New Environmental Partnership Tees Off at Area Golf Courses
(10/16/03)
Golf Fore SA Offers Opportunities for Courses to Partner with Community
Golf Fore SA — a new program sponsored by San Antonio Water System — teed off today at Golf Club of Texas at Briggs Ranch. Golf Fore SA is the first program of its kind to help golf courses develop conservation- and community-oriented practices and provide certification for their achievement.
While golf courses in San Antonio occupy 5,450 acres —almost as much as the 6,373 acres operated by the San Antonio Parks & Recreation Dept. — most San Antonians don’t consider them as open areas that benefit the community. The high level of interest and concern regarding water conservation and protection, and protection of wildlife habitat has created an opening to engage the golfing and non-golfing community in a program that positively addresses these issues.
Golf Fore SA provides an opportunity for golf courses to certify their performance in the areas of water conservation, water quality, wildlife habitat and open space, and community outreach. Each level of achievement includes progressively challenging criteria for performance in these areas. In turn SAWS will certify golf courses participating in the program. The highest level of achievement in the program is a 'Double Eagle Course.'
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| SAWS President/CEO Gene Habiger kicks off the new Golf Fore SA conservation program with a ceremonial putt at Briggs Ranch. | There is no other comparable program in the country promoting this kind of cooperative partnership for conservation and wildlife preservation. Golf Fore SA has already received national attention, including presentation at the American Water Resources Association International Watershed Congress.
Gene Habiger, SAWS President and CEO noted, "The Golf Industry is stepping up to the plate to take a leadership role in water conservation. They are going even further, however, with Golf Fore SA Environmental Program. They are stating that they are willing to assess themselves as purveyors of community services, open spaces, and water quality.
"Some golf courses in the San Antonio area are setting new standards for how they operate from an environmental standpoint. The people that manage these golf courses, the golf course superintendents, don't get enough credit for their efficient use of water, fertilizer, and the way they manage open space. Golf Fore SA gives them an opportunity to be recognized for their performance."
Three golf course organizations signed up for the launch of the Golf Fore SA on October 16: Golf Clubs of Texas, Hyatt Hill Country Resort, and the City of San Antonio.
Before Briggs Ranch — owned by the Golf Clubs of Texas — started development of their site, biologists inventoried the natural wildflowers that grew in the area. Then when the course was developed, they worked with a seed company to produce a customized seed mix to duplicate the natural flora.
Hyatt Hill Country Resort includes an extraordinary nature trail on its course and has made good use of its non-playing areas to supply wildlife habitat.
The City of San Antonio’s golf courses are transferring over to recycled water use to irrigate courses and have excellent youth outreach programs.
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