GreenGolfUSA releases Versions 1.0 of its IPM plan tool and the BMP Generator

GreenGolfUSA has announced the availability of Versions 1.0 of its IPM
Plan development tool and the BMP Generator that help golf course superintendents create operational and environmental stewardship documentation for golf courses. EnviroLogic Resources, Inc., a Portland, Oregon, consulting firm with a long list of golf-course clients, launched www.GreenGolfUSA.com to help the golf industry in its efforts to go green.

“We have worked hard to create a set of web-based tools that are useful and easy for golf course superintendents and turf managers to use. With the release of Version 1.0 of both our tools, the key foundation documents for any environmental stewardship program are only a mouse click away. The information entered by the superintendent at the website makes these documents directly applicable to their properties,” according to GreenGolfUSA and EnviroLogic Resources President Tom Calabrese. The site offers free interactive planning tools, as well as resources to explore environmental stewardship information, he said.

The key features of the site are the GreenGolfUSA Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tool and Best Management Practices (BMP) Generator, which were developed based on environmental stewardship guidelines prepared for the Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association (OGCSA) by EnviroLogic Resources. The IPM tool also draws on other information sources, such as the City of Portland’s Parks Department Pest Management Policy, which complies with the federal Endangered Species Act.

“Golf courses are at the forefront of the environmental stewardship movement and they provide facilities that serve the needs of golfers while creating habitats that are friendly to wildlife and protective of water resources,” Calabrese said. “These web-based tools will make it easier, faster, and less expensive for turf managers to create and maintain a plan,” he said. To use the GreenGolfUSA tools, a superintendent enters data about a golf course – from the acres of turf maintained to the types of fungal, weed, and insect pests present – and the tools turn out complete plans. “We hope by making this a free service, moren superintendents will document the environmental stewardship efforts at their golf course,” Calabrese added.

In addition to the IPM planning tool, the GreenGolfUSA site includes a regularly updated list of electronic resources, such as current turfgrass research, regulatory updates, and a linkto download Stewardship Guidelines that have been developed by several agencies in the US.

www.GreenGolfUSA.com is sponsor-supported. For further information on the site or toadvertise, contact Calabrese at GreenGolfUSA, LLC.