ASGCA names 2022 Environmental Excellence Awards recipients

By |  November 8, 2022 0 Comments

The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) announced the recipients of its 2022 Environmental Excellence Awards. The awards recognize projects that address unique environmental challenges.

A panel of golf industry and environmental leaders reviewed the submissions, including representatives of the GEO Foundation, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA).

The recognized courses are:

Brookline (Mass.) Golf Course – Mark Mungeam, ASGCA
The challenges were to increase community use of the golf course site, lower the use of fossil fuels and enhance the natural environment while improving course conditions. Mungeam achieved this with improved drainage, the addition of walk paths and native areas and the addition of solar-powered robotic mowers.

Columbia Golf Course, Minneapolis, Minn. – Kevin Norby, ASGCA
This project served to reduce urban flooding and nutrient runoff and improve ecological function while improving turf quality, playability and maintenance. The project included the construction of a new large-capacity storm sewer system consisting of an infiltration pond and three hydrodynamic separators.

Como Golf Course, St. Paul, Minn. – Kevin Norby, ASGCA
To reduce phosphorus runoff and other pollutants from entering Lake Como, Norby reconstructed two holes to aid in the installation of two new stormwater basins and a large infiltration system designed to capture and clean 11 million gallons of runoff from surrounding roads, parking areas and paths. Construction of infiltration systems also directly benefited the golf course by improving surface drainage and allowing for the installation of new irrigation, regrassing of fairways and rough, cart path construction and introduction of new forward tees.

Las Piedras, Punta del Este, Uruguay – Thad Layton, ASGCA
Due to the site’s ecological diversity, the planning process included a commitment to environmental preservation and design restraint. Construction occurred on less than 10 percent of the overall site area, building only greens, tees and bunkers. Wetlands and drainage areas were kept intact, providing uninterrupted corridors for wildlife to enter and exit the site.

Union League National Golf Club, Swainton, N.J. – Dana Fry, ASGCA, and Jason Straka, ASGCA
A complete redo of the 27-hole club included creating large, expansive lakes and wetlands and working closely with conservationists and naturalists. In the end, more than one million native shrubs, grasses, dozens of wetland plant varieties and trees were brought in from nurseries, conservation seed providers and area farms.



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