Skidaway Audubon began as a committee of The Landings Club in 1997 and its members worked diligently toward achieving certification under Audubon International’s Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. All six courses were certified by 2002.
The intent of the program is “to protect our environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game.” Fewer than 5% of the golf courses in the U.S. have received certification and of the 1900 courses participating in the ACSP program, only 38% have met the stringent requirements to be certified.
Here at The Landings Club, nearly 200 projects have been completed by Skidaway Audubon, funded by proceeds from the annual Skidaway Audubon Golf Tournament, held each May for the past 12 years.
The six-stage certification process includes environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation and water quality management.
The process does not end with certification,rather each course must be re-certified every two years. The program is supported by the PGA Tour and by USGA. It is embraced with enthusiasm by our golf courses and grounds maintenance staff, and Mike Perham, Director of Golf Course and Grounds Maintenance sits on the Skidaway Audubon board.
Golfers may readily see the signage on all our courses where we have naturalization projects. Harder to see, but very important, are practices such as fertigation, irrigation programming using evapotranspiration information and scouting for pest and disease pressure, which are but a few examples of the sound environmental practices that are deployed.
For information on Golf Course Certification, contact mike.perham@landingsclub.com.
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