In recognition of their commitment to environmental stewardship, The Marvel Golf Club in Benton, Ky., and its Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Class A golf course superintendent, Christopher S. Gray, have been named the overall winner of the 2007 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards (ELGA).
Gray and The Marvel Golf Club will be featured in an upcoming issue of Golf Digest magazine and the February issue of GCSAA’s Golf Course Management magazine. Syngenta Professional Products and Rain Bird Corp. - Golf Division are the presenting partners of the award.
Judges selected winners in three national categories (public, private and resort courses), and two international co-winners, with an overall winner being selected from those five. Additional recognition was given to the top entry from each GCSAA affiliated chapter, and merit honors were awarded to those who did not earn national or chapter honors, but deserved special recognition in the opinion of the judges.
The national winners include (facility, location, chapter):
- National Public & Overall: Christopher S. Gray Sr., The Marvel Golf Club, Benton, Ky., Quad State Turfgrass Association
- National Private: Richard T. Lawrence, CGCS, TPC Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh, N.C., Carolinas GCSA
National Resort: Jonathan W. Moulton, Old Greenwood Golf Course, Truckee, Calif., Sierra Nevada GCSA
International (tie):
- Mark J. Dinan, Valle del Sol Golf Course, Santa Ana, San Jose, Costa Rica
- Jay M. Miller, Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Golf course superintendents and their courses that have been named national, chapter or merit winners will be formally recognized at the GCSAA Education Conference (Jan. 28-Feb. 2) and Golf Industry Show (Jan. 31-Feb. 2) in Orlando. In addition, program sponsors will make donations to The Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA, in the names of all national and chapter winners.
"This year's winners are to be commended for their commitment to environmental stewardship," said GCSAA President Ricky D. Heine, CGCS. "They, along with their facilities, have demonstrated that golf courses can be compatible with the environment - and in many cases enhance it."
"Golf Digest has been an active participant in generating discussion regarding golf and its relationship with the environment, dating back 11 years ago to the Golf and the Environment Initiative," said Roger Schiffman, managing editor of Golf Digest. "We are pleased to share the good story that golf is indeed achieving positive results.”
Gray, a nine-year GCSAA member, becomes the first two-time overall winner in the seven years that the award has declared an overall winner (the national awards have been presented since 1993). A GCSAA Class A member and the director of golf course operations at The Marvel Golf Club, he previously won the 2003 national public and overall ELGA at Lost Marsh of Hammond Golf Course in Hammond, Ind. Gray also earned ELGA chapter awards in 2002 at Lost Marsh and at Marvel Golf Club last year. Marvel's golf course irrigation pond is fed by waste water created from the 513 homes in the surrounding subdivision that utilize individual aerobic sewage treatment systems, as well as harvested storm water from the streets through a system of lift stations. The diesel turf equipment is powered by vegetable oil and used fryer oil, while the maintenance shop is heated during the winter by an oil burner that burns recycled oil from equipment. Click here for more on Gray and The Marvel Golf Club.
Lawrence, a 16-year GCSAA member, employs an as-needed irrigation philosophy with no set schedule combined with an on-site weather station and a weather sentry service to make decisions on when and how much water to apply. Click here for more on Lawrence and TPC Wakefield Plantation.
Moulton, a two-year GCSAA member, worked with Joel Blaker, CGCS, director of agronomy for Tahoe Mountain Club (which Old Greenwood Golf Course is a part of), to earn Gold Signature Golf Course certification from Audubon International. Click here for more on Moulton and Old Greenwood Golf Course.
Dinan, a 10-year GCSAA member, came to Costa Rica in 1997 during the construction of Valle del Sol Golf Course as the grow-in superintendent and stayed on as the superintendente de golf. Click here for more on Dinan and Valle del Sol Golf Course.
Miller, an 11-year GCSAA member, has earned certification from Audubon International at Four Seasons Golf Club and a Costa Rican Blue Flag award for his work cleaning up two beaches. Click here for more on Miller and Four Seasons Golf Club.
An independent panel of judges representing national environmental groups, turfgrass experts, university research and members of the golf community conducted the award selection.
The Environmental Leaders in Golf Award recognizes golf course superintendents and their courses for overall course management excellence in the areas of resource conservation, water quality management, integrated pest management, wildlife/habitat management and education/outreach. In addition, these categories are judged on sustainability, criticality, originality and technology implementation/use.
In addition to the national winners, nine chapter winners as well as nine merit winners were selected from GCSAA’s 101 affiliated chapters.
2007 ELGA chapter winners
Public facilities (facility, location, chapter)
Robb R. Arnold, TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La., Louisiana-Mississippi GCSA
D. Cord Ozment, CGCS, Callippe Preserve Golf Course, Pleasanton, Calif., GCSA of Northern California
David C. Phipps, Stone Creek Golf Club, Oregon City, Ore., Oregon GCSA
Private Facilities (facility, location, chapter)
Michael W. Cornette, Golf Club at Gray's Crossing, Truckee Calif., Sierra Nevada GCSA
Thomas M. DeGrandi, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn., Connecticut GCSA
Michael Powers, CGCS, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn., Minnesota GCSA
Roger A. Stewart Jr., CGCS, TPC Jasna Polana, Princeton, N.J., GCSA of New Jersey
Resort Facilities (facility, location, chapter)
Pam S. Brown, Keystone Ranch Golf Course, Keystone, Colo., Rocky Mountain GCSA
Fred W. Klauk Jr., TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., North Florida GCSA
2007 ELGA Merit winners
Public facilities (facility, location, chapter)
Paul F. Grogan, CGCS, TPC Deere Run, East Moline, Ill., Iowa GCSA
Jason M. Kubel, TPC Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay, Fla., Florida West Coast GCSA
Timothy P. Powers, CGCS, Crystal Springs Golf Course, Burlingame Calif., GCSA of Northern California
Private Facilities (facility, location, chapter)
Michael D. Crawford, CGCS, TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Ga., Georgia GCSA
David R. Dettmer, CGCS, TPC Piper Glen, Charlotte, N.C., Carolinas GCSA
Dale L. Hahn, CGCS, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev., Southern Nevada GCSA
John M. Kulka, TPC Michigan, Dearborn, Mich., Greater Detroit GCSA
Charles B. Robertson IV, CGCS, TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas, North Texas GCSA
Russell C. Vandehey, CGCS, Oregon Golf Club, West Linn, Ore., Oregon GCSA