NEWS F ROM T H E G REEN ◗ Marc Cousineau
Forward tee under construction, 9th hole, University Golf Club in vancouver
More is Less – Additional tees make for a shorter, player-friendly course ◗ The University Golf Club in Vancouver is making it easier for golfers of all ages and expertise to play the game by building new tee decks that will shorten the course’s length. The eight new tees currently being created will reduce the length of the course to 5,200 yards for those who play these tees. That saves golfers about 500 yards in a round. This move comes after feedback from golfers around Canada and the globe who say longer courses are too hard to play and discourage participation in the sport. “We know that our layout for many women and beginners is pretty tough,” says University Golf Club general manager Michael Mather. “With the addition of these eight new forward tees (four on each side) we think it’s a pretty good yardage.” The tees are scheduled to be completed by June 1, but the project may only be in its initial stage. The course may add up to six more tees in 2014 to further reduce the yardage of the course to about 4,800 yards, according to Mather. 12 greenMaster | www.golfsupers.com
Pebble Beach fights unlikely pest with even more unlikely source
Forward tee under construction, 2nd hole, University Golf ClUB
“I think it will be one more thing here at the golf course that just makes it even more player-friendly and enjoyable,” Mather says. This isn’t the first innovative initiative the University Golf Club has implemented. The club joined other local businesses in the Zero Heroes pilot project in 2012. The program aimed to reduce individual business waste rates to less than 25 per cent.
◗ Pests don’t just come from the ground and can bother more than just turfgrass and trees at Pebble Beach Golf Course. One of the biggest bothers at the prestigious course comes from the air, is a nuisance for golfers on and off the course and comes in the form of pestering seagulls that pervade the fairways and outdoor eating areas. Pebble Beach has had a problem with seagulls sweeping in from above and bothering guests at the course, mainly diners at the restaurant, as they search for scraps of food. The course’s answer: fight fire with fire, or rather, birds with birds. Jim Tigan and his falcon Fluffy were called in to take care of the problem. In the wilderness, Jim Tigan says, falcons and eagles circle the sky to scare away predators from their young and to establish territory. At Pebble Beach,