Supersized effort

A veteran Pennsylvania superintendent takes top ELGA honors for his green initiatives at sprawling Saucon Valley CC.

Terry Ostmeyer

Earning recognition for environmental stewardship at a private golf facility can be a tough nut to crack. Earning that recognition at a prestigious, multicourse, 90-year-old private club is tougher still.

GCSAA Class A superintendent James J. Roney Jr. has earned the acclaim both ways. Eight years ago, Roney was rewarded for his role in the creation of a rare Audubon Signature Sanctuary property, Sand Ridge Golf Club near Chardon, Ohio, with a chapter Environmental Steward Award. Then, this month at the Golf Industry Show in New Orleans, Roney will be hailed as the national overall winner of the 2008 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards for his achievement at a much more improbable venue, Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.

The accomplishments are as noteworthy as they are contrasting. Sand Ridge, in a remote piece of northeast Ohio, was built to please both the golfer and the environmentalist. Saucon Valley, established in 1920 and nurtured for several decades by Bethlehem Steel Corp., is like many equity clubs across the land — set in its ways in many ways.

Yet, Roney, a 15-year GCSAA member, found a bridge from one to the other. While no two golf courses are the same, the lessons learned at one more often than not weather well.

“I think that anytime you embark on environmental stewardship, you have to keep in mind that at the end of the day you’re responsible for the golf course, the conditioning and the sustainability. That’s what you’re judged on,” Roney says.

“I learned at Sand Ridge that there can be harmony, that you can make environmentally sound decisions and still manage championship conditions. But to do that, you have to have buy-in and understanding. You have to have the ability to educate the membership to take more of a proactive approach and get involved. That’s tough to do at any private club.”

The Saucon Sanctuary Committee — seen here assisting with fall planting chores — was established to educate the membership about the club’s environmental stewardship efforts and ensure that the property is maintained in an environmentally sound manner.

Rising tide

Roney was selected for the top prize from a group of 34 national and international entrants to the annual environmental award program, a number that marks a nearly 30 percent increase over last year’s participation numbers. Three others will join Roney on the medal stand in New Orleans:

Joel Blaker, CGCS at the Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, Calif., won in the national resort winner category.

David Phipps, the superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Course in Oregon City, Ore., is the winner in the national public category.

Macro-invertebrate sampling is one aspect of the environmental programs that receive support at Saucon Valley CC.

Robin Sadler, the superintendent at Silvertip Resort in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, topped the field in the international
category.

You can read more about these three winners in “A seasoned crew tops ELGA list” on Page 62.

The right track

Roney actually grew up in southwest Philadelphia about an hour from Saucon Valley. He began working on golf courses as a teenager and was a college intern at Merion Golf Club. After graduating from Delaware Valley College in agronomy and environmental science in 1996, Roney headed west to Ohio to be an assistant under John Zimmers in the construction and grow-in of Sand Ridge.

Sand Ridge was indeed a project to learn from. Golf course architect Tom Fazio had the rigorous task of routing the 18-hole layout through a 350-acre parcel of land that included 180 acres of wetlands and the headwaters of the Cuyahoga and Chagrin rivers. The average annual snowfall and rainfall in the locale was 130 inches and 47 inches,
respectively.

“It was extremely difficult,” Roney says. “It took almost two years to build the golf course because of all the weather, environmental conditions, permitting and routing changes.”

When Sand Ridge opened in 1998, it was just the 10th Audubon Signature Sanctuary. A year later, Zimmers moved on to Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club (where he would prep for the 2007 U.S. Open) and Roney was promoted to head superintendent.

Eventually, Roney and his wife, Aimee, yearned for the urban Pennsylvania area where they were high school classmates — familiar surroundings and family. In January 2005, he was hired as director of golf courses and grounds at Saucon Valley CC.

Water management has evolved into one of the strengths of SVCC, focusing on a program to control the creeks and runoff, as well as the consequences from old zinc mines on the grounds.

