The Alabama Golf Course Superintendents Association led the development of statewide best-management practices in 10 key areas, including maintenance operations, surface water management, nutrient management, integrated pest management and pollinator protection.
The work of the Alabama Golf Course Superintendents Association has resulted in the publication of “BMP for the Continued Enhancement of Environmental Quality of Alabama Golf Courses.”
The Alabama BMPs were developed in part by using the BMP Planning Guide and Template created by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and funded and supported by the USGA.
The Alabama GCSA received a $10,000 BMP grant that GCSAA funded through the association’s Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG) in part by the PGA Tour. The BMP grant program provides funding through the EIFG to chapters for developing new guides, updating existing guides or for verification programs. GCSAA’s goal is to have all 50 states offer established BMPs by the end of 2020.
The BMPs provide guidance in 10 key areas including maintenance operations, surface water management, nutrient management, integrated pest management and pollinator protection.
Johnny Perry, Superintendent at Bent Brook Golf Course in Bessemer, Ala., and President of Alabama GCSA, is part of the BMP steering committee.
“As a golf course superintendent, no one is more aware of the impact that we have on the environment, not only on the golf course but on the surrounding areas as well,” Perry said. “We all take great care to create an environmentally friendly place for golfers, workers, and wildlife to enjoy. We want to ensure the safety of our players and our personnel while creating habitats for the wildlife around us. We consider ourselves stewards of the environment while taking great pride in our work.”
In addition to Perry, other GCSAA members who helped develop the Alabama BMPs include Larry Arnold, Superintendent at Cider Ridge Golf Club in Oxford, Ala.; Travis Cook, Assistant Superintendent at the Country Club of Birmingham (Ala.); Lee Fillingim, Superintendent at Anniston (Ala.) Country Club; Neal Wisdom, Superintendent at Pine Tree Country Club in Leeds, Ala.; and Ron Wright, Certified Golf Course Superintendent (CGCS) and GCSAA’s Southeast regional field representative.
To read “BMP for the Continued Enhancement of Environmental Quality of Alabama Golf Courses” and to learn more about GCSAA’s BMP program, visit www.gcsaa.org/bmp.
Club + Resort Business has been covering the ongoing publishing of BMPs, including California and North Dakota, Nevada, Colorado, and Hawai’I and Delaware.
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