A "Smart Birdie"

Sustainable Golf Shirts

With an increase in concern of our ecological footprint we are seeing more sustainable fabrics on the market. Its not just hemp any more, theres bamboo, organic cottons, soy, recycled polyesters and recycled pop bottles (EPT). In time we will see more golf specific applications, here's a few in the mean time.

I don't usually put up ads but this one describes the product so well I had to. Check out www.moseau.com for more shirts and socks. Bamboo is a favorable clothing material because it's a natural UV protector, more absorbent than polyesters or cotton, not as heavy as hemp products, and makes you feel on average 2-3 degrees cooler. Bamboo is considered to be a sustainable crop because of its fast growing and low impact farming characteristics.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing some of the larger companies bringing Bamboo golf shirts to the market soon, I know of one company in the process developing hats but I'm sworn to secrecy. Nikes already making a few products with 40% Bamboo content, but I prefer the Shirts of Bamboo product line. They have a full line of clothing and are made with 70% Bamboo and 30% Organic Cotton. www.shirtsofbamboo.com

Of the Earth makes a number of golfable style shirts, made of Organic Cotton, Merino Wool, Bamboo, PET or Hemp. Check them out at www.oftheearth.com

Turf Trike

Electric carts make on-course mobility relatively easy, but with minimal athletic effort. In the interest of a healthy environment and golfer lets look at the Turf Trike.

At first I was a little nervous about the narrow tires, but they are 4 1/2" wide, and the three of them should spread out the weight enough that you wont see three lines zig zagging from hole to hole. Some of the features include a cup holder, scorecard holder, front carrier (which comes off and allows you to roll your bag up to your shot, leaving the Turf Trike behind), rear saddle bags, 7 speed Sram gearing (makes hills easier), drum brakes (low maintenance) and is handmade with 7005 aluminum.

In addition they are working on a Turf Trike E, an electric version due to come out soon. I've got to say that I like the pedal version and see potential on properties that have a low rise topography. Check them out at www.turftrike.com

Alternative Energy On The Course

Imagine you're expecting a call while your out on the links and your cell phone is dead... Never fear the Soldius Solar Carry Bag is here.

I'm a big fan of renewable energy and especially in applications where you take a normally single use product, like a bag, and take advantage of it being out in the sun by slapping a couple of photovoltaic cells on the side and a charging dock.

The Carry Bag features a "heavy duty nylon construction, deluxe padded shoulder strap, easy-stand collapsible bag stand, ergonomic carry handle, 6 strategically placed pockets, generous 9”x7” top opening with 7 way stick dividers, rainhood, umbrella holder and secure mobile device charging compartment" along with Soldius Inside™ MSPT Solar Charging Technology making it capable of charging a cell phone, iPod or Blackberry in 2-4 hours.

In addition there are a few different models at Soldius including the Cart Bag, Pro Tour Bag and Pro Tour Leather Bag ranging from $299-$799. Check out the bags and other solar mobile charging products at www.mysoldius.com

Eco Friendly Tees: Part Three - Sweet Disposables

Pictured here is a prototype tee made of sugars from Mexican designer Emiliano Godoy. It is fully compostable and only leaves behind the sugars of which its made. Not bad, actually I'll call it sweet!

Golf Balls: Part One - Eco Golf Balls

I cant help but to think its a gimmick. I can see the benefits of a ball that is fully biodegradable and water soluble if you tend to hit the ball in the pond often, but the website seems to promote shooting balls straight in to the ocean. I've got to ask, what is environmentally friendly about a ball that is shipped all the way from China and used only once? Bizarre, excessive and truly non-sustainable.

Check out the website for further proof: www.ecogolfballs.com

Eco Friendly Tees: Part Two - Eco Golf

Eco Golf (not at all affiliated with this blog) T2G Tees are made of USA grown biopolymers. Biopolymers are produced of biomass derived from such non-food crops as sugar beet, potatoes or wheat. Although these crops are notoriously resource intensive, they are fast growing and they make a product that is compostable. Wood tees are biodegradable too, however the problem with trees are that they grow slow and the tees brake apart far easier than a biopolymer based tee. Eco Golf claims that "All tees will do some damage to mowing equipment. The eco tee minimizes this damage by utilizing softer less impact resistant materials than wood".

Tees are available in 2.25", 2.75", 3" and 3.25"

Check out the selection at www.ecogolf.com

Segway GT

One of the greatest environmental accomplishments of the golf industry was the conversion from gas to electric powered carts. Besides that, carts haven't changed much. Until now...maybe?



I know plenty of superintendents who would not approve of this sort of mobility. The promo claims the vehicles are "light weight" at only 95 lbs, but with the extra weight of clubs and golfer not many superintendents are going to appreciate those two thin wheels casting imprints throughout every fairway, especially on damp properties. (side note - 50 seconds in to the video the lazy golfer fails to fix his divot)

I'm not sure if they'll take off, however Golf Digest claims that 78% of golfers worldwide prefer to walk, while in America that number is only 51%. Thats a huge potential market of minimally athletic athletes.

