‘Green’ Greens
March 1, 2009
In a voluntary, pro-active approach to water conservation
and environmental stewardship, the Barona Creek Golf Club, located adjacent to
the Barona Resort & Casino in Lakeside, Calif. east of San
Diego, announced an ambitious turf reduction project
that will lower irrigation and maintenance needs to enhance its conservation of
natural resources.
Don King, Barona
Creek’s executive director of golf operations, says the project will eliminate
alternate tee boxes and convert 10 to 12 acres of out-of-play turf to waste
bunkers or more natural landscape. These measures will address several
important environmental issues ranging from reduced fuel and energy consumption
to the use of fewer fertilizers and chemicals used for maintenance.
“Barona’s commitment to protecting and
preserving the environment has always been at the forefront of the golf
industry, and moving forward with this turf reduction initiative our goal is to
further reduce our carbon footprint,” he says.
The multi-phased project also calls for
limiting over-seeding to tees and roughs, lowering maintenance requirements by
an additional 10 to 15 percent.
King adds, “What makes this program even
more important, especially in a dry, drought-prone region like San Diego, is
the water savings that could run as high as 100 percent in those turf areas
that will be eliminated or returned to native plantings.”
In the face of continued drought
conditions in the Desert Southwest, governments in California, Arizona and
Nevada are requesting voluntary water use restrictions and limited acreage
requirements on new construction and new golf course developments. The
Barona Band of Mission Indians is addressing the issue with an innovative and
proactive approach that could result in a new trend for the golf industry.
“The Barona Tribe has made a legacy
commitment to preserving the natural resources on our reservation,” said Edwin
“Thorpe” Romero, chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians. “It is
our hope that the innovative environmental practices we have implemented at the
Barona Creek Golf Club will serve as a model for the golf industry. And, as we
watch the global climate changes, we also feel a responsibility to our Tribal
members, the guests of our resort and our neighbors to do everything we can to
conserve all natural resources. ”
The PGA TOUR has also acknowledged
Barona Creek for its conservation efforts.
“Barona Creek Golf Club should be applauded
for taking a very proactive approach in their turf reduction plans,” said Cal
Roth, Senior Vice President of Agronomy for the PGA TOUR.
“Golf courses throughout the world need to look at their environmental issues
and plan accordingly to ensure their courses meet their maintenance and
conditioning goals. It is very admirable how Barona Creek has become a leader
in improving both their sustainable landscape and carbon dioxide footprint.”
According to Sandy Clark, the club’s
golf course superintendent, Barona Creek already is leading the industry in
water conservation with its advanced water reclamation plant, computerized
irrigation system, sophisticated weather monitoring program and sustainable
landscape plan.
“This turf reduction plan will further
reduce our water usage,” says Clark. “These
water-saving innovations at Barona Creek are about more than self-preservation.
They are also helping the environment and hopefully influencing the golf
community-at-large.”
The upshot for golfers, continued Clark,
is that the golf course will remain open during the turf reduction and
reseeding process and when completed in late spring, will result in even better
course playing quality with enhanced natural surroundings.
“Being more environmentally friendly
and aesthetically appealing are not mutually exclusive terms. We will
still be green and gorgeous,” says Clark who was awarded the 2004 Environmental
Leader of the Year by the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America
and Golf Digest Magazine.
Opened in 2001, the championship-caliber
course was originally designed by Todd Eckenrode of Gary Roger Baird Design
International. Eckenrode now leads all design for Origins Golf Design and
provided assistance for Barona’s turf reduction project.
Located adjacent to the Barona Resort
& Casino, Barona Creek is a 7,448-yard par 72 golf course with more than
100 multi-fingered bunkers and a series of lakes and ponds connected to the
area’s naturally fed streams. The course offers multiple sets of tees to
accommodate players of all abilities. It features more than 170 mature
native oak trees transplanted from other regions of the Barona Indian
Reservation.
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