Grass Carp have been introduced into our lakes for the biological control of aquatic vegetation. They thrive in small lakes and backwaters and grow at least 10 pounds a year. They eat up to three times their own body weight in weeds daily.

The Rainbow Trout has been introduced for food or sport in at least 45 countries and on every continent except Antarctica. However, at Springbank Links our trout do the eating; we stock them to reduce insects and plankton. They also help keep our intake screens clean and, yes, mosquitoes are part of their main diet.

To reduce the strain on energy production and consumption, Springbank Links has installed a revolutionary, vertical-axis, roof-mounted, wind turbine. It generates green energy to feed our clubhouse power supply; producing energy at even low wind speeds. The turbine allows us to decrease our impact on the environment and non-renewable resources. To view a short video on the turbine, click here

A mixture of Bow River water and effluent is used to irrigate the golf course lands. An onsite treatment plant processes the wastewater created from the neighbouring residents of Emerald Bay and from our clubhouse. Once converted into a high-quality wastewater, the effluent is pumped into our irrigation lakes instead of being discharged back into the river system. Here, it mixes with river water and is eventually distributed via spray irrigation on the course. The turf grass utilizes the moisture and any nutrients provided and we are proud to operate within a ‘zero-discharge’ community.

The circulator action of our wind generated aerator encourages aquatic organisms to increase productivity. It provides oxygen to improve the natural diversity in the aquatic system by increasing the rate and efficiency of naturally occurring biogeochemical cycles (the rate and efficiency at which energy, nutrients, oxygen, etc. are cycled). In other words, it keeps our fish alive and the algae down.

Behind green #10 you’ll find our state-of-the-art weather station. It records ‘real-time’ weather information used by CFCN News in their local telecasts; at Springbank Links we use it to monitor our site-specific conditions (rain, wind speed, evaporation rates, etc.) and adjust our irrigation system accordingly. By minimizing our fresh water use, we prevent over-watering and contribute to our sustainable future. Our weather station allows us to create the healthiest growing environment for our turf grass. Golfers love it as they can log onto our website and check out the current playing conditions before they tee it up.

Springbank Links is home to many of Alberta’s wildlife. Red-tail Hawks, Bald Eagles, Grey Quail, Ruffled Grouse, partridges, Canada Geese, Red Fox, Ring-Neck Pheasants, Blue Back Pheasants and an abundant population of White-tail deer (about 40 head) are spotted daily on the course. And yes, even a Bull Moose has been sited jogging down fairway #17.

Wild pheasant populations are subject to extreme fluctuation due primarily to the availability of suitable cover and the severity of our winter weather. Supporting a local Alberta hatchery and rearing barn, Ring-Neck and Blue-Back Pheasants are released on the course to help maintain the biodiversity of our ecosystem.

Best management practices are used to balance nutrients offered via the effluent watering program and the natural demands for healthy turf. We prefer to use organic products in our Fertilizers program. They feed the naturally occurring microbial population and their by-products become usable nutrients for the turf plant. Microbes are the first line of defence against disease causing agents such as bacteria and fungus. The organic products we use consist of feather meal, blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, humates and grain by-products. Once broken down by the microbes, these become great sources of protein, iron, calcium, phosphorous, amino acids, carbon, sugar, and starch for the turf. The ‘slow release’ component to them allows the Fertilizer pellets to breakdown over time for a controlled release. This prevents nutrients from washing away during storm events.

An intense monitoring program has been implemented to ensure that leach and storm water run-off does not impact our river and potable water supply. Surface monitoring catch weirs, multiple shallow and deep sub-surface boreholes, underground drainage collection systems and multiple soil samples from shallow and deep depths of fairways and greens are collected and sent for laboratory analysis on a regular basis. The monitoring and reporting of our irrigation lakes and effluent is done daily and we are happy to report there have been NO concerns or red flags raised.

Recycling involves the separation and collection of materials for processing and remanufacturing into new products; this prevents the waste of potentially useful materials, reducing the consumption of fresh raw materials and energy usage. At Springbank Links, we recycle all products possible.

Food, leaves, grass clippings, garden waste, and tree trimmings (which amount to between 50 and 70 percent of waste in this country) all go into our compost pile. Hungry microorganisms eat the waste to produce carbon dioxide, water, and humus. The resulting compost is an excellent natural fertilizer to restore soil fertility, control weeds, retain ground moisture, and reduce soil erosion.

Pizza with a conscience…. we are proud to offer our guests 100% biodegradable take-out boxes and cutlery. SYSCO’s Earth Plus products are manufactured from renewable resources such as sugar cane, corn and potato starches, resulting in a product that is better for the environment from start to finish. Once the product has been introduced into a composte environment, it will become organic matter in 60-90 days!