Golf’s message falls on familiar ears

A tour of Hoover Dam that was part of the WaterSmart Innovations Conference gave attendees an up-close look at the dramatic drop in the water level on Lake Mead. Photo by Scott Hollister

Scott Hollister

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt of content posted on GCM’s blog, From the Desk of GCM, during the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in October. To read the full report, visit http://gcm.typepad.com/gcm/
2008/10/spreading-golfs.html.

Joellen Lampman looked out from behind the podium at the front of a half-empty conference room and lamented the low turnout for her presentation at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.

“It’s a really good presentation, too,” she said with a smile, getting a few laughs from the 20 or so folks who were in attendance to hear Audubon International’s program manager for its Cooperative Sanctuary Programs talk about water quality and conservation programs for golf courses.

And she wasn’t blowing smoke. The program was good, comprehensive in its explanation of AI’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses and the benefits many golf courses receive from participating, and thorough in highlighting a few facilities that have spread the good word about their environmental work far beyond the boundaries of their golf course.

Unfortunately, Lampman’s message was delivered largely to members of the choir. Those in the room either worked in golf or worked with golf and already knew of the leadership roles that superintendents have taken in areas of water conservation, efficiency and quality. Those who would most benefit from those lessons largely stayed away from this session, as well as the handful of other sessions that put golf in the forefront.

Why they stayed away was one of the burning questions I tried to answer in my final day at this conference. Among an attendee list packed with officials from municipal water districts and manufacturers of water conservation products for the home, I wanted to find out whether experts in the field recognized just how many good things golf is doing when it comes to water issues specifically and environmental issues in general.

The good news is most of the folks I talked to do view golf as a leader in the world of water. They know about the hundreds of acres of naturalized areas on golf courses that have helped slash water consumption, the high-tech equipment used in modern golf course irrigation systems and the proactive steps superintendents have taken during times of drought to make sure they’re doing the right things for both their communities and their golf courses.

But I walked away from those conversations wondering if golf had become a victim of its own successes, if it had been relegated to a supporting role at this conference and around this topic because leaders in the field knew that superintendents would, by and large, do the right thing regardless of whether they were in the spotlight or not, thus freeing up those leaders to direct attention toward groups that might not do the right thing.

It does make some sense, especially for resource-starved agencies that need results and need them now from business and homeowners still coming to grips with a growing water crisis. But at the same time, it also quiets an important voice that could aid those efforts, an educated group of professionals who can speak from a position of experience and help teach those business and homeowners how they, too, can make the best and most efficient use of their water resources.

Scott Hollister is the editor of GCM.