The Hi-Lo Desert Golf Course Superintendents Association (GCSA) has earned the 2016 Excellence in Government Affairs Award for establishing a water task force and sharing drought management plans in the Coachella Valley.
“I was humbled and excited that our little association could accomplish so much and earn recognition for its efforts,” said Jon Maddern, director of agronomy at PGA West in La Quinta and president of the Hi-Lo Desert GCSA, a chapter of 232 members in the Coachella Valley.
Maddern and Stu Rowland, director of golf course operations at Rancho La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta are two of the four superintendents on the Coachella Valley Water District’s 20-member water task group that was formed in 2013. Rowland will serve as chair of the group in 2017.
The 120 golf courses in the 53-mile radius of the Hi-Lo chapter also participated in an economic impact study that got the attention of lawmakers in Sacramento. It showed that golf in the area had an overall $1.1 billion annual impact.
“I think we’re showing our lawmakers the value we can bring to the table,” said Rowland, a member of the GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador Program. “It’s satisfying to know that we can impact the way people make laws and regulations and rewarding to do that work on behalf of all superintendents.”
Rhett Evans, the CEO of the GCSAA, said Hi-Lo officials showed that working together is a sound way to become better stewards of the land.
“I applaud the Hi-Lo chapter for getting involved in the community and showing how the golf industry cares for our natural resources,” he said, “in addition to promoting our golf businesses that are vital to growing our economy.”
