Greening of the greens: Colorado golf courses are adopting eco-friendly practices to spruce up their image and boost business.

• Author: Baines, Gary
• Position: Cover story

Mary Ann Bonnell doesn't play golf, though you'd never know it by the amount of time she spends on courses. And it wasn't long ago that she viewed golf courses as the enemy.

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"I grew up in a household where courses were considered an abomination of nature," Bonnell said.

That was before Bonnell was hired as senior natural resources specialist for the city of Aurora 4 1/2 years ago, and Saddle Rock Golf Course superintendent Joe McCleary invited her out for a visit. After observing the plant life, wildlife and considerable native area set aside at the course, Bonnell underwent a conversion of sorts.

"I was blown away; I couldn't believe I was on a golf course," she said. "I came into this as a doubting Thomas, but the day I went birding at Saddle Rock was the day I had a sea change. I liked to think I knew a lot of the cool nature places, but I had to be told about golf courses."

Certainly not all of the roughly 250 courses in Colorado are as eco-friendly as Saddle Rock, but the trend is certainly going in that direction. For reasons that range from sheer cost savings to presenting a better image of the sport, to out-and-out environmentalism, the state's courses are going more "green" than ever before.

And Colorado seems to be ahead of the curve nationally. One widely respected program that certifies courses that meet high environmental standards is run by Audubon International. And only three states in the country--Florida, California and Illinois--have more certified courses than Colorado's 35.

"Colorado is absolutely" at the forefront of the movement, said Joellen Lampman, program manager of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. "And as far as percentage of courses certified, it's second only to Delaware, with 14 percent certified. And the list is growing because it's not only good for the environment, but it's a good business decision."

Eco-friendly practices can take many forms. More efficient use of water--and protecting water quality--is certainly high on the list, as is being much more careful with the use of pesticides and herbicides. Other practices seen as crucial are wildlife and habitat management, energy conservation, waste/emission control, environmental compatibility during the construction process, and using the latest and best research and technology in the area of plant management.

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