Pride and passion

One of the largest clubs in the country, Saucon Valley was little short of a cultural shock for Roney — three championship courses (Old Course, Grace and Weyhill) and a six-hole short course winding through nearly 850 acres, 1,000 members and the traditions and high standards that come with hosting five major USGA championships with the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open looming on the horizon.

Roney also faced challenges from an aging infrastructure and establishing his own management programs at a club that had seen just two head superintendents over the previous 37 years. Despite its overwhelming size and scope, however, the club was notably strong within, boasting a sense of pride and obligation to preserve its traditional values — especially in the wake of the demise of Bethlehem Steel about a half-dozen years ago.

“The big issue here — and similar to Sand Ridge — is that we have 60 holes on 800-plus acres and two water systems, Saucon Creek and Tumblebrook Creek, that flow through the property and another tributary downstream that enters the golf course. The club is at the lowest point with a lot of development around it. There’s a lot of runoff,” Roney says.

One of the first orders of business for Roney when he arrived at Saucon Valley was a major renovation of the Old Course, where this summer’s Women’s Open will be played. The oldest of the three championship layouts, it had extensive drainage issues, among other things.

Roney convinced the club to hire Tom Marzolf, who is Fazio’s senior design associate and who had also worked on the Sand Ridge project. Besides addressing the drainage problems, other major work included rebuilding bunkers and softening many of the greens contours. Roney also took advantage of the moment to launch a stream bank restoration and stabilization project on more than 1,700 linear feet of Saucon Creek, which is designated as a prime trout fishery.

Stewardship comes first

Water management has evolved into one of the strengths of SVCC, focusing on a program to control the creeks and runoff, as well as the consequences from old zinc mines on the grounds. Irrigation is drawn directly from Saucon Creek, and Roney is in the midst of a feasibility study to acquire effluent from a municipal treatment plant located just upstream from the club. The plant discharges 1.5 million gallons of secondary treated effluent each day into the creek.

“We see a lot of water enter our property, and it’s important to us to do our part so when the water leaves the property there is no source-point pollution,” Roney says, adding that the local township thus far has balked at the club’s efforts to acquire the reclaimed water.

“It would be a shame if the township doesn’t agree to it. But what the club is definitely doing anyway is preparing itself to take the effluent,” he adds, noting that plans are under way to build a 5-acre pond as a flood-control measure and to gain additional recharge from the wastewater treatment facility.

In the past few years, Roney has also spearheaded a number of conservation efforts at Saucon Valley, notably a club-wide recycling program. An Environmental Master Plan was instituted within the past year, and 20 acres of out-of-play space has been converted to naturalized, low-maintenance areas.

Roney’s agronomic program revolves around taking inventory of existing field conditions to balance soil deficiencies, the goal being to produce high-quality, healthy turfgrass. He also has recently partnered with Nutec Soil, a company that specializes in site-specific precision applications of raw fertilizers. He says the technology has provided optimum growth performance while protecting the ecosystem from a possible excess blanket application of fertilizers and has also saved the club more than $15,000 in the first year.

Teamwork

Most of all, though, Roney’s management programs have succeeded because he has assembled talented and loyal people within the maintenance staff, which includes 30 to 35 full-time workers and about 80 during the summer.

“I can’t walk 60 holes every day; you’ve got to have good people to help you scout and look after things,” he says, mentioning specifically his three top assistants: Tony Johnson and Matt Morrow, both of whom he recruited as interns at Sand Ridge and who followed him to Saucon Valley, and Ben Stover, who specializes in construction
projects.

The relationship-building goes beyond the golf course, as Roney learned many years ago from an early mentor, famed superintendent Paul R. Latshaw, and which was reaffirmed during his stint at Sand Ridge.

“I remember Paul saying to me, ‘You wear many hats, but your job is to garner support and make people understand why you have to do what you do,’ ” he says.

The same premise rings true at Saucon Valley, and in some ways Roney had a head start in that regard when he came on board four years ago. Already in place was the Saucon Sanctuary Committee, which was formed in 2002 when SVCC was first certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. The group, made up of members, selected staff and environmental professionals, is intended to educate the membership about the club’s environmental stewardship efforts and ensure that the property is maintained in an environmentally sound manner.

