The Preserve Golf Club is preserving

The Preserve Golf Club in Vancleave, Mississippi, functions with environmentalism at the forefront. The facility was designed specifically to protect the land and habitats both on the course and around the property. Because of its sustainable practices, the 18-hole Jerry Pate-designed course earned the Audubon International status of a Certified Silver Signature Sanctuary. 

Opened in 2006, the course is built on a sandy hill bluff overlooking the Mississippi Gulf Coastal Plains. Cared for by superintendent Jeremy Stevens, the grounds hold a wide range of biodiversity among wetlands and native grass. 

When general manager Stephen Miles,CGCS, first visited the property, the plant life and vegetation captured his attention. Miles joined the club as the grow-in superintendent. “There were all these beautiful flowers that I had never seen before,” he says.

Longleaf pines and pitcher plant bogs are found across the property. Pitcher plant bogs are unique, highly diverse habitat systems found in the southeastern United States. These bogs are frequently home to carnivorous plants that trap insects for food. “It rivals the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest,” Miles says. “Two to three different carnivorous plants are on our site, and they shoot up neat flowers."

The Preserve is surrounded by land owned by The Nature Conservancy, and the club works hand in hand with the non-profit. “It’s been a good partnership,” Miles says. “We’ve watched them and learned from them.” 

One technique learned from The Nature Conservancy is prescribed burning. Wildfires are a natural occurrence in North America and, when suppressed, brush can build up, creating even more of a fire hazard. The brush can also cover and bury unique wildlife. Controlled burns are a common practice to prevent areas from becoming major fire hazards. The Preserve does them often, protecting the land as much as possible, and Stevens is a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager.

Another major focus of the club is water protection. Miles says 99 percent of water used on the course is going through vegetative filtration, such as a wetland, before entering a body of water. “Wetlands are Mother Nature's filtration system,” Miles adds. 

The course is also home to many different animals and birds. Large eastern diamondback rattlesnakes have been spotted on the property. “You ought to see them,” Miles says.

Coyotes, bald eagles, bobcats and sandhill cranes occasionally make a visit. And once, Miles says, he even spotted a Florida panther. “The guys tell me that I’m crazy, but I saw it in the middle of the cart path 45 minutes after dawn,” Miles says with a laugh. “He looked like a lion, and I haven’t seen one in a long time.”