Earth Day at El Chorro Regional Park

Today was the 2nd Earth Day Celebration that we took part in with our Zero Waste Demonstration Park at Dairy Creek Golf Course.  We brewed up 500 gallons of compost tea with the intention to give it all away.

Last year we were an after thought as part of the celebration and we had a whopping 2 people stop by in the 7 hours we were on sight.  This year I contacted the event coordinators and worked out a route that would create a bus stop right at our ZW entrance.  This was a huge step in the right direction, especially since we were the first stop of the day!  What a change from last year as we were not officially part of the celebration at all other than our promotion and a banner that invited attendees to come experience a true Zero Waste Tour.

The first buses began to arrive and no one was getting off the bus.  Richard and I thought what the heck is wrong?!  So we began to take bottles of tea to the bus stop and commandeer the buses and solicit people to take the tour and give away free tea to interested riders.  We coaxed some people off the buses and to their delight our site was not a waste water treatment facility.  I asked the first person about where she heard it was a treatment facility and she said that's what she thought compost tea was, a recycled water concoction.  Throughout the day we gave about 60 tours and informed people about composting, composting with worms, and brewing their own tea in 5 gallon buckets.  Everyone was stoked and perhaps we did not get a huge volume of people, but those we spoke with were informed individuals so we had quality even it the quantity was not huge.  It is definitely a step up from 2 attendees last year.  I can't wait until next year.

Just to set everyone straight...compost tea is not a recycled water brew.  Our tea is composed of worm compost combined with traditional compost that is all created at our Zero Waste Park.  We take these ingredients and steep them in 200 to 500 gallons of water (our reclaimed irrigation water, it is important not to use tap water as the chlorine will kill the microbes) to create a tea that is at least 100 times more potent than compost alone.  This is because the brewing process takes place between 48-72 hours.  In this time the microbial population increases exponentially.  These microbes feed on your soil and also provide beneficial mycorrhizae that help your plants take up nutrients and water more efficiently.  Essentially this is liquid compost with a healthy dose of microorganisms that really give your plant a boost!  If you are interested in a tour of our Demonstration Park or would like some tea please contact me at jheptig@co.slo.ca.us and I would be glad to hook you up.  No tour group is too large or too small.

National Golf Day - April 16

April 16 is National Golf Day!  What is National Golf Day you ask?  I'm glad you asked, because this is not just a day to celebrate the greatest game of all time, but to celebrate the benefits of the game of golf for our economy, wellness, charitable giving, and environmental leadership.

This will be the 6th annual National Golf Day.  On this day a group of industry representatives will meet with congress and share stories, facts, and figures relating to the game of golf and what it means to our country.  Here is a snapshot of few items that will be discussed:

• National Economic Benefits of Golf: Golf is a nearly $70 billion industry, providing nearly 2 million jobs and total wage income of $55.6 billion. That’s larger than spectator sports and performing arts industries combined.
• Golf's Charitable Impact: Golf’s national charitable impact was $3.9 billion in 2011— more than 12 million people participated in 143,000 golf-related charity events at 12,000 different golf facilities.
• Supporting our Troops: The PGA TOUR has raised more than $10 million for US military and their families through Birdies for the Brave. PGA professionals and USGA members have raised more than $16.4 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation, which has provided more than 3,600 scholarships for military families. The Salute Military Golf Association has helped rehabilitate wounded warriors, providing more than 1,700 free, private lessons and custom-fitted clubs to our veterans.
• Health Benefits of Golf: Walking 18 holes of golf is the same as taking a 5 mile walk or running 3.5 miles – well in excess of the 10,000 steps recommended for daily exercise. You burn about 2,000 calories when you walk and 1,300 when you use a cart – and your blood glucose levels fall anywhere from 10 to 30 percent.
• Environmental Stewardship: Golf is now on the leading edge of environmental sustainability and stewardship efforts. Golf courses account for two million acres of green space across the country, which are home to a vast array of wildlife species. New, industry-wide principles on sustainability ensure continual improvement in the design, development, construction, and management of golf courses.

To celebrate National Golf Day, two of our courses are offering promotional discounts.

Chalk Mountain Golf Course will be offering $10 green fees all day.  Dairy Creek Golf Course will be celebrating with $20 green fees all day long accompanied by a free hot dog.  The goal is to get people out in the sunshine taking in all that nature has to offer by providing exceptionally affordable recreation for all to enjoy!

No matter where or how you choose to celebrate be sure to share all of the wonderful aspects that this game offers.  All too often the golf industry is looked upon negatively by the general public because we are considered to be resource wasters, polluters, and elitist facilities.  We need to stand together as a group (golfers and operators) to tell everyone who will and won't listen about the economic impacts, charitable fundraising, health benefits, and environmental stewardship that the game of golf provides.  So get out there and start telling the world just how good this game really is!

 

Dairy Creek's 1st Annual Golf Course Easter Egg Hunt was a tremendous success!

This post is way past due, especially for giving kudos to those that deserve them and there are many to go around.  Casey Cole, one of our pro shop attendants, proposed the idea after Easter last year and he took the bull by the horns this year.  Casey is like a proud rooster puffing out his chest right now and rightfully so, because this event was a huge success! We estimate that there were nearly 500 individuals that attended the event qith approximately 200 kids hunting eggs.

Included in the days events were S.N.A.G. (Starting New At Golf) Golf administered by Billy Gibbs with The First Tee of the Central Coast, free breakfast provided by Fairway Restaurant, miniature golf on the putting green complete with cut down putters of all sizes to allow everyone to give putting a try, 2000 cady filled egg hunt, and lots of sunshine and familiy fun for all.

Have a look below at the photos that represent the day and put this date into your calendar for next year!



 

Casey Cole, Mr. Easter Bunny, and Kent Lauble

Snag golf on the driving range practice area

Lined up and ready to go



 

Putting fun for everyone before and after the egg hunt!

It's Master's week!

This week gets every golfers blood pumping and excited to get out to their course to start the golf season for most of the country.  Here in California the golf season never really stops, but for much of the country, the golf season typically is just ramping up as they thaw from their winter slumber.

When I worked in the Indiana, this weekend was the date that we hoped Mother Nature would cooperate with and provide golfing weather so that we did not have to address the questions of why we were not open or still playing on temporary greens.  Augusta infects golfers with the bug to get out and play NOW!  Thank goodness that is the case and if we could only determine how to infect more non-golfers with this bug by the thousands.  If you have a solution please share...hundreds of golf operators inquiring minds want to know.

As turf managers this weekend can be stressful or rather the Monday or Tuesday after.  This event spurs many questions like, "Can we get our greens to stimp 14?" or the forever favorite, "Why can't you get our course to look like that?"  Do golfers forget the well known information that Augusta has a large budget, is closed for much of the year, and its members are willing to pay for pristine conditions for the 5 months they can actually play the course.  The average golf facility budget is minimal and shrinking.  Not to mention the competition that is in the marketplace right now with discount green fees available to even high end resorts and clubs facilitated by the golf courses and third party tee time sellers (don't get me started).

I came across the following video link from the USGA and this could not have been delivered at a better time.  TV golf vs. Daily Play  It describes the disparity between TV courses and your regular track that you play on weekends.  Please take a look and get a glimpse into what goes into tournament preparations and why your course or club has a difficulty maintaining tournament conditions 24/7/365.  It's just not a sustainable model environmentally or financially for the majority of courses in the world.



Please enjoy!

"I don't fear death...but I sure do hate those three-footers for par."

~Chi Chi Rodriquez