Doing Well by Doing Good at Etowah Valley

Frank Todd, the second-generation president of Etowah Valley Country Club in Hendersonville, N.C., is tired of golf getting a bad rap when it comes to the environment. “Golf used to be considered something good for the environment, but it’s lost that reputation,” Todd says. “It’s time we looked at our entire industry to see what we can do to make it greener and cleaner.”

Todd has changed Etowah Valley’s gas-powered golf car fleet to Club Car’s Precedent electric vehicles, eliminating emissions and reducing environmental noise.

Etowah Valley opened 43 years ago on the site of a former brickyard. “It was basically a clay mine, and the land was pretty scarred,” Todd recalls. “A golf course was one of the best land reclamation projects that could have happened here, and we’re committed to continuing our stewardship of the environment.”

The welcome news: doing well by the environment is also good for business. Although rounds were down for 2010 from prior years, Todd says the new Precedent fleet saved Etowah Valley more than $12,000 last year based on the difference in gas and electricity prices, as well as savings from parts and maintenance.