The golf industry in Minnesota has a track record to be proud of. Besides hosting numerous national golf events including the PGA Championship, both Men’s and Women’s Opens, and the 2016 The Ryder Cup, the business of golf annually generates over 2.3 billion dollars in revenue and employs 35,000 individuals in the state. Do you want to help ensure our industry remains strong and vital in the future? Attend the first ever Golf Industry Day on the Hill!

Golf Industry Day on the Hill is your chance to tell your elective officials your story about the issues you face every day. Recently, the golf industry has been involved in conversations regarding phosphorous fertilizer, a license plate initiative, and limiting unfair taxation. We need YOU to be part of the conversation!

This day, the first of its kind, will focus on telling the good story of the golf industry including a nudge encouraging legislative support of a water conservation program with the intent to protect irrigation allocation during times of drought.

What key messages will we deliver to legislators?

• Economic Impact of Golf in Minnesota: The golf industry has a $2.3 billion annual economic impact to the state’s economy and

sustains 35,000 jobs.

• Event Economic Impact: The Ryder Cup, the largest sporting event to be held in Minnesota, will be watched by 500 million people

and will generate an economic impact of $140 million dollars locally.

• Environmental Stewardship: Golf helps to create and steward 21,000 acres of pollinator habitat, wildlife

corridors, native plant areas, natural water features and wetlands.

• Green Space: Green space on golf courses increases carbon sequestration, generates

oxygen, provides sound abatement and solar/glare reflection as well as dust

collection.

• Stormwater Management: Golf courses provide for communities’ largest

rain gardens, pollution abatement, ground water recharge and erosion

control.

The MGCSA and association partners the MGA, MWCMAA and MPGA need your physical support of this effort. Mark your calendar and participate in this initiative.

More information will be made available soon.

Cycle Works is now  ECO Works Supply

By Doug Daniel and Jim O’Neill

Cycle Works Golf Supply is excited to announce that it will be changing its name on January 1, 2016 to ECO Works Supply. During the past few years our customer base has grown to include sports turf, park and recreation, and agriculture and we expect that trend to continue.   We still intend to focus heavily on the golf industry and our significant growth in golf this past year is a reflection of the acceptance of our products.

We are also changing the name of our products to ECO Works. The products will be exactly the same; they will just have a new name ECO Works, as in ECO Works 16-4-8, ECO Works Soil Amend Plus, ECO Works MicroBoost, ECO Works Dark Green, ECO Works SC1200 etc.     The products will still be made by the same manufacturer; we will just be changing the name on the label. So wherever the product was Cycle Works previously, it will now be Eco Works

We feel the choice of the name ECO Works Supply reflects what we are about. We have become one of the leading suppliers of natural and organic products in the industries we serve. We are committed to products that build great biological soils and sustain a good environment whenever possible.   We started with Cycle Works-only products in 2002.   We have since added products from GSR, Origination Natural Origins granular, Terra Max Tazo products, Dakotah Roots Compost, Texas Earth Compost Tea, Bio Pro and Hydretain, and Dave’s Amazing Pond and Turf Treatment as fertility and amending products.   We have also added the industry’s best suppliers, Total Sports, and Challenger synthetic turf products for tee lines and Green Jacket Covers, LeveLift, Turf Feeding Systems, Hole in White and multiple crew clothing options.

Our newly named web site www.ecoworkssupply is being revised to both update and reflect these changes. We will offer planning and pricing tools to the web site along with suggested programs for the turf and agriculture industry.  In the future we will also offer the ability to order products directly from this site.

The 3M Championship is set to achieve an unprecedented goal for a Champions Tour event. Charitable contributions will reach $20 million in 2012 which also marks the tournaments 20th anniversary. There are no other Champions Tour events that have attained this level of charitable contributions in this time frame. “To be the first event to reach $20 million in 20 years is a remarkable milestone,” said Ian Hardgrove, senior vice president of sales and marketing for 3M. “We are proud to support the local healthcare programs that benefit from the 3M Championship.” Proceeds from the tournament continue to support local healthcare programs at Allina Health. The primary beneficiaries include Abbott Northwestern Hospital, United Hospital and Mercy & Unity Hospitals. The tournament donated $1.3 million to charity per year since 2007.

In celebration of $20 million in 20 years, 3M executives have designed a commemorative logo.  The logo will be featured in advertising campaigns and signage throughout the event. The 3M Championship will take place July 30 – August 5, 2012 at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, MN.

Nick Price, Tom Lehman and defending champion Jay Haas will compete in the all- star lineup at the 3M Championship. “The spectators and our sponsors will get to see one of the greatest fields at any event on the Champions Tour, “ said Hollis Cavner, tournament director for the 3M Championship. Kenny Perry will be making his first appearance at the tournament. Also slated to appear are Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Fred Funk and Mark Calcavecchia.

 General admission will be free for all spectators. “We are thrilled that Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Chi Chi Rodriguez will be headlining our Post-It® Greats of Golf Competition and autograph sessions,” Cavner said. 3M Championship fans will also have a chance to see Billy Casper, Dave Stockton and Don January on Saturday and Sunday in the Greats of Golf event.

