With the Ryder Cup teeing off at Bethpage Black this weekend, Cornell University has revealed how it worked closely with the course owners on ensuring that the golf course is as sustainable as possible.
This year marks the first time that the Ryder Cup will be staged on a state-owned public course in the United States, and Bethpage Black has become a model for environmental responsibility over the last quarter century, stemming from a partnership launched in 2000 between the Cornell Turfgrass Program and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Bethpage Black is one of 23 state park golf courses and 18 facilities that have benefited from the partnership.
“There was a shared belief that this is our responsibility to the citizens of New York state and to the environment,” Frank Rossi, associate professor of horticulture in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the state’s turfgrass extension specialist, told the Cornell Chronicle.
Course management
As part of the partnership, Cornell research has informed practices such as managing soil health, reducing pesticide inputs through the incorporation of integrated pest management techniques, and reducing the use of fertilisers.
Its efforts have lowered pesticide inputs by nearly half and cut nutrient use by 60%, with the golf course still able to deliver championship-standard playing conditions.
“In working with Cornell, we have all become much more mindful and diligent about when to apply inputs and use the right product that helps protect the environment overall,” added Mike Hadley, superintendent of the Black Course at Bethpage State Park.
In addition to hosting this year’s Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black has held a myriad of major gold tournaments, including the 2002 US Open, the 2009 US Open, the 2019 PGA Championship, and The Barclays Championship in 2012 and 2016.
Nature first
At this year’s Ryder Cup, Cornell researchers are set to embed themselves within the course’s agronomy team, monitoring turf performance while maintaining environmental stewardship. Some areas of managed turf have been converted to native grasslands, boosting biodiversity and supporting pollinators.
“We want to have the golf course in as good a shape as we can, but our work is not 100% focused on golf conditions,” noted Andrew Wilson, director of agronomy at Bethpage. “We are also thinking about the nature we recreate in.” Read more here.
