Springs resort is “the first resort
development to offset its GHG
[greenhouse gas] emissions.”
Letting part of a course “go
native” costs us golfers nothing. Most
such areas are out of play, meaning
that the only real challenge is to get
used to the shaggier look. Some may
still prefer the manicured look
because it’s what they see in tournaments on television. But when you no
longer actively maintain a piece of
land, you produce another one of
those ripple effects of environmental
blessings: You use less water, less
fertilizer, less fuel for the mowers,
and fewer man hours. In short, you
save money.
Rossi concedes that’s all great.
Indeed, his advanced turfgrass class at
Cornell spent the spring term trying
to figure out what it would take to
design and maintain a carbon-neutral
golf course, one where the carbon
dioxide taken out of the air and
stored in the plants is greater than the
carbon expended in maintaining it.
There are a number of variables in
play, such as the number of trees and
their age, but Rossi’s early findings
seems to point to a ratio of something
like two unmaintained acres for every
maintained one.
Asked if he’d come across any
courses that might be carbon-neutral,
Rossi pointed to the coincidentally
named Green Course at Bethpage,
where he and Bethpage assistant
superintendent Andy Wilson have
been conducting an interesting
experiment since 2000. Using a grant
from the USGA’s Green Section,
they divided up the greens on the
course into groups of three and
began trying various applications
and treatment schedules. They’ve
learned, for starters, that it’s pretty
much impossible to grow good grass
with absolutely no chemicals, but
they are getting close. “Our expectations for the Green Course are for
greens that run 8. 5 on the Stimpme-ter, which is not Whippoorwill or
Winged Foot,” allows Rossi. “But
we feel that the Green Course represents 85 percent of what golf in
America should be.” One thing
they’ve found very promising is a seaweed extract called
Panacea that is beneficial
for heat-stressed grass.
Partly it’s a response
to developments that
have made our MGA
superintendents feel a bit
like fire wardens monitoring a wildfire that’s
racing in their direction.
Phosphates have been completely
banned by some towns in Canada,
Suffolk County has banned them
from November to April, and
Westchester County seems to be contemplating the same policy. Rather
than get caught off guard, Rossi and
Wilson are trying to figure out how
they’d cope were they to face similar
restrictions.
What Ballyowen and other clubs
have done by restoring acres to the
wild is impressive. But as Rossi points
out, other parts of a course need our
environmental focus. “Down the
middle,” he says, meaning tees, fairways, and especially greens, “is where
it is difficult for superintendents to
change, environmentally, because of
member expectations.”
“Let’s not talk about how it
looks,” Rossi says. “How do
you want it to play? Make
decisions on playability,
and you become more
environmentally responsible.”
Poll Results from mgagolf.org
Poll taken May 5-19, 2008 Yes
Would you be willing to see your
home course have a less manicured
look in exchange for a reduction
in pesticide usage?
No
53% 47%
SUNSATIONAL
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