Course Certification

While the recertification process under the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses is complex, it is made easier at The Landings Club by the dedication of the professional staff to ongoing environmental best practices.

When it comes time to add up the achievements in each of the six categories that are measured by Audubon International, we always have plenty to report, as evidenced by the 2010 recertification of Plantation and Palmetto recapped here.

Plantation and Palmetto Recertification January 2010

Each of the six-stages of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) certification process was included in the recertification of Palmetto and Plantation courses in early 2010: environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation and water quality management. Chuck Smith provided the outline for the review by John “Crawfish” Crawford who acted as an independent auditor and reported his findings to Audubon International.

The following is a partial recap of the recertification.

Environmental Planning and Water Conservation

• New irrigation systems on Palmetto (2005) and Plantation (2004) allow for greater control with more precise watering from a centralized computer control system.
• Using evapotranspiration date from the Georgia weather station located on Skidaway as a baseline for run times, each irrigation head is adjusted individually based on environmental factors. Water like the Pros do:
  1. Go to www.Georgiaweather.net
  2. Under “Select a Weather Station in left side of home page, chose Skidaway
  3. Go to “Yesterday’s Conditions”
  4. Look down the list for Evapotranspiration data
  5. If value is below .10 Golf Maintenance will NOT water
  6. If value is above .12 Golf Maintenance will begin irrigating
• Lagoon water quality management is monitored by The Landings Association under the direction of Sean Burgess, Environmental Coordinator.

Wildlife and Habitat Management

• Understory restoration project at #6/#14 Plantation and undisturbed native habitat at #8 Plantation provide wildlife habitat.
• Terrapin Turtle Rescue efforts by Carolyn McInerney at #3 Plantation becomes the hatchery/nest box project at John Crawford’s suggestion during recertification.

Outreach and Education

• Articles in Clubline and This Week at the Landings, as well as regular emails to The Landings Club membership, get the message of environmental stewardship out.

Chemical Use Reduction

• Soil testing and aggressive aerification, which limits runoff, are ongoing.
• Monitoring, scouting and spot-directed applications are part of the pest management strategy, including using GPS baseline maps.
• Use of newer classes of pesticides whenever possible – more target specific and less impact on the environment.
• 90% of applications are liquid, which limits runoff