Golfweek's recent climate issue

[PThomas]

kudos to Brad and the rest of Golfweek for their Nov 24 issue...I think GW now does the best job of covering environmental issues of the major golf magazines

i think its great how GW brought up both sides of environmental issues...for example, on page 51 of the "environmental minefield" article, the quote they ran from Ms. Stockman of the Ohio Valley Env. Coalition:" What we're opposed to is the idea of how they're trotting out a couple of places where they've actually attempted to do something versus the hundreds of thousands of acres they've left as biological deserts."

Another from their fine editorial on page 83:" Indeed , one of the most important gains in sound management would be a move away from overseeding dormant Bermudagrass with winter rye - a change that makes particular sense in the drought-stricken Southeast.  Meanwhile, roughs can and should be held to even less stringent standards- they are, after all, "rough", with all  that implies about the uncrtainity and inconsistency of playing conditions."

Brad makes some great points in his article on page 45.  For example, "What does need to happen is that courses must have more maintenance flexibility built in, including more naturalized rough and less dependence upon high nitrate, high phophate inputs .  To some golfers, the shift from lush dense green turf to a more varied surface is a problem.  But for a growing generation of smart managers , that's the better path to sustaionable ecology and sound business."

I hope GW keeps addressing such issues in the future.

[Brad Klein]

Thanks, Paul. We were very glad to get the cover on that 12-page special section. There's a serious case to be made for environmentalism. While some might argue that it's a liberal agenda, it also happens to be perfectly consistent with the emphasis upon firm, fast naturalism in golf architecture/maintenance. Among other things we call for the USGA, PGA Tour and LPGA Tour to adopt more eco-friendly polices towards course set ups. We also argue for scruffier rough and a move away from overseeding dormant Bermuda with ryegrass in the winter.

[John Kirk]

Just bumping this back to the top...

I only had half an hour to breeze through this issue, but I enjoyed it very much as well.  I'm very keen on agronomy and environmental issues.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Brad,

It may be a liberal agenda, but I believe that environmentalism will accelerate via the good old conservative free market route - it will make economic sense some day, with "some day" coming sooner for some than others.

[Ryan Farrow]

A few thought after I finally got around to reading this guy last night. The article on reclaimed water was excellent and answered a lot of the questions I had regarding the infrastructure needed to get it to the course and some of the turf issues facing its use......and thats all i have for now, gotta go to work. Props to Brad Klein for bringing up these issues. Its about time.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Brad I too thought the articles were well presented and justified their positions.
Now who will be the first to encourage change by the real leader in this silly "must-green-everywhere" theme--Augusta National?
If they make a change, many will follow, yes?

[John Mayhugh]

Brad I too thought the articles were well presented and justified their positions.
Now who will be the first to encourage change by the real leader in this silly "must-green-everywhere" theme--Augusta National?
If they make a change, many will follow, yes?

An interesting question. I wouldn't really expect Augusta to take the lead, but it might have a big impact if they did.  Even if you get rid of the environmental arguments entirely, how much money could be saved by less of the "must green everywhere" approach?

[Phil Benedict]

The all-green all the time look is so embedded in the ANGC brand that they will never change it voluntarily.

[Geoffrey Childs]

I'd also like to congratulate the Golfweek team and Brad for a really excellent series that had a real scientific basis for fact and a responsible position.

[Mike_Cirba]

Golfweek has an issue with the recent climate?!?!

That's funny...so do I!   I haven't been able to get out and play since early November and after yesterday's snowfall I'm looking hosed again for this weekend!  


Seriously folks, the issue should be must-reading for greens committees throughout the country.   If this is a liberal agenda, then call me a liberal.

[Geoffrey Childs]

Seriously folks, the issue should be must-reading for greens committees throughout the country.   If this is a liberal agenda, then call me a liberal.

Mike

You're a LIBERAL

[Mike_Cirba]

Mike
You're a LIBERAL

Hahahaha...    

It's funny, because my conservative friends think I'm a socialist, and my liberal friends think I'm a libertarian!  

It's nice to be able to piss off everyone.    

[Mark Smolens]

Well Mike, as my Dad used to tell me when I got angry at myself on the golf course, "it's better to be pissed off than pissed on. . . "

[paul cowley]

Thanks, Paul. We were very glad to get the cover on that 12-page special section. There's a serious case to be made for environmentalism. While some might argue that it's a liberal agenda, it also happens to be perfectly consistent with the emphasis upon firm, fast naturalism in golf architecture/maintenance. Among other things we call for the USGA, PGA Tour and LPGA Tour to adopt more eco-friendly polices towards course set ups. We also argue for scruffier rough and a move away from overseeding dormant Bermuda with ryegrass in the winter.

