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Golf course architect William Teufel Dies at 82

William G. Teufel, a Fellow of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and member since 1984, died Nov. 5, 2007 in Seattle, Wash. He was 82.

After founding the landscape and golf course architecture firm William G. Teufel and Associates, Inc. in 1956 in Seattle, he designed a number of golf courses, primarily in the northwest United States. Among the courses credited to his firm were Fairwood Golf and Country Club, Renton, Wash.; Hat Island Golf and Country Club, Hat Island, Wash.; Useless Bay Golf Course, Whidbey Island, Wash.; Tam-O-Shanter Golf and Country Club, Belleview, Wash., and Wing Point Golf and Country Club, Bellevue, Wash.

Ginn selected to Advisory Council

Edward Robert "Bobby" Ginn III, chairman and CEO of Ginn Resorts, has joined The Environmental Institute for Golf's Advisory Council, becoming its 25th member.

Headed by World Golf Hall of Fame member Greg Norman, the council provides guidance to The Institute's board of trustees in the areas of outreach, fundraising and strategic planning.

"Bobby is a welcome addition to the Advisory Council and he will bring a refreshing way of thinking to this powerful group," Norman said. "His environmental stewardship at all of his communities is commendable, and The Institute will gain a great deal from his involvement over the next few years."

Working closely with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and other environmental agencies and groups, Ginn Resorts has set aside thousands of acres for wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands, uplands and natural-vegetation buffers. Ginn Resorts has been praised by the National Audubon Society for its work in preserving two bald eagle nests at Tesoro, a master-planned community in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"At Tesoro, the development team created a 'critter thoroughfare,' a wildlife corridor that crosses the property from east to west, providing a safe haven for alligators, deer, bobcats and other animals," said Ginn.

At Ginn Reunion Resort went the team preserved the habitat of sand skinks, a rare lizard found only in Central Florida, by setting aside two conservation sites approximately of 23 acres.  To minimize the loss of vegetation at Reunion Resort, $2 million was spent during construction to temporarily relocate 266 oak trees to a tree farm on the south end of the property. After land-clearing work was completed, trees were replanted on the golf course.

At Bella Collina, 52 acres of wetlands and 27 acres of uplands were placed into a conservation district that never can be rezoned. The team also created a 68-acre preservation area for gopher tortoises found on the property and safely relocated them to their new home.