Planning, Design and Construction

The construction phase of any industry’s infrastructure poses the greatest risk of ecosystem alteration. With proper planning and design, golf facilities can be constructed and maintained with minimal impact to existing wildlife and their habitat. Furthermore, facilities should be designed and constructed to maximize energy efficiency.

Regulatory Issues

Local and state regulations may be in place in your location. Early engagement among developers, designers, local community groups, and permitting agencies is essential to designing and constructing a golf facility that minimizes environmental impact and meets the approval process.

Planning

Principles

Proper planning will minimize expenses resulting from unforeseen construction requirements. Good planning provides opportunities to maximize/integrate environmentally favorable characteristics into the property. This often requires the involvement of golf course architects, golf course superintendents, civil engineers, soil scientists, agronomists, irrigation designers, ecologists, etc.

Best Management Practices

• Assemble a qualified team
  • Golf course architect
  • Golf course superintendent
  • Clubhouse architect
  • Irrigation engineer
  • Environmental engineer
  • Energy analyst
  • Economic consultant
  • Civil engineer
  • Soil scientist
  • Geologist
  • Golf course builder
  • Legal team
• Determine objectives
• Complete a feasibility study

• • Are needs feasible given existing resources?
  • Financial
  • Environmental
  • Water
  • Energy
  • Labor
  • Materials
  • Governmental regulatory requirements/restrictions

• Select an appropriate site that is capable of achieving the needs of stakeholders.
• Identify strengths and weakness of the selected site.
• Identify any rare, protected, endangered, or threatened plant or animal species on the site.

Design

Principles

Proper design will meet the needs of the stakeholders, protect the locations environmental resources, and be economically sustainable.

Best Management Practices

• Retain a qualified golf course superintendent/project manager at the beginning of the design and construction process to integrate sustainable maintenance practices in the development, maintenance, and operation of the course.
• Design the course to minimize the need to alter or remove existing native landscapes. The routing should identify the areas that provide opportunities for restoration.
• Design the course to retain as much natural vegetation as possible. Where appropriate, consider enhancing existing vegetation through the supplemental planting of native vegetation/materials next to long fairways, out-of-play areas, and along water sources supporting fish and other water-dependent species.
• Design out-of-play areas to retain or restore existing native vegetation where possible. Nuisance, invasive, and exotic plants should be removed and replaced with native species that are adapted to that particular site.
• Greens
  • Select a location that has adequate sunlight to meet plant specific needs and provides sufficient drainage.
  • Choose a green size and sufficient number of hole locations that is large enough to accommodate traffic and play damage, but not so large that it is not sustainable with your resources.
  • Select an appropriate root-zone material as designated by the USGA.
  • Consider the number of bunkers as it relates to resources available for daily maintenance.
  • Greens should be irrigated separately from surrounding turf.
  • Select a turf species/variety that meets the needs of the stakeholders while adhering to the principle of “right plant, right place.”
• Plant only certified turfgrass.
• Design proper drainage in bunkers.
• Consider bunker entry and exit points. Consider wear patterns and create adequate space for ingress/egress points on greens, tees, fairways, and bunkers.
• Select the proper color, size, and shape of bunker sand that meets your needs.
• Define play and non-play maintenance boundaries.

Construction

Principles

Construction should be completed with care to minimize environmental impact and financial ramifications caused by poor construction techniques.

Best Management Practices

• Conduct a pre-construction conference with stakeholders.
• Construction should be scheduled to maximize turfgrass establishment and site drainage.
• Use environmentally sound construction techniques.
• Use soil stabilization techniques to minimize soil erosion and maximize sediment containment.
• Maintain a construction progress report and communicate the report to the proper permitting agencies.
• Use only qualified contractors who are experienced in the special requirements of golf course construction.
• Schedule construction and turf establishment to allow for the most efficient progress of the work, while optimizing environmental conservation and resource management.
• Temporary construction compounds should be built in a way that minimizes environmental impacts.

Grow-In

Principles

Turfgrass establishment is a unique phase in turfgrass growth, which can require greater quantities of water and nutrients than established turfgrasses. To this end, the establishment phase should be considered carefully to minimize environmental risk.

Best Management Practices

• The area to be established should be properly prepared and cleared of pests (weeds, pathogens, etc.).
• Ensure erosion and sediment control devices are in place and properly maintained.
• Sprigs should be “knifed-in” and rolled to hasten root establishment.
• Sod should be topdressed to fill in the gaps between sod pieces. This hastens establishment and provides a smoother surface.
• Use appropriate seeding methods for your conditions. When using sod, nutrient applications should be delayed until sod has sufficiently rooted.
• When using sprigs, application rates for nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium should correspond to percent ground cover (i.e., increasing rate as ground coverage increases.)
• Slow-release nitrogen or light, frequent soluble-nitrogen sources should be used during grow-in.
• Nutrients should be applied — in either foliar or granular formulations — to the turf surface. Incorporating nutrients into the root zone does not result in more rapid establishment and increases environmental risk.
• Mow as soon as the sod has knitted-down, when sprigs have rooted at the second to third internode, and seedlings have reached a height of one-third greater than intended height-of-cut. This will hasten establishment.

