The Golf Digest award will be given to the nine-hole golf course, which is 100% solar-powered. The former cherry farm was up for sale at a sheriff’s auction four years ago when Bill Collins bought and developed it, installing 200 solar panels to power the clubhouse, irrigation and wells, and even charge the golf carts.
Northport (Mich.) Creek Golf Course, the first course in the country to be built 100% solar-powered, is being honored with the Golf Digest 2015 Green Star award, the Traverse City, Mich.-based WPBN reported.
The idea for the golf course first formed 4 years ago, when the land was a former cherry farm up for sale at a sheriff’s auction, WPBN reported.
“We had a golf course here years ago that brought in a lot of business to the village and when it closed the village went down a little bit,” said president of Northport Creek Golf Course, Bill Collins, who bought and developed the property.
Collins said he saw the golf course as a way to get the town moving again, to be a part of Northport’s comeback, WPBN reported.
“And when this piece of property came up for sale at a sheriff’s auction I looked at it and said maybe we could build a golf course here and get more people coming back into Northport,” said Collins.
The 63-acre course has more than 200 solar panels that all together power the clubhouse, irrigation and wells, and even charge the electric golf carts, WPBN reported.
“So it’s using the energy off the grid that we are supplying to the grid,” said Golf Director for the course, Chris McCann.
When asked what the electric bill would be, he held up a zero sign with his hand. McMann says the energy they over-produce in the summer Consumers Energy buys back or credits to them for the winter months, WPBN reported.
“The idea that the energy that were creating is going right back into the grid and being used by the houses that are right across the street or neighboring the golf course I think that’s what’s really neat,” said McMann.
The main goal when creating the course a few years ago was to give back to the community of Northport, WPBN reported.
When asked why even do all of this, Collins’ response was simple. “It just seemed like the right thing to do,” Collins said.
Collins donated the course, the buildings, and all the maintenance equipment back to the Village of Northport in November of last year. He still owns the management company and the solar panels, and gives 5 percent of the course’s revenue to village monthly, WPBN reported.
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