Divot Mix

"The risk of going into a bunker is self imposed, so there is no reason why a player should condemn a bunker as unfair." -- C.B. Macdonald

GCSAA seeks new Chief Operating Officer

GCSAA is seeking candidates for the newly created chief operating officer position.

The position will report directly to the chief executive officer, Mark Woodward, CGCS, and will direct key aspects of the association’s operations, including policies, objectives and strategic initiatives.

Resumes will be accepted until Dec. 31. For a complete, detailed position description visit www.gcsaa.org/hr or ERS Job Postings (GCSAA members only).

Treesdale water plan featured on Green Links

For November, Green Links from EDGE features a story from Treesdale Golf and Country Club in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. EDGE is hosted by Robert O. Farren Jr., CGCS at Pinehurst Resort and Golf Club.

Treesdale is an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and according to Jim Sluiter, staff ecologist at Audubon International, "Treesdale Golf and Country Club’s proactive responses to the drought conditions of 2001 and 2002 are an exemplary model of a golf course staff committed to providing a high-quality golf experience while conserving resources in limited supply."

The record-keeping and documentation employed by the golf course staff should still be paying environmental and financial dividends well after the drought has subsided.

The initial identification of sensitive areas most prone to stress was vital to the overall success of Treesdale’s water conservation efforts. Regular scouting of managed turf and proper documentation of monitoring efforts on the property are critical to a beneficial resource management plan, and is the backbone of Treesdale’s efforts under the Cooperative Sanctuary Program.

The subsequent prioritizing allowed the golf course staff to easily determine what locations were most important and where their attention should be focused during such difficult growing conditions. 

Golf courses: playing fields, wildlife sanctuaries or both?

Though they may not help improve a person’s golf game, stream salamanders might change the way golfers think about the local country club in the near future, following a new University of Missouri study.

"There are more than 17,000 golf courses in the United States, and approximately 70 percent of that land is not used for playing," said Ray Semlitsch, curators’ professor of biology in the MU College of Arts and Science. "These managed green spaces aren’t surrogates for protected land and ecosystems, but they can include suitable habitat for species native to the area, including salamanders. Golf courses could act as nature sanctuaries if managed properly."

In an ongoing study, Semlitsch and Mark Mackey, a graduate student at Missouri, are examining the effect of golf courses on salamander populations. Working with 10 golf courses in North Carolina, they are measuring stream salamanders’ abundance and diversity in order to make biologically relevant management suggestions for golf course superintendents. The researchers are hoping to balance human recreation with the protection of wildlife.

"With more than 2.2 million acres of green space on U.S. golf courses, there is great potential for golf courses to serve as sanctuaries for many wildlife species," Mackey said. "Managing landscapes for human use and the preservation of biodiversity will create a win-win situation for stakeholders and wildlife."

In the study, the researchers are setting up transects in the streams of the 10 course for intensive sampling. By comparing the abundance and diversity of salamanders in golf course habitats, the team will be able to assess the adequacy of current course management. Salamanders play a major role in the overall food chain; by studying salamanders, researchers can gain additional information about other habitats in the area. In addition, Semlitsch and Mackey will make recommendations for the USGA, which can be used to manage golf courses throughout the nation.

Previously, Semlitsch outlined recommendations to improve golf course habitats for amphibian populations in a paper published in USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Online and in Conservation Biology. His recommendations included buffering aquatic habitats from chemical runoff, surrounding wetland areas with 150 to 300 meters of forest or natural grassland, and creating a diversity of pond types that mimic natural wetlands. The research is supported by the USGA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Deadline extended for National Championship & Golf Classic

The registration deadline for the 2009 GCSAA National Championship & Golf Classic has been extended to 5:00 p.m. (Central), Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008.

The event is at five courses in Gulf Shores, Ala., with GCSAA and The Toro Company hosting GCSAA members in networking event that provides multiple opportunities to connect with their peers.

This tournament is all about bringing members together to build lasting relationships with others who share similar goals and aspirations in the golf course management profession.

For 2009 the lineup includes new contests, more prizes, engaging receptions, and a revamped tee prize package. Visit http://www.gcsaa.org/conference/tour.asp.

Bag tags spread the good word about golf

Project EverGreen has teamed up with Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation's Sticks for Kids program and its partner the National Recreation and Park Association to give bag tags to more than 60,000 children with helpful information about the environmental benefits of golf courses.

Sticks for Kids provides young people with their first golf experience and promotes the life values of the sport. Through the partnership, Project EverGreen and Sticks for Kids will provide golf club bag tags to 407 courses the first year.

The two versions of the bag tags read:

• Go hug that tree you just hit. The shade it's creating is trying to keep you cool out here.
• Nice divot. Now go fix it. That grass you're tearing up cleans the air so you can breathe a little easier.

"This humorous approach is a great way to give kids ages 5-15 the big picture about how important golf courses are to the environment and to them personally," says Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen. "Our partnership with Sticks for Kids is just one small part of our larger efforts to educate and inform people of all ages about the environmental, economic and lifestyle benefits of green spaces."

Golf clubs and marketing funds for the Sticks for Kids programs are provided by the GCBAA Foundation in conjunction with its partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association. Sticks for Kids will grow to more than 400 programs in all 50 states for 2009.

"Promotion of the environmental advantages of green spaces is very important to our members," GCBAA Executive Director Paul Foley said. "We appreciate the opportunity to work with Project EverGreen to get this message out to the youth that represent the future of our sport."