Erosion and Sediment Control

Principles

• Soil carried by wind and water erosion transports contaminants with it. Contaminants can dislodge, especially on entering water bodies, where they can cause pollution.
• Erosion and sediment control is a critical component of construction and grow-in of a golf course.

Best Management Practices

• Develop a working knowledge of erosion and sediment control management. Each state has its own specifications including types of acceptable structures, materials, and design features.
• Develop and implement strategies to effectively control sediment, minimize the loss of topsoil, protect water resources, and reduce disruption to wildlife, plant species, and designed environmental resource areas.
• Hydro-seeding or hydro-mulching offer soil stabilization.

Wetlands

Principles

• Most states consider wetlands as “waters of the state,” a designation that carries significant legal ramifications. Furthermore, permitting requirements for wetlands can have multiple overlapping jurisdictions of federal, state, and local agencies. At the federal level alone, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), EPA, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and maritime agencies may all be involved.
• Wetlands act both as filters for pollutant removal and as nurseries for many species of birds, insects, fish, and other aquatic organisms. The biological activity of plants, fish, animals, insects, and especially bacteria and fungi in a healthy, diverse wetland is the recycling factory of our ecosystem.
• When incorporated into a golf course design, wetlands should be maintained as preserves and separated from managed turf areas with native vegetation or structural buffers. Constructed or disturbed wetlands may need to be permitted to be an integral part of the stormwater management system.

Best Management Practices

• Ensure that proper permitting has been obtained before working on any wetlands.
• Ensure that wetlands have been properly delineated before working in and around any wetlands.

Drainage

Principles

• Adequate drainage is necessary for growing healthy grass.
• A high-quality BMP plan for drainage addresses the containment of runoff, adequate buffer zones, and filtration techniques in the design and construction process to achieve acceptable water quality.
• Drainage of the golf course features is only as good as the system’s integrity. Damaged, improperly installed, or poorly maintained drainage systems will result in inferior performance that negatively impacts play and increases risks to water quality.

Best Management Practices

• When constructing drainage systems, pay close attention to engineering details such as subsoil preparation, the placement of gravel, slopes, and backfilling.
• Internal golf course drains should not drain directly into an open waterbody, but should discharge through pretreatment zones and/or vegetative buffers to help remove nutrients and sediments.
• Drainage should discharge through proper drainage and stormwater management devices, for example, vegetative buffers, swales, etc.
• The drainage system should be routinely inspected to ensure proper function.

Surface Water: Stormwater, Ponds, Lakes

Principles

• Stormwater is the conveying force behind nonpoint source pollution.
• Controlling stormwater on a golf course is more than preventing the flooding of facilities and play areas. In addition to controlling the amount and rate of water leaving the course, stormwater control also involves storing irrigation water, controlling erosion and sediment, enhancing wildlife habitat, removing waterborne pollutants, and addressing aesthetic and playability concerns. Keep in mind that not all stormwater on a golf course originates there; some may be from adjoining lands, including residential or commercial developments.

Best Management Practices

• Stormwater treatment is best accomplished by a “treatment train” approach, in which water is conveyed from one treatment to another by conveyances that themselves contribute to the treatment.
• Eliminate or minimize as much directly connected impervious area (DCIA) as possible.
• Use vegetated swales to slow and infiltrate water and trap pollutants in the soil, where they can be naturally destroyed by soil organisms.
• Use depressed landscape islands in parking lots to catch, filter, and infiltrate water, instead of letting it run off. When hard rains occur, an elevated stormwater drain inlet allows the island to hold the treatment volume and settle out sediments, while allowing the overflow to drain away.
• Maximize the use of pervious pavements, such as brick or concrete pavers separated by sand and planted with grass. Special high-permeability concrete is available for cart paths or parking lots.
• Disconnect runoff from gutters and roof drains from impervious areas, so that it flows onto permeable areas that allow the water to infiltrate near the point of generation.

Maintenance Facilities

Principles

The maintenance facilities must incorporate BMP to minimize the potential for contamination of soil and water resources. The pesticide mixing and storage facility, the equipment wash pad, and the fuel center are focal points.

