Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/82830
INDUSTRY NEWS VIA PRESS RELEASE INDUSTRY NEWS BY ARMEN SUNY RE-OPENS PRODUCT PLACEMENT TO FAIRMONT SUPERINTENDENT TOM ALTMANN & DOUG CARRICK (R) In the heart of the Columbia Valley, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is a historical destination, world renowned for its natural beauty and its mineral hot springs. But on July 15th of this year, a sudden surge of debris rolled down Fairmont Creek and through the village. Fairmont Creek, typical of streams in the area, has headwaters high in the Stanford Range of the Rocky Mountains, and flows into the Columbia River. The torrent of water from high in the mountains carried large rocks and trees with it and destroyed much in its path. The flow was largely contained to the deep canyon that runs through the resort, but it isolated the RV Park and deposited materials further down in the village. The debris flow washed away the access road to the RV Park, badly damaged the pedestrian bridge to the RV Park, deposited rock, mud and timber on parts of the Mountainside Golf Course and left a mess on the canyon floor. Fortunately all guests and residents of the village of Fairmont Hot Springs were safe. The mudslide forced the resort to close for three weeks while debris was removed from the natural hot spring sources, located up the Fairmont Creek. At the same time, a new intake was installed and a new water supply line was built to the lodge. In the clean up that was needed for the golf course, FHS's Vice President and Director Of Golf Peter Smith confirmed that they definitely could use some help from the industry, "Our challenge has been with labour to do hand cleaning, clearing and grooming... If you have someone who you could spare to work for us for a week or two or three it would help us tremendously. They could be skilled greens keepers who could take over maintenance of the course allowing us to free up some of our staff to work on the restoration… Many thanks for considering this unique request." And many in the turfgrass industry responded and the ambitious goal to have the course ready to play August 3rd was achieved. Says Smith with a smile, "In time for the long weekend, the Mountainside golf course at Fairmont Hot Springs is reopening tomorrow." The process was not a simple one and after consultations with noted Canadian golf course architect, Doug Carrick, debris from the mudslide has been worked in the design of the course."There was tons of debris and we used it to make improvements where ever we could," said Smith. "We've used it to elevate tee boxes, add contours and create natural hazards. Mountainside is known for its 'parkland' look and we are using debris to recreate that look and take the course back to its roots, with boulders lining the creek." COMING EVENTS Check out the large number of high quality up-coming events available for your participation... CGSA / BCGSA Fall Field Day Can-West Hort Show Vancouver Convention Centre September 19-20, 2012 Sports Turf Field Day The Soccer Centre, Toronto, ON Thursday, September 20, 2012 Visit sportsturfassociation.com for information. Northwest Turfgrass Association 66th Annual Conference Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Oregon October 28-30, 2012 NK'Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course, Oliver, BC September 15-17, 2012 For more, visit: fairmonthotspringsresort.com Vancouver Island Golf Course Let's face it, kids just aren't that interested in playing golf and it appears as if we will lose an entire generation of golfers. Most kids, in all probability, think that golf is a game for old men. We, as an industry, need to find ways to make golf appealing to kids. Golf organizations have been spending tens of millions of dollars a year trying to attract kids to golf but have failed. The economy and rehashing the same old ideas for growing the game of golf do not bode well for our sport. We need to find new and innovative ways to make kids want to know more about or even, dare I say, play golf. MARKET GOLF First Tee and Tiger Woods were going to save golf, remember. And now, The PGA of America is going to save golf with Golf 2.0. I hope that we get some more software updates for Golf 2.0 before it's too late. I'm just afraid that it's going to be more of the same bureaucracy driven mediocrity that ends up making us feel like we are doing something, even if it is the same old thing. It's time to try a entirely new 21st Century approach. Let me propose a new idea, Product Placement or Embedded Marketing to promote golf. It has worked for everything from soft drinks to Superintendents Association MS Fundraiser and Professional Development Day Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort, Victoria, BC November 13-14, 2012 Information coming soon IIABC Convention and Tradeshow Delta Grand Okanagan Resort, Kelowna, BC November 4-5, 2012 Contact Karen Van der Gulik at karen@irrigationbc.com National Golf Course Owner's Association Golf Business Canada Conference and Trade Show Deerhurst, Ontario November 15-17, 2012 www.ngcoa.org/events.asp Washington Turf and Landscape Show Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington December 17-19, 2012 www.wwgcsa.org www.nwturfgrass.net/pages/conference/registration automobiles and more; it can and will work for golf. Pay the network, studios, Executive Producers or whomever to place golf and golf characters into their youth oriented sitcoms and movies. Expose tens of millions of children to golf through television shows and movies that they are already watching. This way we won't need to change kids' behaviors to expose them to golf, they'll get our message in their own family rooms. And then of course since we would be buying this Product Placement, we would dictate that the golf character be one of the more popular, hip, cool, dope characters on the show. If we can create mainstream youth culture characters that are golfers, kids will begin to think of golf as part of the norm for their peer group. There are undoubtably many ways to attract young people to the game of golf; as an industry, we need to constantly reevaluate and better our efforts. If we don't start thinking about growing the game of golf in new youth oriented ways, it won't grow and it will truly become a game for old men. Reprinted with permission. SportsTurf Managers Association Annual Conference Canadian Golf Superintendents Conference and Trade Show Toronto, ON January 25-29, 2013 golfsupers.com/toronto2013 BC Recreation and Parks Association 36th Annual Spring Training Guildford Sheraton, Surrey, BC February 20-21, 2013 Daytona Beach, Florida January 15-19, 2013 www.stma.org/2013-conference More information is available by contacting: Programs and Initiatives Coordinator Phone: 604-629-0965 ext. 229 Email: parksandrec@bcrpa.bc.ca WCTA 50th Anniversary Conference and Trade Show Penticton Convention Centre, Penticton, BC March 3-5, 2013 www.wcta-online.com/coming-events/wcta-show- conference WESTERN CANADA TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 33 IMAGE COURTESY FACILITY IMAGE CREDIT RAIN DESIGN