Divot Mix

There's nothing more selfish than a slow golfer. -- Nick Price

Golf courses invited to join the Audubon Green Golfer Challenge

Throughout 2007, Audubon International is inviting golf courses in the United States, Canada, and worldwide to take part in the Audubon Green Golfer Challenge.  The challenge is simple: Get as many golfers as possible to pledge to take steps to support environmental stewardship while playing the game.  From replacing divots to supporting the golf course's efforts to provide wildlife habitat and protect water resources, there are simple actions golfers can take which are good for the game, good for the golf course, and good for the environment.

Throughout the year, the pledges from participating golf courses will be collected and counted by Audubon International.  Ongoing totals will be posted online.  Prizes will be awarded to golf courses with the most golfers signed up by Nov. 15, 2007, with winners in various categories (golf course type, region, etc.) announced at the end of 2007.  Finally, golfers who take the pledge will also become eligible for a number of randomly-drawn prizes at the end of the year.

Getting golfers to take the "Green Golfer Pledge" is a simple way for golf course superintendents and staff to help carry on golf's tradition of preserving the nature of the game--and perhaps make their job a little easier.  Learn more and take the Audubon Green Golfer Challenge at www.golfandenvironment.org.

EPA offers opportunities for recognition

The EPA is offering golf course managers two opportunities to receive recognition for their efforts, and more importantly, to help put golf's environmental momentum on the top of everyone's minds, including the golf industry, government, conservation organizations and the media.

Mark Johnson, GCSAA senior manager, environmental programs said, "Owners, architects, builders, and superintendents should look at the EPA's two new recognition programs. One of the programs is for green buildings, green components, policies, tools, and practices--the other is for businesses that have undergone environmental assessments, incorporated environmentally friendly designs, or other stewardship for environmental justice in their communities." 

"Investing a small amount of time to explore these opportunities and submit an application could result in significant recognition not only for personal efforts, but for the game of golf and its promotion of the environment."

The "Lifecycle Building Challenge" is a national green design competition co-sponsored by EPA, the American Institute of Architects, West Coast Green and the Building Materials Reuse Association.

It is a Web-based competition that calls on the nation's architects and builders to create designs that facilitate material reuse and waste minimization. Students, educators, environmental advocates as well as architects, reuse experts, engineers, builders, and product designers, are invited to apply. Lifecycle designs are being sought in the categories of:

• Building (an entire building)
• Component (a single building assembly or connector)
• Service (a policy, tool, or practice)

For more, visit the entry process, registration, and awards.

The "Achievement in Environmental Justice" award will recognize U.S. industry organizations who undertake environmental justice initiatives to impact their communities.

To qualify, the organization must ensure that its business practices have not disproportionately and adversely exposed surrounding communities to environmental harm and risk, and that positive steps are being taken to improve the local community's environmental and public health conditions.

The nominee must have reached a significant milestone of accomplishment within the past five years (2001-2006), and meet the six criteria for innovation, corporate responsibility, public involvement, partnerships, integration, and sustainability. Entries must be post-marked by March 31, 2007. Information on how to enter the competition and the award details can be viewed at: www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/ej/ej-achieve-flyer.pdf.

Green Links case study highlights environmental management

The environmental aspects of golf course maintenance operations are numerous, but the Green Links case study for March shows that the identification and management of those operations and practices need not be an unachievable burden. 

David Phipps, superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Club, Oregon City, Ore., is the host of Green Links on The Environmental Institute for Golf's Web site, where this month he introduces a case study from the city of Charlottesville, Va., parks and recreation department about their implementation of an environmental management system. 

Read David's column and a guest article from Jim Horne of the U.S. EPA's Office of Wastewater Management and a member of GCSAA's Environmental Program Committee as they discuss the story. 

Visit EDGE, golf's environmental online resource with case studies, best management practices, and technical information.  EDGE is funded in part by The Toro Foundation.

USGA announces proposals on grooves and adjustability of clubs

The United States Golf Association has introduced two proposals to change the Rules governing golf clubs. The first proposal would introduce new regulations for grooves. The second proposal calls for a relaxed standard concerning the adjustable features of woods and irons.

These proposals represent the comprehensive, deliberate and thoughtful nature of the USGA’s equipment research." USGA Senior Technical Director Dick Rugge said.  "In one instance, we’re proposing new restrictions on groove configurations to maintain the element of skill at the game’s highest level. In the other case, we’re relaxing standards of adjustability because we believe these changes will benefit all golfers by allowing them to have a better chance to use clubs that can be fitted to their individual swing characteristics."

In March 2005, the USGA informed club manufacturers that it would conduct research on the topic of spin generation. Since that time, the USGA and its rulemaking partner, the R&A, have jointly conducted significant research into how groove designs affect spin and other performance characteristics and issued two reports. The reports are available online at http://www.usga.org/equipment/notices/notices_and_announcements.html.

"The skill of driving the ball accurately has become much less important in achieving success on Tour than it used to be," Rugge said. "Our analysis of statistical data measured by the PGA Tour since 1980 shows that historically driving accuracy was as comparably correlated to winning as putting. Beginning in the early 1990s, however, driving accuracy became much less important. Today, the correlation between driving-accuracy rank and money winning rank on the PGA Tour is very low."

Therefore, the USGA proposes to change the rules governing grooves. The proposal calls for two key additional groove specifications for clubs. One would call for groove edge sharpness to be limited to an effective minimum radius of .010 inches. The second would limit the total cross-sectional area of a groove divided by the groove pitch (width plus separation) to 0.0025 square inches per inch.

The new rules are proposed to be effective for clubs manufactured after Jan. 1, 2010. A Condition of Competition would be added to the USGA Rules of Golf to become effective Jan. 1, 2009, that would allow a committee to require the use of clubs that conform to the new groove rules for competitive events conducted after Jan. 1, 2009.  The USGA would recommend that the condition apply only to competitions involving highly skilled players.

For clubs that currently conform to the Rules of Golf, but would not conform to the proposed new rules, the USGA proposes to allow their use for a lengthy period of time (at least 10 years).
Written comments regarding the proposed changes governing grooves should be sent to the USGA, attention Dick Rugge, P.O. Box 708, Far Hills, NJ  07931, Fax 908-234-0138, drugge@usga.org.  Written comments must be received by Aug. 1, 2007.

In March of 2005, the USGA first indicated an interest in allowing more types of adjustable features on woods and irons. The Rules of Golf currently state that woods and irons must not be designed to be adjustable, except for weight. In making this proposal, the USGA considers relaxing certain aspects of its regulations by allowing more types of adjustable features to be used in woods and irons.

The USGA proposes that the rule change to allow more adjustability of golf clubs, if adopted, would become effective Jan. 1, 2008. 

Comments on the adjustability of clubs should be sent to the USGA, attention Dick Rugge, no later than May 1, 2007.