Minnesota Superintendent Earns GCSAA's 2014 President's Award for Environmental Stewardship


Roger Stewart, certified golf course superintendent (CGCS) at TPC Twin Cities in St. Paul, Minn., has been selected to receive the 2014 President's Award for Environmental Stewardship by the board of directors of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

Stewart will receive the award Wednesday, February 5, during the Opening Session at the 2014 Golf Industry Show in Orlando (February 1-6).

A 38-year member of GCSAA, Stewart has accumulated an impressive array of environmental accomplishments at each stop along a nearly four-decade career as a golf course superintendent. Since joining the TPC network of courses in 1996, he has served as a leader and a resource on environmental matters across all 33 TPC courses, and has been equally involved in issues on the local level through leadership in numerous superintendent chapters.

"GCSAA members such as Roger Stewart set a shining example for all superintendents through the positive environmental stewardship he has displayed during his career," says GCSAA President Patrick R. Finlen, CGCS. "His openness and willingness to share what he has learned with others has been a benefit to our entire industry, and we're pleased to honor him for his many accomplishments."

Stewart's first stop in the TPC system was the grow-in superintendent at TPC Jasna Polana in Princeton, N.J. He worked diligently throughout the construction process to protect the water sources and native wildlife habitat that surround the environmentally sensitive site. Under his direction, Jasna Polana was certified as both an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International and a River Friendly Golf Course through the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association.

After moving to TPC Twin Cities in 2008, Stewart continued his stewardship efforts. He recertified the property as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. He oversaw work on surface water areas that included stream bank stabilization, the enhancement of wildlife habitat areas and a naturalized planting project. Stewart also focused on the expansion of low-maintenance areas, and the reduction of irrigation water use, and TPC Twin Cities has regularly ranked among the leaders in low energy use among golf courses in the greater Minneapolis area.

The guest host of the Green Links section of the Environmental Institute for Golf website in 2009, Stewart has also developed productive relationships with numerous community groups and environmental professionals. He currently serves as the vice president of the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association and has been directly involved in the development of water reporting and drought management guidelines that will engage state agencies and protect water availability for golf properties in Minnesota.

The GCSAA President's Award for Environmental Stewardship was established in 1991 to recognize "an exceptional environmental contribution to the game of golf; a contribution that further exemplifies the golf course superintendent's image as a steward of the land."

For a full list of past winners, visit www.gcsaa.org/community/awards.

The above report is courtesy of the GCSAA and Environmental Institute for Golf. For more information, visit www.eifg.org.