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Spring in Florida
by Eric Dodson,
Manager, Sustainable Communities Campaign, Audubon
International |
 Winter.
Breathe it in, and your lungs fill with the coldest of
air. Exhale and a blast of white smoky breathe puffs out
like a cloud. Spring is just about here, and I for one
couldn’t be happier. The endless months of cold are just
about over. Shoveling heaps of snow from the driveway is
almost a thing of the past.
But wait! What am I talking about? I moved to Florida
this past winter. I didn’t have to pull out my sock-hat
or mittens a single time. What a great feeling!
So what now? What am I to expect from a Florida Spring?
Well, this is what I have
come to learn about Florida from the few short months
that I have lived here. Traffic moves at a quicker pace,
and yet no one uses their blinkers to indicate that they
might be changing lanes. However, the men and women that
work at the grocery store up the road from my home are a
little more pleasant and conversational as opposed to
the cashiers and baggers back in my home state. There is
an endless supply of restaurants, and I have tried
“gator nuggets” at least twice in the last half a year.
The other thing that I noticed is that golf is a big
business, and the people managing these courses take the
influx of spring traffic very seriously for their annual
success. I have heard from more than one golf course
superintendent that that next few months are vital to
the financial success of a golf course in Florida. It
has also been stated that the mass of people that are
expected to arrive this upcoming Spring expect and
demand pristine conditions. These people are tired of
the cold, tired of brown grass, and tired of being
inside. They are paying for more than just a round of
golf. They are paying for a little sense of escape from
a very long winter.
When I think of what makes a perfect round of golf for
me, it’s not just hitting a low score. It’s more than
that. It’s also about enjoying myself in the company of
friends. It’s a time to relax; if only for a couple of
hours. It’s about being “outside,” and away from my
desk. It is about listening to whistling birds as I
stroll down to the next tee shot. It’s looking off at a
water body, or watching the tall fescue sway in the wind
before setting my golf ball up on that wooden tee and
smacking it off; hopefully dead center of the next
fairway.
For more than a decade,
members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and
the Audubon Signature Programs have successfully merged
the natural aspects of golf with the game itself. To me,
the golf courses that I have visited over the years that
have gone through an Audubon program simply feel better.
They embody all of the aspects that I look for when
playing a round of golf. They not only provide the
perfect escape from the long northeastern winter, but
they also showcase the best of what Florida has to
offer: great golf in a beautiful natural setting.
Thankfully, many golf course owners and managers
throughout Florida agree. There are nearly three hundred
golf courses already enrolled in an Audubon program and
seventy-one of those courses are certified as Audubon
Cooperative Sanctuary Golf Courses. Twenty-one courses
have also been certified as Audubon Signature
Sanctuaries. Those totals are higher than the entire
states of California, New York and Texas combined!
Clearly, golf course managers, superintendents, and
owners throughout Florida see the economic,
environmental, and golf benefits that come from
participation in Audubon International programs.
As spring comes to Florida, not only am I happy that I
escaped another long, cold winter, but I am proud to now
live in a place that strives to ensure that the game of
golf showcases its natural heritage and takes care of
the environment upon which it depends. I am proud to
live in a state that has become a leader for golf
courses in other states to follow.
For those of you currently participating and actively
involved in an Audubon program, I commend you for
helping to make the game the best it can be. And for those
of you who seek to take the first step by joining an
Audubon Program, I salute and welcome you on behalf of
Audubon International. To learn more about Audubon
International or to enroll your golf course into an
Audubon International Program, please visit us online at: www.auduboninternational.org. |
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