BROOKFIELD, Wis. (Jan. 7, 2020) – The first American Society of Golf Course Architects Environmental Excellence Awards honorees have been named. Projects from seven courses have been cited for their work with ASGCA members in addressing unique environmental challenges. The program is presented by Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply.
The Environmental Excellence Awards program was introduced to recognize the innovative work being done at golf facilities to address the needs of the environment, where golf course architects work with course owners and operators to make a positive impact on the game and the host community.
The 2019 submissions were reviewed by a panel of golf industry and environmental leaders, including representatives of Audubon International, GEO Foundation, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and National Golf Course Owners Association,
The recognized courses are:
- City Park Golf Course, Denver/Todd Schoeder, ASGCA
- Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne, Key Biscayne, Florida/John Sanford, ASGCA
- Los Robles Greens Golf Course, Thousand Oaks, California/Jason Straka, ASGCA
- Roosevelt Golf Course, Los Angeles/Forrest Richardson, ASGCA
- The Preserve at Oak Meadows, Addison, Illinois/Greg Martin, ASGCA
- The Refuge Golf Course, Flowood, Mississippi/Nathan Crace, ASGCA
- Willow Oaks Country Club, Richmond, Virginia/Lester George, ASGCA
“The response to this program in its first year has been tremendous,” ASGCA President Jan Bel Jan said. “Congratulations to each of these facilities and the golf course architects for their work in improving the environmental landscape, helping golf facilities become more sustainable and profitable. And special thanks to Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply for their support.”
- City Park Golf Course, Denver – Todd Schoeder, ASGCA
Can the redesign of a historic 1913 golf course in an urban environment address major neighborhood flooding issues while simultaneously enhancing the character of the golf course? The challenge was met in one of the last open spaces in Denver to detain and treat stormwater, then release it within eight hours to keep the course playable. - Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne, Key Biscayne, Florida – John Sanford, ASGCA
Miami-Dade County Parks Department, in an effort to reduce its water consumption, initiated the project with Sanford Golf Design, who has been working over the past year to develop a Conceptual Plan that reduces the golf course’s irrigated turf area. The project’s design goals were to improve playing conditions in the tidally influenced areas, reduce irrigation water consumption and maintain the visual aesthetics of the golf course. - Los Robles Greens Golf Course, Thousand Oaks, California – Jason Straka, ASGCA
The city charged the design team at Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design with providing a playable, fun and visually stunning golf course that would reduce water usage by about 25 percent and reduce the required fertilizer, pesticides and fossil fuels to dramatically improve the golf course’s environmental footprint. - Roosevelt Golf Course, Los Angeles – Forrest Richardson, ASGCA
The challenge was to convert the irrigation source from potable to recycled water, and simultaneously make improvements to a 9-hole golf course within Los Angeles’s historic Griffith Park. The project took more than a decade of planning and permitting, eventually benefiting the environment by conserving water, restoring natural habitat and integrating the golf course with the natural environment.
- The Preserve at Oak Meadows, Addison, Illinois – Greg Martin, ASGCA
Planning, design and permitting was coordinated with 19 separate agencies as 27 holes were converted to 18 while improving golf conditions, relieving downstream and on-course flooding, providing environmental benefit, improving water and habitat quality and providing connectivity to other Preserve properties within the Salt Creek corridor. - The Refuge Golf Course, Flowood, Mississippi – Nathan Crace, ASGCA
Built in 1998, the course struggled to keep holes open after heavy rains, and the aging irrigation system was inefficient. Holes were crowded by invasive tree species causing loss of turf and soil loss from erosion. A full course renovation was put in place to remedy these and other issues. - Willow Oaks Country Club, Richmond, Virginia – Lester George, ASGCA
Willow Oaks borders the James River, and every time the waters in the James rose, half the course flooded due to lack of water flow control into and out of the course. Newly created flood channels alleviate flooding and effectively manages the flow of water.
ASGCA Background
Founded in 1946 by Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones and 12 other leading architects, the American Society of Golf Course Architects is a non-profit organization comprised of experienced golf course designers located throughout the United States and Canada. Members have completed a rigorous two-year long application process that includes the peer review of four representative golf courses. ASGCA members are experienced golf course architects, able to counsel in all aspects of golf course design and remodeling and comprise many of the great talents throughout the golf industry.