Brad....a good article and we [Love Golf Design] want to move in similar directions.

In addition I am working on the project side developing 'green' conservation communities...some of which have golf as a component amenity.

I much prefer to focus on what to do if indeed the sky is really falling.....and it can't hurt even if the sky stays in place.

[Geoffrey Childs]

Paul

It's good news indeed IMHO when the architects and their firms begin to take environmentally sound positions regarding their business strategies and methods.

I'd be curious as to what you and the Love Group and other individuals and firms here can and are doing and thinking on projects relative to the developers.  Aren't the developers the "boss" in fact and don't you have to plan a project relative to their wishes?  Hopefully there can be some education from both sides.  I think this is a real opportunity but I wonder as you do whether the sky needs to fall (as seems to be the case with our enery policies) before this thinking becomes more common place.

[Pat Brockwell]

Brad, Good work!  Are good playing conditions liberal or conservative? I've always though that using less water, less fertilizer, less pesticide and less money to maintain my course was conservative.  The last seven years has made me think that conservative has nothing to do with conservation.  Am I OT?

[Troy Alderson]

May I suggest that everyone check out the following links.  Great stuff.

http://www.co2science.org

http://www.lomborg.com

I am encouraged by the back-to-basics golf that this "movement" may create.  But...

Troy

[Ryan Farrow]

What was the deal with the RTJII article? I am still not sure what it was all about. I was really looking forward to it after seeing that advertisement on the page before proclaiming their green design. I guess I wanted to hear what they were doing different. I don't think they really answered that.  


What kind of sway do golf course architects really have when it comes to this matter? Do any architects out there really care about protecting wildlife corridors or filtering chemical runoff through created wetlands, drainage swales, anything? What have you guys out there done? Just curious, we've been getting hit hard with this kind of stuff at school. Mostly storm drainage, water retention/storage and wildlife protection.

[Bill Gayne]

I don't know about global climate change as the cause but there's been a big time storm in west Clare.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/coastline-battered-by-giant-waves-1235121.html

[Tony Ristola]

Was it a "Climate" issue or a Enviro-golf management issue?

I don't believe in man-made climate change, and don't have access to the GW publication. Is the title accurate?

I do support the idea of the management practices discussed here, but it also requires more than one magazine nailing the subject one time. Want a change, all golf media has to start singing.

For instance, will courses suffer in best of lists with scruffy rough (which I would guess some do)? Brown splotches in the fairway. If so, can anyone expect this to be a future trend?

In Germany, I recall the Golf Digest of their country reviewing a project I'd done. They hit it in mid summer during a heat wave; the course does not have and hopefully will never have fairway irrigation. So the course was a patchwork of green and brown when they visited. What did they write in the magazine? The course lacked fairway irrigation and this was seen as a negative. Never mind the course was designed with firm and fast conditions in mind; wide fairways, greens with some form of opening at the front (on most every hole). Had they hit the project at any time except for those 6 weeks they would have never noticed the lack of irrigation, and may have marveled at the firmness of the ground in early spring, late fall or even during the winter. This type of review isn't going to endear any manager towards more sensitive maintenance practices.

ANGC or the PGA Tour won't set the way forward, and to make a giant change like this will take these bodies to play along.

At one project in Europe the owner is an unabashed lover of hard and fast conditions. He's a bit of a contrarian (which I like)... loves brown and finds C&C's potato field architecture at Friar's "awful" (I disagree with him on this one). He's told people the course will be a mix of brown and greens in the summer. Some visitors, fed a diet of Japanese garden green, are both surprised and have found his vision a little odd. Only time will tell if he'll be able to stick to the concept. My guess is he will, but it will require education of potential members and guests.

[Dan Herrmann]

Brad,

It may be a liberal agenda, but I believe that environmentalism will accelerate via the good old conservative free market route - it will make economic sense some day, with "some day" coming sooner for some than others.

Jeff - you're so right.  I work for a Fortune 15 company, and we're now buying only wind-generated electricity in the USA and offsetting our carbon footprint via reforestation.

And believe me - my company is ALL about profit.  They see that it's the right thing to do from a social responsibility and a shareholder responsibility POV.


---------------------------
Does anybody have OLD color photographs of ANGC - From the late 30's?  I wonder how green it was back then.

This could be something the USGA gets its teeth into - be a leader instead of a follower.  I hope they take note.

[Dan Herrmann]

Brad I too thought the articles were well presented and justified their positions.
Now who will be the first to encourage change by the real leader in this silly "must-green-everywhere" theme--Augusta National?
If they make a change, many will follow, yes?

Hoylake, 2006, did a great job, no?