Environmental Practices Earn Bey Lea Golf Course Barnegat Bay-Friendly Certification

Bey Lea Golf Course celebrated a “monumental day” last week, becoming the first facility to meet the standards needed to be recognized as a Barnegat Bay-Friendly Golf Course.

Township and environmental officials were at the course to accept the Gold Standard award from the American Littoral Society on June 27, when it was announced Bey Lea successfully earned 99 out of 100 certification points.

“This is a just award,” said Barnegat Bay Project Manager Helen Henderson. “It has been a pleasure working with Bey Lea."

“It’s great to be recognized," said course Superintendent Joe Kinlin. "It’s important we take on the responsibility of doing these things. It’s our watershed."

To achieve the award, the course has put several environmental policies into effect. Special types of grass are planted, new irrigation techniques are used, and management is working to educate its patrons about the changes, according to Kinlin.

Being environmentally friendly means some grass at Bey Lea may not always be a lush green like that seen on the professional courses on television, Kinlin said.

“We created a threshold of damage that we’re willing to accept,” he said. “We try to water as little as possible.”

The course is authorized to use 100,000 gallons of water per day, but Kinlin said that hasn’t been necessary—so far, the greens at Bay Lea haven’t been watered once by the irrigation system which is fed by an on-site well.

Moisture sensors monitor levels on the course, and Kinlin can monitor conditions remotely through a smartphone application, operating sprinklers only as needed.

“Rather than irrigate based on appearance, we irrigate based on real-time data,” said Kinlin, who holds a turf grass science degree from Penn State.

The course doesn’t need to appear like a glamorous postcard photo, Kinlin said.

“We’re trying to educate our customers that being green isn’t necessarily the color green,” Kinlin said. “Sometimes we may get a little brown.”

The recently added native plants can survive with only rainwater, further reducing the need for regular irrigation.

“We have the right plants in the right places,” Kinlin said.

Currently, 25 acres of the course are in “no mow” territory, meaning the grass there is untouched and allowed to grow freely. Kinlin said that he hopes to increase that gradually to 45 acres.

The course is using a “better variety” of grass seeds, including some that are drought tolerant and disease and pesticide resistant, Kinlin said.

Not only are the practices environmentally friendly, they are also more fiscally responsible, according to Kinlin.

“We’re keeping our bottom line where we need it to be,” he said.

Kathleen Gasienica, president of the board for the American Littoral Society, called Bey Lea and Toms River “a leader” in environmentalism.

“It’s very difficult to be the first one to buy into anything,” she said. “We expect you to be a model for the other 39 golf courses in the Barnegat Bay watershed and beyond.”

“It’s a pleasure to work for a town that cares so much about the bay,” Kinlin said.