Protecting water resources and providing top-notch course conditions go hand-in-hand at Warrenbrook Golf Course in Warren Township, N.J.
As one of five championship golf courses operated by the Somerset County (N.J.) Park Commission, Warrenbrook Golf Course, in Warren Township, N.J., is used to collaborating with its fellow properties to provide recreational opportunities—and top-notch course conditions—for local residents. And, like the other county courses, Warrenbrook has also joined forces with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA) to participate in its River Friendly Golf Course Program and help to protect local waterways.
Warrenbrook will be the last of the county’s courses to complete the River Friendly certification process, which staff members hope to achieve by the end of the year.
“It’s just the right thing to do. We wanted to take part in it, and there’s no additional cost to the county. Water is a hot topic in our industry,” says Certified Golf Course Superintendent Darrell Marcinek, Director of Golf Maintenance for the Park Commission.
Golf Scorecard Warrenbrook Golf Course Location: Warren Township, N.J. |
Somerset County’s Quail Brook Golf Course was certified in 2008, followed by Neshanic Valley Golf Course in 2009. The county’s Spooky Brook and Green Knoll golf courses achieved certification last year.
While the county’s other courses reached River Friendly status in a couple of years, Warrenbrook started the process about four years ago. During that time, notes Marcinek, the NJWSA tweaked the program, and Tammy Stephens came on board as Warrenbrook’s new Golf Course Superintendent. Stephens, who believes that premium course conditions and eco-friendly maintenance practices go hand-in-hand, was all-in on the quest to achieve River Friendly status from the start.
“We try to provide the best conditions possible for any golfer, but we’re committed to protecting the environment as a park commission as a whole,” Stephens says.
The adjustments to the NJWSA program have largely involved changes to its documentation requirements, and Marcinek says the Warrenbrook staff spent most of the winter documenting its progress.
“We’ll be the first golf course to be certified under the new program,” Stephens adds.
Going No-Mow
The Water Supply Authority has implemented River Friendly Programs for golf courses, businesses, schools and residents, to help them reduce the effects of nonpoint source pollution. To achieve certification, actions must be implemented in four areas—Water Quality Management, Water Conservation, Wildlife and Native Habitat Enhancement, and Education and Outreach. The program has 10 to 12 goals in each area for properties to reach and achieve River Friendly status, and the NJWSA sets goals for each participating golf course.
Consequently, the program is not a one-size-fits-all initiative. Participants receive recommendations that are tailored to their location, resources and needs. Golf courses receive guidance to help make their properties more protective of water resources, while maintaining high playing standards.
“A lot of our practices are the same among the five courses,” reports Marcinek. “Once the first course became certified it spilled over to the other courses, but it’s really course-specific.”
The biggest challenge for Warrenbrook, which already had a number of Best Management Practices in place, was its terrain. Nestled in the Watchung Mountains, the property differs from the county’s other courses because of its location. “We’re a very tight golf course, and we’re heavily tree-lined,” says Stephens.
As a result, Marcinek adds, “Our biggest challenge was to try and naturalize the areas in and among all of the trees. The golf course is more confined at Warrenbrook.”
Nevertheless, Warrenbrook has more than doubled its acreage of no-mow areas, particularly among the trees.
Superintendent Profile Tammy StephensEducation and Training: Bachelor of Science in Agronomy and Environmental Science, with a turf management track, from Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, Pa., 2004; continuing education through seminars and conferences throughout the year Years at Warrenbrook GC: 3 Years in Course Maintenance Business: 15 Previous Employment: Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent, Neshanic Valley Golf Course, Neshanic Station, N.J.; Assistant Superintendent, New Jersey National Golf Club, Basking Ridge, N.J.; various internships throughout college Certifications: N.J. State Commercial pesticide license Duties and Responsibilities: Manage day-to-day maintenance operations on the golf course and its turf care. Responsible for 18-hole golf course, clubhouse, and pool grounds. |
“Trying to mow between trees that are out of play didn’t make sense,” notes Stephens, who has now been at Warrenbrook for three years. “We have a small staff, so we need to work smart, not hard.”
Some of the no-mow zones have been allowed to go natural while the staff overseeded other areas with fescue, adding aesthetic value to the property.
“When the wind blows the fescue, it’s a beautiful thing,” notes Stephens. She also hopes to plant wildflowers in no-mow areas in the future.
“It enhances the beauty of the golf course,” Marcinek says of the naturalization of some areas. “Not everything on the golf course has to be perfectly manicured. It might be a challenge for errant golf shots, but the golfers and customers understand that. If it was [perfectly manicured], you wouldn’t have deer nestled down in some of these areas.”
The staff mows the natural areas once a year to get rid of invasive species, and Stephens stresses that the property incorporated the no-mow zones for environmental, not budgetary, reasons.
Nevertheless, the Park Commission has enjoyed financial benefits because of the naturalized zones, which cover about eight acres at Warrenbrook and about 50 acres among the five golf courses. Now that its golf course maintenance staffs no longer have to mow or fertilize these areas, the park commission has been able to save time, as well as labor and fuel costs. “At all five courses, we’ve saved thousands of dollars,” adds Marcinek.
In addition to mowing less frequently, the Warrenbrook staff has reduced its chemical and fertilizer applications by tracking them more closely, to help develop a better understanding of the course’s specific needs. The maintenance staff also tracks the amount of salt that it uses to melt ice during the winter.
Watered Down
Of course, water management is a major component of the River Friendly Program, and Warrenbrook GC has done its part to monitor its water usage more carefully.
