environment were highlighted at the summit. Findings from the Golf Course Environmental Profile project, the first-ever comprehensive environmental study of golf course features and environmental practices, funded by The Environmental Institute for Golf, were shared with attendees during an interactive poster session.
Outreach activities by GCSAA members using golf courses to get kids involved with the environment, along with examples of how the golf industry is working to get youth outdoors, was the focus of a presentation by GCSAA director of environmental programs Greg Lyman during an education session called “Go Outside and Play!—Programs that Engage Youth with the Environment.” Lyman shared examples of how superintendents bring youth to their golf facilities to learn about wildlife protection, environmentally friendly cultural practices and other projects on the golf course.
The First Green program, developed in the state of Washington and designed to use golf courses as “living laboratories” for integration into high school science curriculums, was showcased, along with The First Tee program and its focus on youth character development. Projects involving GCSAA members and their efforts to provide environmental education to elementary school children in a golf course setting were also presented. Case studies that highlight these superintendent activities can be found on the EDGE Resource on The Environmental Institute for Golf Web site at www.eifg.org.
Throughout the summit, GCSAA staff fielded questions and participated in discussions on environmental inputs to golf courses, water usage, ways to make golf courses places of “play,” and the business of golf in terms of environmental practices.
The relationship between GCSAA and NRPA has evolved over the past decade, and GCSAA will have a strong presence at the NRPA Annual Congress in Baltimore, Oct. 14-18, when GCSAA staff will lead several education sessions. A strong partnership between GCSAA and NRPA is valuable to superintendents, who can learn from the professional members of the NRPA. In turn, NRPA members can gain a better understanding of golf course management practices and the work being done to advance environmental stewardship in the golf industry.
July is Family Golf Month, one of several programs included in the PGA of America’s Play Golf America promotions, where participating facilities offer programs such as clinics and family golf play days for a nominal fee. The programs are designed to provide a structured yet casual opportunity for families to learn and play golf together. Last year, more than 1,000 facilities hosted Family Golf Month events. Another program among the Play Golf America promotions occurs this month — Take Your Daughter to the Course Week, July 7-13. Developed by the PGA of America along with the National Golf Course Owners Association, the week aims to introduce young girls to the game and encourage family interaction on the course. Participating facilities offer a free clinic for young ladies and complimentary green fees to girls accompanied by a paying adult. To learn more about the Play Golf America programs, visit www.playgolfamerica.com. Rounds of golf played in the U.S. were down 9.9 percent on a same-facility basis in March 2008 versus March 2007, according to the National Golf Foundation. Even with one extra weekend day this March compared to March 2007, most regions were down, excluding the Southwest, which gained 0.5 percent. |
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