The Connecticut Association of Golf Course Superintendents has earned
accolades for its tireless efforts in government advocacy.
By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor
This year, the Connecticut Association of Golf Course Superintendents (CAGCS) won the 2013 Excellence in Government Relations Award from the national Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) for its persistent advocacy on behalf of the golf industry.
In 2010, the association worked to prevent the Connecticut state legislature from passing stream-flow standards and regulations that would impose significant financial hardships on golf courses statewide. It then swung back into action after Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) proposed a ban on all fertilizers containing phosphorus to any established lawns, including golf courses.
By mobilizing its membership and forming alliances with other golf organizations in the state, the CAGCS showed in both cases how the proposed regulations could result in golf course closings and lost jobs. The chapter also benefited from the relationship it built with DEEP, when the two entities worked together to create “Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Golf Course Water Use.”
Certified Golf Course Superintendent Eric Morrison, Manager of Shennecossett Golf Course and Parks Maintenance in Groton, Conn., and CAGCS Secretary, nominated his chapter for the national GCSAA award.
“I just thought what we had accomplished deserved recognition,” says Morrison, who recently spoke with C&RB about the CAGCS’s lobbying actions.
Q What would the new stream-flow standards and regulations have required golf courses to do?
A The new regulations would have reclassified all of the waterways in the state, and they were going to require golf courses that used more than 50,000 gallons of water per day to apply for new diversion permits. The amount of information that golf courses would have to provide would have been a burden to some clubs.
Q What kind of financial hardships would the standards have imposed on golf courses?
A Clubs would have had to spend a lot of money hiring people such as hydrologists and lawyers. Some of these clubs might not have been able to afford it, and some clubs had already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to meet the standards. We knew it would cost clubs a good amount of money, depending on which waterway they were drawing out of.
Q How did the BMPs for Golf Course Water Use exempt golf courses from the standards?
A We knew what was coming down the pipeline, so we tried to work with the DEEP to develop BMPs for water use. We wanted to come up with a manual or document about water usage, to show that we were already using water wisely before the state legislature came down with new legislation.
The Connecticut Section PGA’s Morrison Award was named after Shennecossett GC Manager Eric Morrison, CGCS (right), to honor those who emulate the spirit of the Connecticut Senior Open, which has been held at Morrison’s course for 15 years. Morrison was presented with the inaugural award in 2012 by Tom Hantke of the Connecticut PGA.
Super in the Spotlight:
Eric Morrison, CGCS
Position: Manager, Shennecossett Golf Course and Parks Maintenance, Groton, Conn.;
Secretary, Connecticut Association of Golf
Course Superintendents (CAGCS)
Club Name: Shennecossett Golf Course
Website:
www.shennygolf.com
No. of Holes: 18
Designer: Donald Ross
Type: Municipal
No. of Members: 265 season-pass holders
Annual Rounds:
About 33,000
Year Opened: Club founded in1898; 18 holes completed for play in 1916
Golf Season: Year-round
Fairways: Bentgrass, poa, rye grass, fescue mix
Greens: Bentgrass/poa mix
Honors & Awards: Shennecossett GC received the Walter Lowell Public Golf Course Distinguished Service Award from the Connecticut PGA in 2008.
Q How did you use your state golf association’s economic impact study to make your case?
A The Connecticut State Golf Association (CSGA) worked closely with us. We formed a golf alliance in the state, and they came up with the numbers and the economic study for us to demonstrate to the legislature the importance of the golf industry in the state. The numbers showed how much money golf brings in and how many jobs it provides. Those are pretty powerful numbers, and the economic impact and jobs were good points for us.
Q How did you mobilize the CAGCS membership to exempt golf courses from the new standards?
A Our President at the time, John Garcia, and Government Relations Chair, Scott Ramsay, CGCS, did a lot of the legwork, along with Michael Dugan, our lobbyist. We e-mailed members and tried to get them to write letters to their representatives. I think 67 people submitted written testimony, and 28 members of our association went to the public hearing. At the hearing, 11 of them provided verbal testimony. We demonstrated that we were not going to just let the new regulations go through, and were going to fight for what we felt was in our best interests.
Q What’s the key to lobbying successfully?
A I think you have to have power in numbers. It was very eye-opening to the legislators when we showed up and had a lot of people behind us. But obviously, we couldn’t have done it without our lobbyist. We weren’t sure how long we would be able to afford to keep him, but the CSGA helped us with the finances.
Lobbyist Michael Dugan (left) worked with John Garcia (center) and Scott Ramsay of the Connecticut superintendents’ association to help gain exemptions from proposed regulations.
Q What kind of relationship does the CAGCS have with the state DEEP?
A We have to do all of our reporting to them every year, so before all of this came down, we had a good working relationship with them. Going forward, I think they understand that golf in Connecticut provides big economic benefits in the state. They also see that we’re stewards of the environment, we have a proven track record, and we’re not trying to hide anything.
Q What kind of testimony did you present about the use of fertilizers containing phosphorus?
A As is often the case, the proposed legislation was targeted to homeowners, who are not trained in its use. We emphasized that we’re professional and are trained to know when to use phosphorus and how much to use. We described the importance of phosphorus when establishing new turf and stressed that we’re not just blowing it all over the place.
Q What kind of concessions about fertilizer usage were you able to get from the state legislature?
A The legislature tried to rewrite the legislation with the stipulations that we couldn’t apply fertilizers containing phosphorus between December 1 and March 15, and that we couldn’t apply any within 20 feet of a water body. But we showed up again to make our case, and ended up getting the full exemption for golf.
Q What does it mean that your chapter won the Excellence in Government Relations Award?
A I think it’s a huge feather in our cap. It shows the work that we’ve done, and proves that we’re environmental stewards. It’s important for the public to know that we’re not trying to abuse the environment, and that we are probably meeting a lot of these requirements anyway.
Q What advice would you give to other superintendents about effective government advocacy?
A You really need to be proactive as an association. Talk to local reporters to get the word out about how golf courses enhance the environment, by providing wildlife habitats and as recreational spots where people can enjoy themselves for a few hours. C&RB
Q How did you organize the first Connecticut Golf Day?
A We had our first Golf Day in the capital last year. The CAGCS, CSGA and other allied state golf associations worked together. We set up booths and had informal meetings with legislators. We didn’t have an agenda per se with the legislators that day. We hope to have our second annual Golf Day this year.
Q What did it accomplish?
A Overall, the legislators are aware of golf’s presence in the state now. If they’re trying to produce widespread legislation that affects our industry, we’re going to have a call to action that protects our industry. We know how to organize and be proactive, and we’re going to be. The golf industry has been unfairly targeted, and it has a bad reputation. But this served as a stepping stone for us.
Q How important is it to present a united front to lawmakers about issues that affect the golf industry?
A I think it’s really important. Before we had the golf alliance, we had all of these little associations doing their own thing. Anything that affects the golf industry affects everyone involved, including golf course owners, golf pros, general managers and superintendents. It affects our livelihoods and our jobs. Together we can show that golf affects the economy in the state. We can also create more awareness to show how it trickles down to everyone who is employed in the industry. Superintendents are probably more aware than other people in the business, because we have to file documents such as annual pesticide-use reports and water-diversion reports with the state.
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