Best Management Practices

• Design and build pesticide storage structures to keep pesticides secure and isolated from the surrounding environment.
• Store pesticides in a roofed concrete or metal structure with a lockable door.
• Construct floors of seamless metal or concrete sealed with a chemical-resistant paint.
• Ensure that flow from floor drains does not discharge directly to the ground and that drains are not connected to the sanitary sewer line or septic system.
• Equip the floor with a continuous curb to retain spilled materials.
• Do not store pesticides near burning materials or hot work (welding, grinding), or in shop areas.
• Provide storage for personal protective equipment (PPE) where it is easily accessible in the event of an emergency, but do not store in the pesticide storage area.
• Provide adequate space and shelving to segregate herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.
• Use shelving made of plastic or reinforced metal. Keep metal shelving painted.
• Provide appropriate exhaust ventilation and an emergency wash area.
• Always place dry materials above liquids, never liquids above dry materials.
• Never place liquids above eye level.
• Locate operations well away from groundwater wells and areas where runoff may carry spilled pesticides into surface waterbodies.
• Do not build new facilities on potentially contaminated sites.
• An open building must have a roof with a substantial overhang (minimum 30° from vertical, 45° recommended) on all sides.
• In constructing a concrete mixing and loading pad, it is critical that the concrete have a water-to-cement ratio no higher than 0.45:1 by weight.
• The sump should be small and easily accessible for cleaning.
• Ensure that workers always use all personal protection equipment as required by the pesticide label and are provided appropriate training.
• Assess the level of training and supervision required by staff.
•  Any material that collects on the pad must be applied as a pesticide according to the label or disposed of as a (potentially hazardous) waste according to state laws and regulations.
• Clean up spills immediately!
• Always store nitrogen-based fertilizers separately from solvents, fuels, and pesticides, since many fertilizers are oxidants and can accelerate a fire. Ideally, fertilizer should be stored in a concrete building with a metal or other type of flame-resistant roof.
• Always store fertilizers in an area that is protected from rainfall. The storage of dry bulk materials on a concrete or asphalt pad may be acceptable if the pad is adequately protected from rainfall and from water flowing across the pad.
• Sweep up any spilled fertilizer immediately.
• Do not wash equipment unnecessarily.
• Clean equipment over an impervious area, and keep it swept clean.
• Brush or blow equipment with compressed air before, or instead of, washing.
• Use spring shutoff nozzles.
• Use a closed-loop recycling system for wash water.
• Recycle system filters and sludge should be treated and disposed appropriately.
• Each piece of equipment should have an assigned parking area. This allows oil or other fluid leaks to be easily spotted and attributed to a specific machine so that it can be repaired.
• Use solvent-recycling machines or water-based cleaning machines to cut down on the use of flammable and/or toxic solvents.
• Use a service to remove the old solvents and dispose of them properly.
• Design pesticide storage to keep pesticides secure and isolated from the environment.

External Certification Programs

Principles

• Golf-centric environmental management programs or environmental management systems can help golf courses protect the environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game.
• These programs help people enhance the natural areas and wildlife habitats that golf courses provide, improve efficiency, and minimize potentially harmful impacts of golf course operations.
• Golf courses can gain valuable recognition for their environmental education and certification efforts.

Best Management Practices

• Obtain and review materials to ascertain whether the facility should seek certification.
• Work with staff to establish facility goals that lead to certification.
• Establish goals to educate members about the certification program.

Wildlife Considerations

Principles

• Golf courses occupy large land areas, generally in urban areas, providing critical links between urban and rural/natural environments.
• Maintaining wildlife habitat on golf courses better maintains biological diversity, which is especially important in the urban environment.
• Most golfers enjoy observing non-threatening wildlife as they play the game.

Best Management Practices

• Identify the different types of habitat specific to the site.
• Identify the habitat requirements (food, water, cover, space) for identified wildlife species.
• Identify species on the site that are considered threatened or endangered by the federal or state government, including species the state deems “of special concern.”
• Preserve critical habitat.
• Identify and preserve regional wildlife and migration corridors.
• Design and locate cart paths to minimize environmental impacts. Construct the paths of permeable materials, if possible.
• Avoid or minimize crossings of wildlife corridors. Design unavoidable crossings to accommodate wildlife movement.
• Remove nuisance and exotic/invasive plants and replace them with native species that are adapted to a particular site.
• Maintain clearance between the ground and the lowest portion of a fence or wall to allow wildlife to pass, except in areas where feral animals need to be excluded.
• Retain dead tree snags for nesting and feeding sites, provided they pose no danger to people or property.
• Construct and place birdhouses, bat houses, and nesting sites in out-of-play areas.
• Plant butterfly gardens around the clubhouse and out-of-play areas.
• Retain riparian buffers along waterways to protect water quality and provide food, nesting sites, and cover for wildlife.
• Minimize stream or river crossings to protect water quality and preserve stream banks.
• Retain riparian buffers along waterways to protect water quality, provide food, nesting sites, and cover for wildlife.