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Task Group Input Survey

GCSAA is exploring the next phase of the BMP pathway, to help golf facilities document responsible management practices, prepare for regulatory or community scrutiny, communicate environmental stewardship, and identify practical next steps for improvement.

Your insight is essential and this survey is one way we can weigh your priorities and perspectives between meetings.

This survey focusses on making the program useful, practical, credible and trusted. We will later be asking you a different series of questions exploring implementation.

Section One: Purpose and Value

Understanding the primary value and benefits of the program

Value for Members and Facilities

How would you prioritize the following possible benefits for members and facilities?

	1	2	3	4	5
Helps document that facilities are following responsible BMPs
Helps prepare for regulatory inspections, questions or future requirements
Reduces risk by keeping clear evidence and records
Helps communicate responsible stewardship to owners, boards, golfers and communities
Identifies practical next steps for improvement
Supports understanding, learning and teamwork within the facility
Provides recognition for demonstrating strong environmental practices

Value for GCSAA and Chapters

How would you prioritize the following possible benefits for GCSAA, Chapters and the wider golf industry?

	1	2	3	4	5
Provides another tangible and practical support service for GCSAA members
Helps GCSAA advocate for golf with regulators, legislators and partners
Provides credible, aggregated evidence of golf facilities participation
Gathers anonymized insights for internal use - i.e BMP implementation and performance
Helps GCSAA communicate verified approaches and examples of golf’s environmental stewardship
Helps Chapters support members in responding to local or state level issues

Benefits beyond regulatory compliance

For facilities with little current regulatory pressure,
what would make the program worth using?

Understanding baseline prioritized BMP implementation and progress tracking Practical guidance on what to do next and goal-setting Easier communication to staff, owners, boards or committees Public-facing credible communications messages and materials Recognitions from GCSAA and others Ability to justify resource use, such as water, fuel, nutrients or labor Greater readiness for any future tightening in regulations Other:

Potential barriers to participation

What would be most likely to make members hesitant to participate?

Too much time required Too much documentation required Records are too difficult to compile Cost Fear of not meeting the regulatory compliance BMPs Data sharing concerns due to fear that information could be used against the facility Data security concerns due to mistrust of online platforms Unclear value to the member or facility Other:

Section Two: Compliance, stewardship and recognition

Understanding what makes the program effective and usable

Balance of compliance and stewardship

Which statement best describes how you think the program should balance regulatory compliance and environmental stewardship recognition?

Award each points (totaling up to 10)

Recognition

Which statement feels most appropriate for recognition?

Only regulatory compliance should be recognized Only higher-level environmental stewardship should be recognized Recognition should be provided at both levels: regulatory compliance and higher-level stewardship Recognition should be provided at the regulatory compliance level plus a commitment towards greater environtmenal stewardship

Section Three: Program Shape

Testing simple views on structure, priority topics and BMP selection

Broad structure

Which broad recognition structure feels easiest to understand and most beneficial?

Facility-level for regulatory compliance and stewardship across all themes Topic-based recognitions or badges such as Water, IPM, Nutrients or Habitat

Choosing which BMPs to include first

When choosing which BMPs to include, which factors should matter most?

The BMPs are important for environmental protection The BMPs are practical for facilities to document The BMPs are relevant to regulators or local scrutiny The BMPs are useful for communicating stewardship The BMPs can be checked or validated at a point in time The BMPs are already familiar to many superintendents

Priority topics

Which subject area(s) feel most important to include in the first version of the program?

Turfgrass management and IPM Water quality and conservation Nutrient management Pollution prevention Wildlife habitat and pollinators Energy and fuel use Waste and materials All of the above Other:

Section Four: Evidence, Trust and Data

Understanding what feels realistic, credible and safe for members

Basic level evidence

What evidence and/or type of verification feels reasonable for basic participation?

Self-attestation Checklist completion Upload selected documents Upload photos Upload records or logs Remote review of checklists/documentation Virtual site visit On site visit

Higher credibility evidence

What evidence and/or type of verification feels reasonable for a higher level of validation?

Self-attestation Checklist completion Upload selected documents Upload photos Upload records or logs Remote review of checklists/documentation Virtual site visit On site visit

Information sharing

What would feel acceptable for different types of information?

	Keep at the facility only	Share privately with GCSAA	Share anonymously for wider reporting	Share publicly only if approved	Not sure
Uploaded permits and regulatory materials
Pesticide or IPM records
Water use records and data
Nutrient records and data
Energy records and data
Case studies or stories
Recognition status

Section Five: Outputs and Use

Identifying practical reports, time commitments and update expectations

Reports and outputs

Which reports or outputs would be most useful to facilities?

Regulatory inspection or readiness report Management, board or committee report Golfer or community facing stewardship report Internal progress report for the superintendent Recognition certificate or badges Templated case study or story Templated forward action plan Annual trends or insights report Other:

Realistic time commitment

How much time do you think most superintendents would realistically allocate to annual tracking, validation or recognition activities?

Less than 1 day 1 to 2 days 3 to 5 days More than 5 days It depends too much on the facility to say

Frequency for updating information

How often should a facility update its information?

Annually Every 2 years Every 3 years Only when pursuing recognition, reports or renewal Only when major changes occur

Frequency for validation

How often should a facility expect to be validated?

Annually Every 2 years Every 3 years Only when pursuing recognition, reports or renewal Only when major changes occur

Section Six: Final Reflections

Capturing first version priorities, trust factors and red flags

First version priorities

If GCSAA could only prioritize a few things in the first version, which should they be?

Trust

What is one thing this program must get right to be useful and trusted by superintendents?

Avoid

Is there anything GCSAA should avoid doing as it develops this program?

Join the conversation

Task Group Input Survey

Section One: Purpose and Value

Value for Members and Facilities

Value for GCSAA and Chapters

Benefits beyond regulatory compliance

Potential barriers to participation

Section Two: Compliance, stewardship and recognition

Balance of compliance and stewardship

Recognition

Section Three: Program Shape

Broad structure

Choosing which BMPs to include first

Priority topics

Section Four: Evidence, Trust and Data

Basic level evidence

Higher credibility evidence

Information sharing

Section Five: Outputs and Use

Reports and outputs

Realistic time commitment

Frequency for updating information

Frequency for validation

Section Six: Final Reflections

First version priorities

Trust

Avoid

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