NJSGA Teams With New Jersey Green Industry Council

The New Jersey State Golf Association is in collaboration with the New Jersey Green Industry Council.

The purpose of the Council (NJGIC) is to represent, promote and defend the interests of the green industry and its partners through education, communications and advocacy at both the local and state level.

The efforts of the NJGIC - which help keep golf courses in top condition - do not go unnoticed by the NJSGA. Both recognize that quality playing conditions are important to golf, to golfers, to business and to the state of New Jersey.

Representatives from the NJGIC will speak at the annual NJSGA Golf Summit on March 25, 2014, at Galloping Hill Golf Course.

The NJGIC is the first line of defense against negative laws and regulations, working with a contract lobbyist in Trenton. It is the green industry’s watchdog group looking out for the interests of all professionals that manage the outdoor environment, including golf courses and golf-related facilities.

The NJGIC is dedicated to representing member interests for a broad range of industry regulations and legislative concerns including fertilizer restrictions and regulations, junk science, licensure laws, local ordinances, pesticides regulations, pesticide notification laws, product restrictions, taxation of services, trade restrictions, water quality and water restrictions, and anti-industry propaganda.

Mark Kuhns, director of grounds at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield since 1999 and past president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America , serves on the NJGIC board.

“When I arrived at Baltusrol in 1999, the turf was in very poor condition due to stress of heat and drought. It was my mission to make it better. This was possible due to the availability of new products and improved course management practices. We are not using the pesticides of a bygone era. We are not polluting our air and streams by using heavy metals. We are using new reduced risk products and cutting edge management techniques.

“The EPA and DEP monitors what we use and tests for safety. We are very contentious of potential effects on the wildlife on our golf course. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that 128 species of birds frequent our courses. We have native fish in our streams. These are things we are monitoring constantly. This is testimony that our management practices, including pesticides and fertilizers are not creating harm,” Kuhns continued.

“There are a lot of benefits to having good healthy grass. It provides good, healthy oxygen and cools the environment. We are environmentalists. We are sensitive to the use of water, pesticides and fertilizers

“We have to protect our toolbox. We need the option to use a variety of products when the need is there. The New Jersey Green Industry Council is good for me, for Baltusrol and for all the clubs involved. We need more clubs to join us,” Kuhns said.

“There is a lot of pressure we are facing from uneducated people,” said Wayne Dubin of Bartlett Tree Experts, president of the NJGIC executive board. “We have to get the word out on what is real, how pesticides and fertilizers are used, the value they play in maintaining quality environments.

“I don’t think the average golfer knows his golf course is threatened by regulations. The message has to be spoken and gotten to clubs. What the NJGIC does is good for the golf industry, good for the economy and good for the State of New Jersey.”