Golf Inc - February 2008 - (Page 48)

Keepers of the green Environmentally friendly operators, superintendents lead the way when it comes to changing traditional industy practices By Rebecca Larsen The golf industry for many years has been plagued with a reputation that its practices leave a negative footprint on the land. But an increasing number of golf course developers, operators and superintendents are incorporating sound environmental practices as part of their everyday routines. These men and women are proving that golf courses really can be compatible with the environment. Here are profiles of a few individuals who are winning recognition for their efforts at environmental management. had to be stewards of the environment, using grasses that were disease-and drought-resistant so we could limit fertilizer and pesticide use,” he said. Gourlay was picked as general manager after a nationwide search. A Canadian with an agronomy degree from Texas A&M, he’s certified as both a general manager and superintendent. “I’ve always been involved with environmental issues, and my father was a greens superintendent in Toronto,” Gourlay said. He worked previously in Canada, including at Eagle Creek in Ottawa, and also owned a soil testing laboratory in Canada for 20 years. “We helped determine what would be the right soil so greens would have a good infill rate,” he said. “The objective was to create the ideal medium so that the greens wouldn’t need to be treated all the time.” He’s enthusiastic about how Colbert Hills was laid out, including providing buffer zones around ponds and channels for wildlife to travel around the course “so they don’t feel trapped.” 48 Golf Inc. February 2008 sustainable development DON EWOLDT former superintendent and director of maintenance operations Sand Creek Country Club Chesterton, Ind. Ewoldt, who currently works as a environmental consultant specializing in wetlands restoration, attributes his interest in the environment to his childhood growing up on a farm in Iowa. His grandfather was a greenskeeper, but Ewoldt — who studied agronomy at Iowa tate University — worked as a farmer until the age of 35. After switching careers, he supervised building of courses in Iowa and Texas and then got his job at Sand Creek. “I started right away with Audubon International after reading about it in 1993,” he said. “One of the first things we did was 3,000 feet of stream restoration on the course.” Various native areas were taken out DAVID GOURLAY general manager Colbert Hills Golf Club Manhattan, Kansas Built in 2001 by the Kansas State University Research and Management Foundation, Colbert Hills is a “living laboratory,” according to Gourley. Because the course serves as a teaching tool for the turf management program at the university, “It was determined that we

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Golf Inc - February 2008

Golf Inc - February 2008 Contents Our Commitment to the Environment Industry Executives Tout Golf’s Economic Clout New Openings Fall Again in 2007 DeLozier Leaves Pulte to Join Consulting Firm Doak to Design Costa Rica Resort Course 18 Holes, 18 Designers for Unique Club India Course Charts Expansion Plans A Severe Slump in the U.S. Housing Market is Expected to Cut Golf Course Development Panama Course Rescued from Jungle How a Golf Course Helped a Devastated Kansas Community Recover from Tragic Tornado Devastation Can a $68 Million Muni Be a Good Investment? Brent Wadsworth’s Passion for the Game European Management Companies Find Increasingly Fertile Ground as More and More Course Owners Look for Professional Operators The Final Word: Keeping in Touch

Golf Inc - February 2008

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