Monthly Feature Hosted By:
	Bob Farren, CGCS, Director of Grounds and Golf Course Management for Pinehurst Resort and Country Club

During this decade, water conservation or drought management may sound all too familiar to some at golf facilities across the United States. Superintendents and golf facility managers all know that water is critical for golf course operations and the link we have in common is our desire to provide quality playing conditions for our golfers. We work within a number of parameters and face many challenges in order to accomplish quality playing conditions. Our success is measured in a multitude of ways, from budget performance to golfer satisfaction surveys. However, one of the most important areas of performance is reflected in our environmental stewardship efforts. The conservation and use of water obviously has a great deal of importance in this arena.

Today, there are many examples of environmental stewardship involving water management and one example is the water reduction program at Treesdale Golf and Country Club in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. The Northeastern part of the United States experienced an extended drought in 2001 and 2002. The situation brought to the forefront many of the concerns and policies that our Southwestern colleagues had been experiencing for years to the eastern part of the country. It became apparent that we needed to become proactive on our water management programs in order to accomplish our stewardship goals. The management team at Treesdale Golf and Country Club established a goal to reduce the amount of water used at their facility. Accomplishing this goal would obviously result in savings in many areas related to the budget and ultimately would improve the playing conditions of the course. The first and most important aspect of this program is establishing a baseline of the annual volume of water use.

It is imperative for superintendents and golf facility mangers to establish the baseline of water consumption in order to be proactive in the management of water and to further our leadership role as stewards of the environment. The reporting of water use to state agencies and water districts is now the norm instead of the exception across most of the United States. Treesdale Golf and Country Club now has records of the annual consumption dating back to 2001. This data, in conjunction with precipitation records, allows them to measure their success and enables them to be in a much stronger position when they are faced with similar challenges in the future. Please, read the case study to learn more about this important issue.

This is the final introduction I will be writing as your host for Green Links. I have gained a great deal of awareness in just how many wonderful success stories we have to tell regarding our role in environmental stewardship. Golf course superintendents play a very significant role in the success of the golf facilities around the country. Perhaps the most vital aspect of that success is our leadership in stewardship and the conservation of our natural resources. The GCSAA and The Environmental Institute for Golf are remarkable resources for information related to all aspects of environmental management and I am proud to have had the opportunity to work closely with our management team that is very dedicated and passionate about our industry. But perhaps the most important resource is you, the members of GCSAA, each of you have great stories to share and I encourage each of you to take the time to do that.

Anthony Williams CGCS, golf course superintendent at Marriott’s Stone Mountain Golf Club in Georgia, will be stepping in to fill my role as host beginning in 2009. Anthony has proven himself to be a terrific leader in the environmental community. Anthony is a three time recipient of the GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental leaders in Golf Award and is in the select company of only 35 people to have completed all six specialized certification programs of the GCSAA Environmental Management Program.

December's Guest:
	Jim Sluiter, Staff Ecologist 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 initial record-keeping and documentation employed by the golf course staff was invaluable and these efforts 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 within the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. Treesdale joined the program in 1995 and was certified as a Cooperative Sanctuary in 2002.

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

The real success of these efforts lies in the knowledge gleaned during these dry years in Pennsylvania. Undoubtedly, droughts will occur again at Treesdale and the records, metrics and documentation compiled during the 2001 and 2002 seasons are now a template to be followed in years of similar conditions. This initial work ‘up front’ has vastly improved staff efficiency and now allows the golf course staff to focus greater time on continuing to grow strong and healthy turf that is more tolerant of stress conditions posed by environmental or human impacts.