U.S. Non-collegiate Golf Course Superintendent's Perception of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program

The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) is administered by Audubon International as a partnership with the United States Golf Association which recognizes sustainable golf course management practices.  The six categories of ACSP certification are; 1) Environmental Planning; 2) Wildlife and Habitat Management; 3) Chemical Use Reduction and Safety; 4) Water Conservation; 5) Water Quality Management; and 6) Outreach & Education.  Currently, only 13% of the estimated 15,000 golf courses in the U.S. have achieved some level of ACSP certification.  A survey was conducted to determine the level of ACSP certification of U.S. non-collegiate golf courses and the interest in student involvement in the certification process.  A cross-sectional, self-administered online questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 1,500 superintendents at non-collegiate golf courses in the U.S.  The survey had 263 responses representing superintendents located in 46 U.S. states.  Data was analyzed using Chi-square, Spearman’s rank correlation, and Cox multiple regression analysis.  Twenty-eight percent of U.S. non-collegiate golf course superintendents identified their course as having some level of ACSP certification.  The main reasons for achieving certification were identified as environmental stewardship, prestige, a directive from a governing board, and reduction of management inputs.  The most challenging aspects of certification were time, the application process, and labor.  When asked to rate the difficulty of achieving certification in each ASCP category, the majority of superintendents rated all categories either neutral or easy, except for Outreach and Education, which was rated as neutral to difficult.  Fifty percent of the superintendents on courses not ACSP certified are interested in pursuing certification and the main reasons identified as barriers to certification were lack of time, budget, and the time involved in the certification process.  Superintendents identified an average of 3 four- or two-year colleges located near their course.  Of these schools, 57% were identified as having agricultural, horticultural, or turfgrass programs.  On average, superintendents reported an academic class visits their non-collegiate golf course once every three years.  Although 34% of superintendents reported having students involved on their course, only 6% said student activities were educational.  Despite this, 85% of superintendents would favor student involvement in the ACSP certification process.  Approximately half of the U.S. superintendents on non-ACSP certified courses are interested in pursuing ACSP certification.  A high interest in student help, coupled with close proximity to four- and two-year colleges with agricultural, horticultural, or turfgass programs creates the opportunity to overcome identified barriers to certification.