News and announcements: Nov. 17, 2009

Texas venue prepares for LPGA; Dubai course debuts for World Championship

This week the LPGA Tour concludes its season with the LPGA Tour Championship Presented by Rolex, at The Houstonian G&CC in Richmond, Texas. Tom Werner, CGCS, has the golf course playing firm and fast after drying out from a soggy October. Meanwhile, the European Tour’s Race to Dubai reaches its destination with the inaugural Dubai World Championship presented by DP World at Jumeirah Golf Estate’s Earth Course. GCSAA Superintendent Members Mark Tupling and Adam Calver will be unveiling a venue that has been closed for two full seasons to allow the new course to mature.

The Houstonian is a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and is working toward Audubon certification. It features 10 acres of wetlands, numerous native and naturalized areas and is the winter home to many migratory birds.

Werner has the bermudagrass greens rolling 11 feet on the Stimpmeter, and the bermudagrass rough is two inches high. He says that unless the wind kicks up, there should be some good scores. No. 17, a long par 3 over water and usually into the wind, is considered the signature hole.

At Jumeirah Golf Estate’s Earth Course, Tupling and Calver have the bermudagrass greens rolling 11-12 feet on the Stimpmeter, and the bermudagrass rough 2-3 inches tall. Fully grassed since April 2008, the course has been closed to the public as Jumeirah Golf Estates has given it an unprecedented two seasons to mature before making its debut at the Championship – providing the look and feel of an established course but conditions more pristine than most professional players will have experienced in their careers.

The winners will share a U.S. $7.5 million purse, and those finishing in the top 15 on The Race to Dubai will split another U.S. $7.5 million bonus pool.

The parklands of Europe and North America inspired the setting of the Earth, which has dense vegetation punctuated with water features providing the backdrop to architecture reminiscent of a charming Southern Italian village. Earth’s signature hole will probably be No. 17, a 195-yard, par 3 with a tight, island green surrounded by bunkers. Jumeirah Golf Estates follows several environmental best management practices, a stringent integrated pest management program and subscribes to the E-par environmental management system.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai World, which is the parent company of Leisurecorp, the owner and creator of Jumeirah Golf Estates, is a member of the Advisory Council for The Environmental Institute for Golf, GCSAA’s philanthropic organization. Jumeirah Golf Estates is a residential golf development in Dubai with four 18-hole, environmentally friendly golf courses. Two of the courses, Fire and Earth, are designed by Greg Norman, who is on The Institute Board of Trustees and chairs the Advisory Council. A third course, Water, is designed by Vijay Singh; and a fourth course, Wind, is a collaborative effort of Norman, Pete Dye and Sergio Garcia. Singh, Dye and Garcia are all members of The Institute’s Advisory Council.

Chesapeake Bay cleanup, recovery strategies underway

New strategies are in development to accelerate the pace of Chesapeake Bay watershed cleanup and restoration, as nutrient and sediment pollution continues to plague the largest estuary in the U.S. These strategies include the Chesapeake Executive Council’s adoption of two-year cleanup milestones, a presidential directive ushering in a new era of federal leadership and accountability, and the EPA’s development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the Bay watershed.

Because these efforts are being touted as a model for water pollution cleanup efforts in other parts of the country, the golf industry is paying attention to the impact these activities may have on golf course development and operations in the future.

In May 2009, the Chesapeake Executive Council, a policy group that leads the federal Chesapeake Bay Program, set new, short-term two-year milestones to reduce pollution in the Bay. This was agreed to after the Council determined it would not meet its “Chesapeake Bay 2000” commitments, intended to guide restoration activities throughout the Bay watershed through 2010.

On May 12, President Obama signed a historic Executive Order (EO) that calls the Chesapeake Bay a “national treasure” and asks the federal government to take a leading role in cleaning up the Bay. The EO establishes a federal leadership committee, composed of federal agency heads, to work with Bay states to develop and adopt a strategy by May 2010 for protecting and restoring the Bay. The strategy will focus on key areas including water quality, climate change, land conservation and public access, scientific tools and monitoring, and protection of habitat, fish and wildlife.

The draft strategy, which contains a package of federal initiatives with two-year benchmarks for federal and local progress, was published Nov. 9 and is available for public comment until Jan. 8, 2010.

The EPA is in the process of developing a TMDL or “pollution diet” for the entire Bay watershed. The TMDL includes loading limits for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments from point and nonpoint sources of pollution. The EPA will issue guidance setting expectations for states to develop detailed implementation plans with clear milestones to reduce pollution to meet water quality goals. Plans must explain how states will reduce loads from nonpoint sources such as stormwater and agricultural runoff. The EPA will impose tailored consequences if states do not take sufficient actions to reduce pollution to the Bay and its tributaries. A draft TMDL will be issued in August 2010, followed by a public comment period. A final TMDL is due in December 2010.

The EPA is holding public meetings on the TMDL development in the six Bay watershed states – Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, New York, as well as the District of Columbia – between now and the end of 2009. View a schedule of public meeting dates and locations, available on the EPA’s Web site, to learn more about this initiative.

Experience the latest technology for your facility at new Test Drive Technology Lab

Stop by the Test Drive Technology Lab at the 2010 Golf Industry Show for the opportunity to view the newest technology solutions in the industry and “test drive” state-of-the-art hardware and software ranging from iPhone applications to Panasonic Toughbooks.

These solutions are intended to help you more effectively and successfully manage all aspects of your business. Bring your entire team and register to win laptop computers, iPod Nanos and other great prizes.

Looking for an intern, crew or assistant position? Meet students at employment fair

Join fellow superintendents and students from across the country at the Student/Superintendent Employment Fair, 5:30-6:15 p.m., and the Student/Superintendent Networking Reception, 6:15-7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11, at the GCSAA Education Conference in San Diego.

Both events offer a great opportunity to meet potential employees in a casual atmosphere. The employment fair, presented in partnership with Hunter Industries, brings you face-to face with interested and qualified applicants to help you streamline the hiring process and find the right addition to your staff.

The networking reception is presented in partnership with John Deere Golf and immediately follows the employment fair. Come and enjoy the camaraderie, food and beverages, and the announcement of the winners of the annual Turf Bowl Competition.