Top City Officials Face Tough Decision on their Golf Course

Dear Community Golf Fan

I would like to welcome you to Reading the Green; a four times a year, golf related brief, that focuses on the viability of municipal, county, and park district golf courses in Montana. Staples Golf Resource Group is a design and development consultancy that has served communities like yours for the past 12 years.

The purpose of our communication is to afford you an informed perspective in the areas of Resource Management, Trends in the Industry, and Creative Usage for Golf Facilities. Cities that are looking to make their courses more viable through master planning, renovation projects, and irrigation improvements have found our perspectives helpful.
Water Availability

Recent droughts in many states have put golf courses under extra scrutiny for their water usage. A new article from the GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America) however, points out that water usage on courses can be extremely efficient, but only if the course superintendent is paying attention to modern best practices;

"New grass varieties that require less water or that can be irrigated with lower-quality water, new irrigation technologies, the use of alternative water sources, improved course design concepts, irrigation technologies and educational efforts are all being employed to improve stewardship of water resources."

It's important to know where the golf course's resource usage lies, and then determine how it can be improved. While many course are in fact operating responsibly, many still need to be thoroughly assessed.

Anaconda, Montana- A great view of the Old Works Golf Course.
Trends on Resource Management

Here is a flier from the ASGCA (American Society of Golf Course Architects) on turf grass reduction and how it continues to be one of the primary ways golf courses are reducing their environmental footprint. Once the turf grass is reduced, natural grasses and plant life can be seen flourishing on their own in short order. This one improvement saves water, reduces maintenance time and costs, and allows for overall greater sustainability of the golf course.

Newly renovated Pinehurst No. 2, Hole 14. "Golf was meant to be played in nature—not in a pristine garden." Bill Coore, noted golf course architect.Creative Usage for Golf Facilities

What are you doing to market to non-golfers? Have you considered implementing a trail system? Click here for a close up map of the walking/ hiking trails around the 2015 US OPEN venue at Chambers Bay, Washington. Several Montana facilities are considering implementing a similar plan, which promotes healthy living in a resourceful way.

Walking trails line the golf course in Chambers Bay, WA.
Energy Efficiency Rebates

Utility companies in Montana are offering energy efficiency rebates. These money saving opportunities often go underutilized. Here's a great resource on Montana incentives for renewables and efficiency. What does your course qualify for?

For those of you in the NWE region, their Energy Efficiency Resources programs allow you to determine the efficiency of your usage, and consider options to optimize it. Is it possible there's equipment at your golf facilities that could be updated? For those of you in the BHP region, their Commercial Energy Efficiency program will help identify where savings are possible.

Many golf facilities around the state are missing out on thousands of dollars in energy savings.
We'd like to thank you for your time and encourage you to please reach-out if you have any feedback or questions for us.


Sincerely,

Andy Staples
Founder, President, Staples Golf Resource Group
ASGCA Associate