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these daily inspirations and are
actively discovering new things—
technology, communication, process,
design—and sharing them with each
other without letting boundaries,
titles, or status block the path to
cutting-edge innovation.
“In addition to our culture of
collaboration, discovery and
continual learning, EDSA is on
the vanguard of sustainability and
performance-based design. Our
Performance Metrics Approach
helps us achieve thoughtful and
innovative solutions while also
improving our sustainability
‘IQ’. It is a framework that relies
on frontend information to set
measurable benchmarks.
“It comes down to each of us
pushing the other to go above and
beyond. We inspire and encourage
each other to constantly and
consistently improve our craft,”
continues Lamont.
Partnerships are important too,
though it can be challenging to
identify those with a shared vision.
“The struggle is finding the early
adopters,” says Lonn, “the people who
are really willing to push the envelope
and to experiment. Sometimes when
you are early on that curve you try and
fail. That’s hard, particularly in the
private club world.
“For some of these technological
innovations you’ve got to have a
long timeframe in which to look at
them. Hybrid vehicles are a good
example—you have to be willing
to make some kind of upfront
investment and expect the payback
to happen over time. That’s what’s
necessary to foster innovation.”
•
At its 2016 Annual Meeting, ASGCA
hosted the second Donald Ross
Roundtable meeting, gathering
representatives from leading golf
businesses to discuss and share knowledge
around key drivers for change in
the industry, and areas of focus for
innovation. This article is one of a series
of initiatives to emerge from that debate.
Stay up-to-date with the discussion at
www.asgca.org .INNOVATION
INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
Delivering results
Independence Golf Club in
Midlothian, Virginia, was faced
with three problems—pace of play,
playability and sustainability—all
of which affected the bottom line.
A new golf course design by Lester
George, ASGCA, has addressed
each of these issues.
Extensive tree and bush removal
opened up views, bunkers were
redesigned and repositioned to
improve playability and paths
were re-routed to improve the flow
of golfers.
In addition, new wells were drilled
to avoid the reliance on public
potable drinking water, increasing
water efficiency and sustainability.
The new design also made
way for new facilities at the
club, including a golf teaching
academy and a clubhouse
addition for events.
The changes have transformed
Independence Golf Club into a
popular, playable and profitable
facility, yielding a revenue increase
of $3,000 per day.