Propane Council approves $929K for golf demos

A slide from the PERC power point displaying the locations of the eight courses that will be outfitted with propane-fueled mowers. Image courtesy: PERC

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is making more headlines in the golf industry. Following this week’s announcement that they will be partnering with Audubon International, the organization has now approved a major investment to get more propane-fueled mowers on golf courses around the nation.

At this week’s PERC meeting in Santa Fe, N.M., the council approved a $929,976 funding request titled “Propane Powered Golf and Turf Equipment Demonstration Program.” R&R Products is the principal contractor, with Audubon International, Marriott Golf and Billy Casper Golf as project partners.

The project aims to:
• Demonstrate propane equipment capability and reliability at eight highly recognizable golf courses nationwide.
• Develop a business case model for economics and reduced emissions.
• Capitalize on well-known brands to further the propane messaging across golf, hospitality and commercial mowing markets.

R&R will place four pieces of its propane-fueled mowing equipment at each golf site for 12 months. The sites are:

• Marriott Golf’s Desert Springs Golf Club in Palm Springs, Calif., and Falcon’s Fire Golf Club in Kissimmee, Fla.
• Billy Casper Golf’s Reston National in Reston, Va., and George W. Dunne National in Oak Forest, Ill.
• Omni International’s Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C.
• Willows Run Golf Course in Redmond, Wash.
• City of Columbus, Ohio, and City of Overland Park, Kan.

With the equipment, the selected courses will see reduced fuel costs, reduced emissions and an improved environmental image, according to PERC. $814,975 of the allocated funds will go towards equipment, while $115,000 is earmarked for communications and public relations.

Look for more details on this story as they emerge.

North Coast Media’s Brian Richesson, editor-in-chief of LP Gas Magazine, contributed to this report.