Page 27 - Transitioning Turfgrass

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6 ETS Field Days
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The “Biogolf Protocol”

at Golf della Montecchia

Alessandro De Luca, Italian Golf Federation, Green Section (Sutri, Italy)

Golf course management has witnessed import- management. Contributions on the part of var-
ant developments over recent years. New re- ious universities and institutes have led to inter-
quests and expectations by the players as well ventions involving the local flora and fauna, the
as important ecological considerations have woodlands, CO emissions and turfgrass. It is in
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changed the approach to golf. view of these efforts that the club has received
Growing awareness that is particularly strong in numerous national and international awards.
Europe and that has been focusing on the envi- In the effort to share the experience of the study,
ronmental impact of golf courses has led to new to encourage comparisons and to set future
legislation regulating the use of pesticides; similar goals, in September of 2017 the data of the first
restrictions regarding the use of water are already two years of study were gathered with more than
in the making. 100 expert consultants, greenkeepers, gardeners,
The Biogolf Case Study was launched in Janu- technicians and researchers (Photo 1).
ary 2015 as a part of the Biogolf protocol, at the Here are some of studies carried out at Golf della
behest of the public bank Istituto per il Credito Montecchia.
Sportivo and supported by the Italian Golf Fed-
eration (FIG), the Golf Environmental Organisa-
tion and other important Italian environmental A comparison between maintaining bermu-
groups such as Legambiente, Federparchi and dagrass (Cynodon dactylon x transvaalensis)
Fondazione Univerde. tees and fairways and cool season grasses
The Biogolf Case study is supervised by the maintenance
Agronomists of the FIG and by researchers from
the Universities of Bologna, Padova, Pisa and To- Analyses carried out by the Green Section of the
rino and is charged with managing 9 of the 27 FIG and the Universities of Pisa and Bologna re-
holes of the Golf della Montecchia in accordance
with organic farming principles.
Its main objective is to guarantee environmental
and economic sustainability as well as to protect
the players’enjoyment and the aesthetic. It is a
study that aims to directly verify on the field the
real implications of an ecological approach to
maintenance.
The Golf della Montecchia has long been com-
mitted to managing the golf course in an envi-
ronmentally sustainable way by seeking efficient
solutions to optimize all aspects of golf course Photo 1 2017 Biogolf Seminar.

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