Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas’ golf course superintendent chosen as the overall recipient of the 2017 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas’ golf course superintendent chosen as the overall recipient of the 2017 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

 

Dallas, U.S.A., 2018-Jan-16 — /Travel PR News/ — Anthony Williams, CGCS, Director of Golf Course Maintenance and Landscape Operations at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, has been chosen as the Overall and National Private recipient of the 2017 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards (ELGA), which are presented annually by GCSAA and Golf Digest in partnership with Syngenta.

The awards recognise golf course superintendents and their courses for overall course management excellence and best management practices in the areas of water conservation, water quality management, energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste management, wildlife and habitat conservation, communication and outreach, and leadership.

ELGA winners will be recognised Tuesday, February 6, 2018 during the opening celebration of the 2018 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio.  Winners will also be featured in upcoming issues of Golf Digest and GCSAA’s official monthly publication, Golf Course Management magazine.

“The ELGA winners are to be commended for their commitment to environmental stewardship on the golf course,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “They are a testament to the idea that golf courses can be compatible with environment, and in many cases, enhance it.”

Williams, a 21-year member of GCSAA, is the only “triple crown” winner of the ELGAs, having also won the National Resort award in 2005 while at Renaissance PineIsle Resort and Golf Club in Sugar Hill, Georgia.  In 2006, he won the Overall and National Public award while at Stone Mountain Golf Club in Georgia.  He has won numerous other environmental awards as well, including the GCSAA President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2010.  Williams’ upbringing on the family farm in Indian Creek, Georgia, where six generations of his family have lived, set the stage for his environmentally focused career.

“I’m part Cherokee, that was my upbringing — take care of the land, the land will take care of you,” Williams says. “I don’t remember not having that as a part of my professional DNA.”

TPC Four Seasons, a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, has an array of native and ornamental plants and a wildlife inventory on the Resort grounds.  Williams and team repaired a broken food chain by converting more than 40 acres (16 hectares) of high maintenance turf areas into areas of native grass and wild flowers, while also supplementing the habitat with bird feeders, water features and nest boxes.

Water conservation is the cornerstone of the environmental program at TPC Four Seasons. One hundred percent of the water used on the course is reclaimed and comes from the Dallas County Utility and Reclamation. Williams’ staff attends 20 hours of water conservation training annually, and each year he presents the “Golden Hose” award to the member of his team who is the best manager of water.

Williams’ integrated pest management (IPM) program is bolstered by a “war room” that’s equipped with a microscope, diagnostic tools, resource materials and more. This year the maintenance team exceeded its IPM goals and saved USD 28,450 by reducing the use of chemicals and fertilisers. Williams is actively involved in spreading golf’s environmental message in the Dallas area. He averages 26 presentations a year to homeowners associations, school groups and other organisations.  An educator and leader by nature, Williams authored The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit in 2012 to guide future golf course superintendents with their environmental leadership efforts.

“I want to show that, as superintendents, we want to create memorable golf,” Williams says. “But how much more special is it when you have those amazing encounters with nature and wildlife?”

About GCSAA and the EIFG

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organisation in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the US and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kansas, the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf.

The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organisation of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game.

Contact:
Vail Tolbert
Director of Public Relations & Communications
4150 North MacArthur Boulevard
Irving, Texas 75038
U.S.A.
vail.tolbert@fourseasons.com
1 (972) 717-2441

Source: Four Seasons Resort

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