“I’ve taken that template and expanded on it,” says Roney, who, along with one of his assistants, Johnson, has a seat on the Saucon Sanctuary Committee.

Key membership role

The committee most recently became involved in wildlife and habitat preservation efforts at Saucon Valley by establishing a fund so members could support initiatives to protect and enhance wildlife habitat on the property. The enhancements include a 12-mile nature trail that features blue bird nesting sites, bat boxes and owl boxes.

One interesting, and highly publicized, project the committee supported involved staff assisting the Pennsylvania Game Commission in relocating wild turkeys that were overpopulating SVCC’s low-maintenance areas to a neighboring county whose wild turkey numbers had diminished.

“It is a major part of why I was confident in what I had to share in considering this award,” Roney says of the member support leading to his efforts in the ELGA program. “It’s difficult to compete with the newer courses, and it’s really a challenge for a golf facility that was built in a time when regulations weren’t what they are now. It’s all about bringing everyone together and building relationships. We don’t always have all the answers, but if we have the ability to find the answers, then I think that’s what we’re here to do.”

The top ELGA honor is testament to how far Roney and the others have led Saucon Valley in four short years. But, then again, stable, forthright leadership is nothing new at SVCC — the club has barely had a half-dozen presidents since 1920.

Roney says he marvels at that kind of steadfastness, as well as the solid backing from those whom he needs the most — the Saucon Sanctuary Committee, currently chaired by Michael Stout, and the club’s golf and greens committee, chaired by Andrew Warner.

“I’ve had the support and the belief of those committees and so many people,” Roney says. “That’s been very instrumental in what we’ve done. I’m so lucky to be here ... so little turnover in power, the agendas remain consistent, there’s continuity ... it’s all run so well.”

Terry Ostmeyer is the senior staff writer for GCM.

A seasoned crew
tops ELGA list

David Phipps, a nine-year Class A member of GCSAA, uses the Oregon GCSA Environmental Stewardship Program at Stone Creek GC in Oregon City.

Terry Ostmeyer

While environmental stewardship is generally considered more difficult to accomplish in the realm of private golf facilities in America, you wouldn’t know it when considering the 2008 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards.

Not only did a superintendent representing one of the nation’s most venerable country clubs — James J. Roney Jr. at Pennsylvania’s Saucon Valley CC — win the year’s overall ELGA, but 16 of the 34 entrants in the competition are superintendents at private clubs.

There is somewhat of a caveat there, however. Nine of the entrants from private facilities represent the PGA Tour’s Tournament Players Clubs, where superintendents are strongly encouraged to participate in the environmental awards program.

Overall, the 34 total entrants marks an increase of 10 over 2007, one of the biggest hikes in the history of the program.

Joining Roney in the spotlight at this month’s Golf Industry Show are the national resort winner, Joel Blaker, CGCS, of Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, Calif.; the public course winner, David Phipps of Stone Creek Golf Club in Oregon City, Ore.; and the winner in the international category, Robin Sadler of Silvertip Resort in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.

Both Blaker and Phipps have been on the verge of earning national ELGAs in recent years. Blaker, in fact, could be considered a two-time national winner now in many regards. He’s the director of agronomy at Tahoe Mountain Club, which includes Old Greenwood Golf Course, the 2007 national resort winner. Assistant superintendent Jonathan Moulton accepted that award, and one of his head superintendents, Mike Cornette at the Golf Club at Gray’s Crossing, also won a chapter ELGA last year. Blaker has also won chapter and merit ELGAs in the past.

Phipps won a merit award in 2004 and chapter honors in the following three years leading up to the 2008 national public. He also was instrumental in the Oregon GCSA winning GCSAA’s President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2005.

A dedicated environmentalist, David Phipps was instrumental in the Oregon GCSA winning the 2005 GCSAA President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship.

