Operational sustainability is an ongoing goal in the golf industry. Not only is an increased focus on environmental stewardship the right thing to do, it also can help defray some of the negative public relations hurled at the industry from outsiders.
Applebrook Golf Club in East Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, recently unveiled its latest step toward sustainability when it pulled back the curtain on its new and environmentally friendly Brecker Turf Care Center.
The center is named for Jim Brecker, an Applebrook member who was on the committee to explore and undertake the project. The former CEO of the commercial construction firm of Irwin and Leighton in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Brecker provided a great deal of know-how on such an undertaking, said Jared Viarengo, CGCS, Applebrook's director of grounds and club operations.
"Jim brought a massive amount of expertise and knowledge to the project," Viarengo said via email. "His contributions were so enormous that the committee ultimately recommended to the board that the new facility be named the Brecker Turf Care Center in his honor. Jim, who in his career had built the most elaborate buildings, agreed at the end of the project that while the buildings were simple, the overall project was complicated — the land development approvals and all the additional specialized equipment that was outside the general contractor's scope."
The facility replaces outdated buildings, and high-speed Internet, providing access to digital tools and resources while minimizing paper use. The building also includes employee locker rooms, break rooms and restrooms and a state-of-the-art shop.
The new facility is about 12,000 square feet with 1,100 square feet of mezzanine storage and aout 4,000 square feet of high-bay area and a lift, Viarengo said.
The repair shop portion of the building is about 2,000 square feet and has its own office space, restroom, parts room, and separate area for sharpening equipment. Unlike its predecessor, it is also air-conditioned.
"While we have only been using the new facility at full capacity for a few months, it has positively influenced staff morale," Viarengo said. "There is more energy to go around. It's a more professional work environment and better aligns with what we are working to accomplish on the golf course. Our crew went from a small break room with one undersized restroom and limited lockers to a facility with an appropriately sized break room, individual lockers in a drying room, and men's and ladies' restrooms with shower facilities. We are much better able to communicate with the entire team in the new breakroom, and we finally adopted an electronic job board, which we now have the space for and electrical power to use. The new facility has high-speed ethernet lines and boosted Wi-Fi for employees throughout."
A few unique features that will reduce the environmental risk of Applebrook's operations are a new agricultural building and a Carbtrol wash water recycling system equipped with a ConVault above-ground fuel storage tank on a concrete pad to contain spills. The tank is double-wall steel encased in concrete for impact and leak protection.
The club also focused on how it stores and mixes pesticides. Because the club had outgrown its manufactured steel chemical storage building, staff previously transported products out to the golf course to mix them. The new agricultural building includes PlantStar mix-load equipment that allows staff to mix spray product in large batches and fill the sprayers quicker and more efficiently than before. The building also has a sump floor to contain spills.
While we have only been using the new facility at full capacity for a few months, it has positively influenced staff morale. There is more energy to go around. It's a more professional work environment and better aligns with what we are working to accomplish on the golf course.
"By prioritizing sustainability in every aspect of our operations, we aim to set a new standard for golf course management while preserving the natural beauty of our surroundings," said Chuck Lawson, Applebrook's president.
There were many challenges and complications that made the project unique, said Viarengo.
"The main one was that our golf maintenance facility resides on the East Goshen Township property. When the golf course was developed, the township acquired 100 acres of the original tract of land to build a park for the residents."
The pharmaceutical company Smith Kline Beecham (now GSK) owned that tract of land, and the facility was in a few of the original buildings that subsequently were now on township property. With a complex agreement with the township, Applebrook acquired the lots with an easement to operate outside the buildings.
Golf course staff must cross a public road to get from the maintenance facility to the golf course. The original buildings comprised about 8,000 square feet, and club founders, motivated by the avoidance of new construction costs, deemed the old buildings adequate 24 years ago. Although construction was completed in just nine months, the planning process for the new facility took four years to navigate.
"Our founding members were from Pine Valley, Aronimink, Merion and other area courses. As it so happens, these premier clubs had poor maintenance facilities," Viarengo said. "Based on the founder's frame of reference, they thought inheriting these old buildings and avoiding the cost of new construction was a home run. Where I came from in New York, the aging facilities were already being updated and improved. Within a decade of Applebrook opening, most courses I mentioned, and more, had reconstructed their facilities to a much higher standard."
Because the club had a strict covenant with the township to operate a golf course maintenance facility in the middle of its park, the club was limited as to what it could and could not do regarding construction and storage of materials, Viarengo said.
Adding to the complication, those buildings are next to a renovated farmhouse that serves as the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry offices.
"Long story short, we had a lengthy approval process. Before we even got to the usual land development process, Applebrook had to get the entire agreement rewritten, and because of how the township acquired the land, the county had to be involved," Viarengo said. "The good news was that at the end of the day, while this was good for Applebrook, it was also a significant win for East Goshen Township, the residents and all the neighbors."