GCSAA names President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship winner
The board of directors of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) has named Peter McDonough, superintendent at Keswick (Va.) Hall and Golf Club, the recipient of the 2016 President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship.
McDonough will officially receive the award Tuesday, Feb. 9, during the Opening Session of the 2016 Golf Industry Show in San Diego.
Established in 1991, the GCSAA President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship recognizes “an exceptional environmental contribution to the game of golf; a contribution that further exemplifies the golf course superintendent’s image as a steward of the land,” according to the GCSAA.
“Peter’s work is a positive example for all superintendents,” says GCSAA President John O’Keefe, CGCS. “Through his impactful environmental stewardship and collaborative work with legislators, he demonstrates how golf courses can be healthy environments through professional management. We are pleased to honor him for his accomplishments.”
“I am honored and flattered by the award, especially because it is given by my peers,” says McDonough. “The award represents the best of everything we should be doing as superintendents, and this is an honor for everyone involved in what we are doing in Virginia.”
McDonough has served as president of the Old Dominion GCSA and the Virginia GCSA, and he is one of the founding members of the Virginia Golf Council to serve his region on environmental issues. He was awarded VGCSA President’s Lifetime Service Award in 2001, and in 2003 he earned that association’s Distinguished Service Award.
McDonough served as chair of the VGCSA Government Relations Committee when severe drought conditions hit the state in 2002. Since then, he has worked directly with the governor’s office, the Department of Environmental Quality and other state legislators to adopt practical policies for water conservation and water management. For his efforts he was awarded the association’s Excellence in Government Relations Award in 2008.
In 2011, McDonough was responsible for the publication of a handbook of best management practices for Virginia golf courses, showing superintendents how to efficiently manage natural resources with a commitment to environmental stewardship.
McDonough has been with the 18-hole Keswick Club for 24 years and was heavily involved in the recent Pete Dye renovation. Through his work, the club has been recognized as an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary every year since 2002. In the last several years alone, the club has added 25 acres of environmental protective buffer zones adjacent to its streams and ponds, and converted 25 acres of turfgrass to low maintenance natural vegetation to save costs and provide wildlife habitats.
McDonough also participates in the GCSAA grassroots ambassador program designed to match a superintendent member with a local member of congress for improved advocacy on behalf of the golf industry.
“I want to be doing everything for the right reasons,” he says. “It’s about sharing our natural resources and using what we have been given in a responsible manner. We want people to know what we are doing for the environment through having a voice at the table with policymakers. Golf has a lot to offer.”