The PGA Tour will contribute $250,000 over five years to the GCSAA to help implement best management practice models for golf courses, with a focus on localities and states where Tour events are held. The Tour is joining the U.S. Golf Association in an industrywide effort to establish best management practices across the country.
"We believe in the good work that golf course superintendents are doing every day to establish quality, healthy playing conditions for all golfers, while protecting our environment," said Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. "Best management practices will help us demonstrate that golf courses can deliver benefits to everyone in a community. This also represents a longstanding commitment to environmental excellence at our own TPC courses."
The goal is to have BMPs in place in all 50 states by 2020, providing resources to help superintendents and promote credibility. Statewide BMP programs already have been established in some form in 11 states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
"Best management practices are essential to all superintendents to measurably demonstrate that we are doing the utmost in our profession to care for the land while providing the best conditions possible for golfers," said Jeff Plotts, director of golf course operations at TPC Sawgrass. "We want BMPs to be part of the fabric of all TPC Network courses. But, we all need to work together to be qualified experts in our field."
The term BMP was first used in 1977 in response to the Clean Water Act, and it referred then only to soil conservation practices to protect water quality. It since has evolved to where it refers to other practices, such as drought management to pesticide application.