Eco-Friendly Tees: Part One - Bamboo

We all go through tees quite quickly, and with a lack of long lasting re-usable tees on the market maybe we should be looking at our options.

So why Bamboo?
First of all it's a member of the grass family, so I guess it's appropriate on the golf course. Its one of our planets fastest growing plants and requires very little inputs like water and fertilizer to produce a good yield. Bamboo is flexible and does not need to be treated with chemicals like many wood tees, and is fully biodegradable.

The problem with bamboo is that it's grown in Asia and then has to be shipped all the way to North America just so we can prop our balls up on it. The carbon footprint is huge and I'm not convinced that they are the most eco-option out there.

My search will continue, but in the mean time check out hackerhelper.ca for prices and availability.
http://www.hackerhelper.ca/taxonomy/term/224


In the future we will be looking at other materials such as biodegradable composites, recycled plastics, and tees made from materials grown in North America.

Watch out for these big guys.

Wildlife strikes back

These little guys either like to play jokes, or want us to leave.




Haha, little buggers.

Not the kind of Birdies we are looking for.

Just chase the bird away before you line up your shot.




Again, wait for the bird to move, or chase it.




This was just a crappy shot.

What is a weed?

“A plants whose virtues have not yet been discovered”
- Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson -

I am sure that even Emerson would agree that those dandelions and clover in the center of the fairway would reduce accurate ball roll and therefore have no purpose there. However much of the weed control on golf courses is actually in non-play turf zones, mostly due to aesthetics.

Weeds are commonly defined as plants that grow in areas that we don’t want them to. In the past that would mean that any plant other than an annual in a garden or a variety of turf grass would be eliminated. That’s fine if golf courses were excluded from the surrounding eco-system, but they’re not. The large monoculture of limited variety turf grasses makes golf courses vulnerable to insect and disease infestations because of the lack of biodiversity that would normally control un-natural numbers. Because of this susceptibility to pests it’s in a golf courses best interest to have a diverse landscape and preserve the natural flora which is suited to keep natural pest numbers down.

Many of the native plants that are commonly referred to as weeds are perfectly suited to attract Beneficial Predatory Insects (BPI’s) that prey upon common turf pests. This characteristic of native flora is being employed by some of golf’s finest designers. In 1999 Jack Nicklaus and Jerome Osentowski had incorporated a new idea of Integrated Pest Management, “bio-islands”, into the design at the 18 hole signature Roaring Fork Club located just outside of Aspen Colorado. The bio-island concept capitalizes on native pollinators and BPI’s by attracting and supporting local populations in the interest of offsetting the monoculture effect discussed in the previous paragraph. The plants chosen were a mixture of native wildflowers and shrubs planted in immense gardens located within the golf course infrastructure.

Side note: I had spoken with Jerome Osentowski last week about the success of bio-islands. We had discussed the various strategies and the success stories of bio-islands at a number of west coast properties. However this year's insect inventories are extremely low due to the epidemic of Colony Collapse Disorder. CCD has virtually wiped out the pollinators in many Western U.S. states, primarily the Native and European bees. This is an extremely serious environmental and economic issue as the potential side effects are catastrophic to the ecosystem and food crops. For more information on CCD plug it in to your search engine of choice or go to http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/ or if you are interested in Jerome’s work go to www.crmpi.com.

To better clarify the definition of a weed we must take into consideration the bioregional origin of the plant. A native plant is one that historically occurs within the boundaries of a given area and is compatible with plants that coexist within the same habitat. An exotic is a species that has been introduced into a range that it had not naturally migrated too. They may be introduced as a horticultural or agricultural specimen, or could be brought in accidentally. An exotic that can successfully reproduce and persist in the wild is considered a naturalized specie; Queen Anne’s Lace is a great example. An invasive plant is one that is difficult to control and can overbear natural plant communities.

Some natives can be considered invasive under special circumstances, such as Staghorn Sumac or various Poplar species that can overpower disturbed urban areas. Likewise some natives can be considered harmful to golfers and employees as they pose irritations such as allergy related threats - Rag Weed contributes to hay fever, and some species pose threats of skin irritation like Poison Ivy.

Evolutionary ecologists believe that plants develop these characteristics in order to prevent further disturbances to the soil or the environment. For example Thistles tend to grow in compacted soils and these plants have developed spiky armor in order to make it uncomfortable for future compactors, such as livestock or heavy mowers. Similarly it’s important to acknowledge that these plants pop up when the appropriate conditions exist for their populations to occur. For example many of our “weeds” can be used as indicator species, meaning that they tell us that the soil is deprived of certain nutrients or higher in others. For example Mullen tends to grow in soils that are fairly depleted of N, P, and K, usually the result of direct solar radiation exposure. Take a look at areas around your golf course/property that contain Mullen, have they been disturbed in the past five years?

For more information about native plants and potential weed species check out the following web sources:

North American Native Plant Society www.nanps.org
Centre for Land and Water Stewardship www.uoguelph.ca/~claws
Conservation Ontario www.conservation-ontario.on.ca
Ducks Unlimited Ontario www.ducks.ca
Forest Gene Conservation Association www.fgca.net
Agricultural weed index www.omaf.gov.on.ca