The 6th hole at the exclusive Memphrémagog Golf Club. The Club is receiving certification by Audubon International for its environmental conservation and protection efforts, one of only 11 courses in Quebec to achieve this accreditation.

Making the greens greener

By Kelly McDevitt

After years of planning and hard work, the Memphrémagog Golf Club is on the final step to receiving full Audubon certification – a classification that sets and upholds strict environmental standards for golf courses. Only 85 golf courses in Canada, 11 of them in Quebec, have obtained this certification.

Opened in 2007, the ultra-private Memphrémagog Golf Club – located between Magog and Georgeville – has had environmental planning as a goal “right from the start,” according to General Manager William Cady. “We want to do everything in the most natural way, from composting to weeding by hand.” This includes training staff, hiring experts like course superintendent and agronomist Alain Lavoie, using drought-resistant grasses and a labour-intensive approach to maintenance.
In order to achieve certification for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, golf courses must meet criteria in six areas: environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, water quality management and the final step of outreach and education.

In order to achieve certification for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, golf courses must meet criteria in six areas: environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, water quality management and the final step of outreach and education.
This approach takes a considerable commitment on the part of the Club, employees and members alike.
“We have to instill a number of cultural practices,” Cady told the Record in an interview on Friday. “We have to train players to accept these natural conditions that they may not be used to on courses that use more chemicals and pesticides.”
It’s a process that has also involved years of design and research.
“We did a complete inventory of the flora and fauna and found three areas that we consider not to be endangered, but sensitive areas that needed to be protected,” said Cady, “so we leave those areas completely alone.
“We even found a very rare species of salamander on the grounds, so we kept that area protected.”
In addition to protecting the natural environment, the Club refrains from using chemical pesticides and herbicides, preferring natural products and labour. “We hold back until the very last minute to use chemicals,” said Cady.
Additionally, the Club has planted over 600 trees to keep the forest on the property healthy and installed a “wet meadow” to naturally filter water.
“This consists of various water plants that absorb phosphorus and other chemicals,” Cady explained.
Conserving and managing water is a central concern for the Club’s environmental policies. Golf courses require an incredible amount of water and some courses in the US are running out of water resources. Here managing water is of an even greater concern, because the course is located only 2 km from Lake Memphremagog.
The Club takes water from ground wells and directs it into three lakes on the course, which then serve to irrigate the property. Irrigation is spare and a weather station on the course helps monitor the level of water required to keep the course healthy, explained Lavoie. “It’s a tool I use for conservation,” he said. Excess water then seeps back into the wells, forming a nearly closed irrigation circuit.
“Very little water leaves the property,” Cady said, adding that what little does enter Lake Memphremagog has been naturally filtered by the wet meadow.
Even the clubhouse is eco-friendly, with the heating and air conditioning systems run on a closed geothermal circuit. The Club also uses grass clippings and kitchen waste to compost on site, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers that contain phosphorus.
“By 2009, we had reduced our phosphorus use by 90 per cent,” said Cady.
Now in the final “Outreach and Education” phase of the Audubon program, the Club is focusing on maintaining their standards, informing the public, and working with the community to improve environmental standards in the area.
“We’re a member of the Memphremagog Conservation Society and Alain (Lavoie), our course superintendent, is a member of the Coalition for responsible golf,” – a group of agronomists and other specialists that aims to reduce the impact of golf courses on the environment. Another certification requirement is that the Club must be willing to teach other golf courses – private or otherwise – how to green up their greens.
Overall, Cady said the Club and the employees alike are very pleased with having completed the first five steps of the certification. “(The employees) are really interested and proud of it. I’m really proud as well. I think it’s one of the most ecologically sound courses in Canada.”
 

(2010-07-26)