FBR Open goes green

text size

This isn't the Jerry Springer show, though it sounds like it at times.

Halleran/Getty Images

Fans cheer at the FBR Open's 16th hole.

Loud chants were heard on Friday morning of "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry" from the 16th hole, where fan favorite Jerry Kelly was on the tee. Cheers and jeers are just one of the many ways that the loudest fans on the PGA TOUR voice their admiration for -- and sometimes disappointment in -- the pros playing the hole.

The concept itself is mind-boggling and unique to this TOUR stop. Half a million people will pour onto the grounds of the FBR Open this weekend. With the Super Bowl taking place just down the road, the number could jump even higher.

It goes without saying that, whether it's pre-game action or an all-day affair, there will be several beverages and tons of food consumed at the TOUR's biggest hootenanny. From the crazy shindig at No. 16 to the other 17 holes, the course resembles one big 19th hole.

The PGA TOUR Wives Association, Inc. saw this tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., as an opportunity. Tournament director Tim Louis and the Thunderbirds -- a group of businessmen who host the tournament and have raised over $46 million for charity over the years -- also had the same thought.

Instead of letting all of those used beer cans, soda cups and water bottles go to waste, why not start a recycling initiative?

The idea began to take shape in 2007 from the wives' end so they reached out to Waste Management for help. One of the TOUR's Official Marketing Partners, Waste Management is an organization that works throughout the country to collect, recycle and find efficient, environmentally-friendly ways to dispose of garbage.

Naturally, this marriage between the wives and Waste Management came together smoothly and it became their mission to work with individual tournaments on their recycling efforts. A pilot run was conducted at the 2007 Fry's Electronics Open, the other Scottsdale, Ariz., tournament hosted by the Thunderbirds.

"It was a huge success for a pilot program," Amy Wilson, wife of Mark Wilson, said of their first try. "It was a big win because 25 percent of all waste collected was recycled, which is above industry average. Twelve to 18 percent is usually the average recycled total waste, so achieving 25 percent is a huge success."

In Scottsdale, Ariz., meanwhile, Mike McQuaid, Waste Management and the Thunderbirds were already devoting time to "going green". This involved adding to the course additional green receptacles with special lids that allow only recyclable materials. Plus, the tournament worked to market the program so fans would understand it was their duty to recycle.

With all of the groups backing the cause, everything worked out so that this week the putting surfaces aren't the only green thing on the golf course. How much waste will be converted to recycled materials will not be known until after this week's tournament, but the goal is 25 percent.

The TOUR wives are already working to implement this program in other cities, so visitors to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the PODS Championship and the Stanford St. Jude Championship will likely see recycle containers.

"The TOUR and the TOUR wives aren't saying that our goal is 100 percent. We want to be proactive and do what we can. Another goal is to help inspire spectators who see that we are recycling and excited about it who would then maybe bring it back to their own homes, community and work places," Wilson said.

The wives have the full support of the players, who have begun to do their part to dispose of materials properly.

"Walking the course and being out there [this week], I've seen people choose to put it in the recycling bin," said Wilson. "I've even heard a few comments from people saying, 'Hey, look, they are recycling'. A couple of the players have come up to me and said, 'Hey Amy, I threw all of my water bottles in the recycling bin today.'"

So, if you're one of the 500,000 spectators heading to the FBR Open, here's a final thought:

Don't drink and trash. Recycle.