Roger Stewart CGCS, Director of Golf and his Superintendent Alex Stuedemann along with crew and volunteers have the course in spectacular condition.   Timely rains and a cooling trend have helped to make conditions worthy of the “Championship” title.  The Seniors can expect slick greens, firm fairways, manicured bunkers and plenty of open water.

Good luck to the TPC Green Staff as they show off all their hard efforts.

Survey conducted by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America also shows increased water conservation practices at U.S. courses

Lawrence, Kan. (Dec. 1, 2015) – Golf course superintendents used 21.8 percent less water overall and just 1.44 percent of all irrigated water in the U.S. to maintain their courses in 2013, compared with usage in 2005, according to recently released survey data. The survey was conducted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and funded by the United State Golf Association (USGA) through GCSAA’s Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG).

The survey results from nearly 2,000 golf course superintendents were collected and independently analyzed by scientists at PACE Turf and the National Golf Foundation (NGF), which published the findings for peer review before making the information public.

“This study shows us that the golf industry has been addressing water issues for some time and is realizing positive results. The numbers show that golf course superintendents across the country have reduced water consumption,” said Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D., co-owner of PACE Turf, which has been providing data analysis for the golf industry for more than 25 years. “There is always room for improvement, however; and I think we will see even less water being used and fewer acres being irrigated in the years ahead.”

Along with reducing overall water usage by 500,000 acre-feet, golf course superintendents increased their use of recycled water by 33 percent over the last study. Both of those trends are positive for the industry, since golf courses are able to filter recycled water before it re-enters the ecosystem.

Golf course superintendents also have demonstrated water savings through turf reduction and improved technologies, such as computer-controlled targeted irrigation systems and sensors that measure soil moisture. Since 2005, golf courses have reduced managed irrigated turf by 14,430 acres, enough of a reduction to cover more than 100 golf courses. This reduction does not include golf course closures.

In addition, the study provides data on average water use in the seven different agronomic regions of the country, with water usage the lowest in the Northeast and the highest in the Southeast and Southwest – two regions that have year-round play and turf growth.

“The golf course superintendent profession is committed to science-based technologies and environmental stewardship,” said Rhett Evans, CEO of GCSAA. “We hope that this national study will demonstrate our commitment to efficient water management and inspire the industry to continue to lead in the future. In the end, water management is about providing playing conditions that satisfy the needs of golfers today without compromising the needs of the future.”

It’s not surprising to find water usage down and water costs up nationally for golf course managers. The picture of the golf industry has changed, and it will continue to evolve, even at the national championship level, where the world’s best players are seeing a shift from overall uniform green to firmer surfaces that receive less water.

Visit www.gcsaa.org to review the complete survey report.

Over the next two years, GCSAA will publish four additional national surveys in key areas related to golf course management as part of its Golf Course Environmental Profile. Each of those surveys is also being funded by the USGA through the EIFG.

About GCSAA and the EIFG

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. Visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game. Visit EIFG at www.eifg.org. or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

Dayton to convene water quality summit

By Shannon Prather Star Tribune

NOVEMBER 21, 2015

Alarmed about the rising levels of contamination in Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and wetlands, Gov. Mark Dayton said he’ll convene a statewide water quality summit in February.

Dayton made the announcement Saturday at annual meetings of the Minnesota Farm Bureau and the Minnesota Farmers Union.

“We have critical water quality problems in Minnesota and in many areas, metro and rural, they are getting even worse, ” Dayton said. “We cannot ignore them. We have to face up to them and work together to solve them.”

The summit will include water quality experts, farmers, lawmakers, regulators, the business community, members of the public and local leaders.

Dayton said aging wastewater treatment plants and farming all contribute to the state’s water problem.

“Modern farming practices, especially the use of nitrogen fertilizer, both chemical and animal manure, are among the contributors to the serious, and in some areas, critical water quality problems that we face,” Dayton said. “The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) reported last spring many of the lakes and streams in southwest Minnesota are unsafe for both people and fish to swim in.”

Dayton said urban areas are not immune.

“I want to stress this is not a rural crisis alone. Many of the metropolitan areas White Bear Lake and others are suffering extreme water issues,” Dayton said.

The governor said the summit is not about laying blame but about finding solutions.

In the past year, state scientists have released a series of reports that indicate Minnesota’s waters are in peril.

Half the lakes and rivers in southern Minnesota are too polluted much of the time for safe swimming and fishing, according to a MPCA study released last spring.

The agency concluded that the problems are worsening and will require 20 to 30 years to address.

This fall, another MPCA study concluded that with the exception of the northeastern part of the state, wetlands are largely degraded, polluted with nutrients from fertilizer in the agricultural areas and by chloride from road salt in urban areas.

Depletion of groundwater has also caused water disputes across Minnesota. Many regions in the state have reached the point where people are using water, and then sending it downstream, faster than the rain and snow can replenish it. Frustrated over lower water levels, White Bear Lake homeowners filed suit in recent years accusing the state government of failing to protect its most precious resource — water.