“We don’t apply water as freely as in the past,” reports Stephens. “A lot more thought is going into water applications. We do more hand-watering and syringing with hoses.”
Warrenbrook extended its pond buffers, which are now no-spray, no-mow zones, to help with drainage and to meet water-quality requirements. The staff repaired irrigation leaks, and its increased hand watering has reduced its reliance on irrigation heads to meet water conservation standards. The property also is installing a wash-down recycling system for its golf course equipment, as part of its water conservation efforts.
“That caught the eye of the program,” states Marcinek. “The recycling system has been our personal goal for 10 years.”
In addition, Warrenbrook has rain barrels on site to conserve water, and the horticulture department uses rain from the barrels to water plants around the clubhouse and pool. Other actions include the addition of signage, which was crafted in-house at a county facility, to highlight the importance of the native areas, and the installation of bluebird and bat boxes.
The signs—one each on the front and back nines—explain to golfers why the no-mow areas are in place (see photo and caption, pg. 40). After all, reports Stephens, “The biggest change that golfers see is the non-mowing areas.” The course also has education materials available in the pro shop.
The property’s bluebird and goldfinch populations, as well as that of other wildlife, has surged in recent years as well. Other animals and birds to be found at Warrenbrook include deer, foxes, coyotes, hawks, muskrats, minks, mallard ducks, blue herons, and egrets.
Working Together
Just as the golfers at Park Commission properties have come to co-exist peacefully with nature, Marcinek and his golf course superintendents work closely together as well. “I’m the consultant and coordinator, but we give our superintendents everything they need to do their jobs well,” explains Marcinek. “If anything is needed for the program, we discuss it.”
Course & Grounds Profile Warrenbrook Golf Course Annual C&G Budget: About $450,000 |
He stays in daily contact with Stephens and his other superintendents, and the superintendents from the various Park Commission golf courses also rely on each other for assistance or advice. “I have four other superintendents and assistants that I can talk to. You have these resources at your fingertips,” Stephens reveals. “I really feel that with these five golf courses in the Park Commission, we are a team.”
Her colleagues have helped her with River Friendly implementation as well. For instance, she has checked with other golf course superintendents to see how they monitor their bird boxes and how frequently they see birds on their properties.
The superintendents not only support each other for the River Friendly Program, they have the backing of other county officials and local property owners. Marcinek gives reports and updates about the program at monthly Park Commission meetings, and he has been invited to speak about the program at educational seminars held by local associations. In addition, Eagle Scouts have helped with duck box construction.
The relationship between the NJWSA and Somerset County park personnel has also been a close one throughout the process. “They came out and drove around and set goals with each superintendent,” says Marcinek. “We’ve met with them in meetings. There has been a lot of correspondence back and forth, and we’ve had a handful of visits each year. We’re there when they need us, and they’re there when we need them.”
High Visibility
With 200,000 rounds of golf annually at all five courses—about 30,000 at Warrenbrook—the properties and their personnel also are highly visible in the community. “We’re out there every day. We’re approached a lot,” Marcinek says. “There are blue and white signs on the courses that say ‘River Friendly,’ and it’s intriguing to the people who play there.”
Warrenbrook is situated among farmland in western New Jersey, but Marcinek is well aware of the water-guzzling reputation that golf courses have acquired. However, he explains, “Golf courses do not use the majority of irrigation water in the country. They use about two percent of all irrigation water that is used daily in the United States.”
Because of the public’s perception about golf course water usage, Marcinek believes that golf operations should take a leading role in their communities when it comes to water issues. “With the pressure that we’re under, we should do anything we can do to be at the forefront,” he adds.
And the River Friendly Program is an ideal way to show the community how serious the properties are about water management, he believes.
“It protects the waterways, which is the basis of the whole program. It’s positive for the community,” says Marcinek. “It’s infectious. Golf courses in surrounding counties are now involved in the program. It saves us money, which saves the county and the taxpayers money.”
Stephens says golfers’ reaction to the program has been positive.
“They’re surprised at what we’re doing and what’s involved,” she reports. “They’ll say, ‘Can you tell me more about it?’ It opens people’s eyes that we’re trying to promote the environment, not harm it.”
The River Friendly Program, in fact, has helped the Warrenbrook staff encourage golfers to try some sustainable practices at home. For example, notes Stephens, they can get a rain barrel, put up bird boxes, or recycle materials.
“Our golf course is surrounded by a lot of houses,” says Stephens. “When our neighbors see us taking pride and doing all of these things, the word will spread. This isn’t just a golf course. We care about the community.”
Learning Curve
Although Warrenbrook already had many eco-friendly maintenance practices in place before it became involved in the River Friendly Program, the superintendents nevertheless have undergone a learning curve during the process.
“As a superintendent, my focus was on the turf, but one of our goals was to plant indigenous and native plants to New Jersey,” says Marcinek, who is originally from Massachusetts. “I had to learn about perennials and small shrubs that are native and that will attract butterflies. I have a new appreciation for everything outside of turf.”
He also had to learn to communicate better, so he can point out the highlights of the program to customers and golfers.
Stephens has learned a thing or two as well. “I learned more about my crew and the guys I work with and what we can achieve as a team,” she reveals. “They really took to it, and they’re excited about it. They seem to take ownership in the program and have shown a sense of pride.”
She also hopes that Warrenbrook’s River Friendly achievement will lead to certifications in other environmental initiatives, such as the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and Groundwater Guardian.
“This is just the beginning,” she says.
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