National Public
David Phipps
Stone Creek Golf Club

Perception is definitely the engine that drives environmental awareness at Stone Creek GC. The course hosts more than 60,000 rounds a year, and the volume of rounds is one of the greatest challenges for Phipps and his staff in attaining a high-quality experience amid environmental stewardship. For instance, golfers there have come to realize that a totally green golf course doesn’t necessarily lend itself to top playing conditions as the layout changes with the seasons.

Stone Creek comprises 165 acres, of which only 95 acres are irrigated. The front nine is open and has large native grass areas, while large native Douglas firs dominate the back nine. Since wildlife and habitat preservation is emphasized in the Pacific Northwest, native lands, streams, ponds and wetlands are encouraged to thrive at Stone Creek and provide important natural corridors throughout the property.

Agronomically, Phipps, a nine-year GCSAA member, uses the Oregon GCSA Environmental Stewardship Program, which features Best Management Practices, an IPM plan and water quality monitoring. The program promotes monitoring that requires identification of problems, identification of appropriate solutions and determination of the effectiveness of solutions over a period of time. An overall goal of maintenance is to use fewer pesticides and maximize the use of natural methods to control pests though disciplined and documented management practices. Phipps also teaches a class called “Golf Course Quality Lawns,” which focuses on the care and cultivation of lawns by using environmentally sustainable practices.

An Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, Stone Creek is known for its environmental stewardship efforts that go far beyond state and federal guidelines for the golf industry, and Phipps is dedicated to the education and promotion of the facility as a haven for wildlife and recreational enthusiasts alike.

Resource conservation is a standout feature at Tahoe Mountain Club, notably at its one-of-a-kind central maintenance facility that earned certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

National Resort
Joel Blaker, CGCS
Tahoe Mountain Club

Nestled in the natural beauty of the North Lake Tahoe area, the Tahoe Mountain Club has had a commitment to integrating environmental sustainability in the design, construction and operations of all its facilities since its inception in 1999. That commitment has included environmentally conscious practices applied to such entities as real estate development and operations, as well as the golf facilities.

For that reason above all, Blaker and TMC leadership decided to enter all three golf properties — Old Greenwood and Gray’s Crossing, both Audubon Gold Signature Sanctuaries, and Coyote Moon, a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary — as one in the 2008 ELGA competition. The three venues were created and are operated to achieve the highest standards of ecology and social responsibility, according to Blaker, a 20-year member of GCSAA.

The Tahoe Mountain Club features three courses — Old Greenwood (a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course), Gray’s Crossing and Coyote Moon. Joel Blaker (right), a 20-year GCSAA member, is the CGCS and director of agronomy at Tahoe Mountain Club. Left: No. 18 at Old Greenwood.

Resource conservation is a standout feature at the resort, notably at its one-of-a-kind central maintenance facility that two years ago earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and other club buildings are also seeking the designation. The maintenance facility was built using more than 10 percent of recycled materials, waterless urinals and touch-free faucets. The building is powered by renewable energy certificates.

A 252-acre parcel located between Old Greenwood and Gray’s Crossing was donated to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, with the stipulation that it never be developed and its trails remain open to the public. The land offers easy passage for wildlife in the area, including movement into massive wildlife corridors that run through the golf courses and the overall development.

Tahoe Mountain Club has a full-time natural resource manager who is in charge of all native, natural and open space areas on the resort property, as well as the maintenance and monitoring of all water sources. The manager’s main task, however, is running an environmental education and outreach program, which features the specific environmental characteristics of the Sierras and the management techniques of the developer and the superintendents.

Robin Sadler, superintendent at Silvertip G&CC, addresses wildlife and habitat concerns with staff and golfers daily. Below: No. 4 at Silvertip G&CC.

The diverse wildlife population at Silvertip G&CC — everything from deer to grizzly bears — is closely monitored. Portions of the course, and even the whole course, have been closed when safety is a concern.

International
Robin Sadler
Silvertip Resort

Located in the central Canadian Rocky Mountains just west of Calgary, Silvertip Golf & Country Club is perched in a highly environmentally sensitive area on the side of Mount Lady MacDonald adjoining Banff National Park. Varying microclimates present many cultural challenges in growing turf for a five-month season with high expectations for aesthetics and playing conditions.

Wildlife and habitat are atop Sadler’s stewardship program and are addressed daily. The course, which opened in 1998, was designed to accommodate and maintain wildlife corridors throughout the resort property, which is home to the likes of black bears, wolves, cougars, foxes, deer and occasionally its lone endangered species, the grizzly bear. Annually, staff and local biologists monitor the movement of wildlife through the property to evaluate the viability of the corridors. As for the interaction between animals and golfers, safety comes first and portions of the course, and even the whole course, have been closed when necessary.

Because of the wildlife corridors, numerous vegetative buffers, streams and wetlands, water and turf care management are a fixture at Silvertip G&CC. The course property is nearly 300 acres, but only 80 acres are maintained.

Education and outreach is another important program in such a sensitive ecosystem. Newsletter articles are directed toward residents and resort staff to educate them about environmental/wildlife issues and also issues on the golf course. Local media cover environmental efforts and achievements. Silvertip G&CC maintains membership in a local program for wildlife protection and safety and is included in a group of community organizations that promote environmental outreach activities.

A year ago, Silvertip was certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Sadler, who has been in golf course work for almost two decades, has been at the resort the past 12 years, including the last four years as superintendent. He is a five-year member of GCSAA.

— T.O.

2008 GCSAA/Golf Digest
Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

NATIONAL WINNERS
National Private & Overall
James J. Roney Jr.
Saucon Valley Country Club
Bethlehem, Pa.
Philadelphia GCSA

National Public
David Phipps
Stone Creek Golf Club
Oregon City, Ore.
Oregon GCSA

National Resort
Joel Blaker, CGCS
Tahoe Mountain Club
Truckee, Calif.
Sierra Nevada GCSA

International
Robin Sadler
Silvertip Resort
Canmore, Alberta, Canada

CHAPTER WINNERS
Public
Paul Grogan, CGCS
TPC Deere Run
East Moline, Ill.
Iowa GCSA

D. Cord Ozment, CGCS
Callippe Preserve Golf Course
San Ramon, Calif.
California GCSA

Jason Kubel
TPC Tampa Bay
Odessa, Fla.
Florida West Coast GCSA

Robert Makowski
Bird Creek Golf Club
Port Austin, Mich.
Michigan GCSA

Timothy Powers, CGCS
Crystal Springs Golf Course
Burlingame, Calif.
Northern California GCSA

Mark Krick, CGCS
The Homestead
Lakewood, Colo.
Rocky Mountain GCSA

Private
Jeffrey Burgoyne, CGCS
The Aerie at the Club at Twin Eagles
Lehigh Acres, Fla.
Southwest Florida GCSA

Dale Hahn, CGCS
TPC Summerlin
Las Vegas
Southern Nevada GCSA

Jim Thomas, CGCS
TPC Southwind
Memphis, Tenn.
Tennessee GCSA

Todd E. Bunte
TPC Jasna Polana
Princeton, N.J.
GCSA of New Jersey

Roger Stewart, CGCS
TPC Twin Cities
Blain, Minn.
Minnesota GCSA

R. Shane Wright
Vero Beach (Fla.)
Country Club
Treasure Coast GCSA

Resort
Christopher Flynn, CGCS
Marriott Grande Pines Golf Club
Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Central Florida GCSA

R. Jeff Plotts
TPC Scottsdale (Ariz.)
Cactus and Pine GCSA

MERIT WINNERS
Private
John Kulka
TPC Michigan
Dearborn, Mich.
Michigan GCSA

Michael Brower
Minnesota Valley
Country Club
Bloomington, Minn.
Minnesota GCSA

David Davies, CGCS
TPC San Francisco Bay at Stonebrae
Union City, Calif.
Northern California GCSA

Public
Gary Ingram, CGCS
Metropolitan Golf Links
Oakland, Calif.
Northern California GCSA

Resort
Chad Corp
The Legend
Bellaire, Mich.
Michigan GCSA

International
Rodney J. Mckeown
National Service Resort and Country Club
Singapore