The biggest trend in the meetings industry is environmental watchfulness. Green is in in a big way, and for companies that are building sustainability practices into their meetings and events, golf outings may be questioned. Courses have a reputation for overuse of pesticides, fertilizers, and water resources to keep fairways and greens in pristine condition, and environmentalists have long criticized courses for their destruction of wildlife habitat.

While golf might never be the greenest sport, planners can take heart. Course managers have shown a growing interest in water management, preservation of wildlife and habitats, recycling, and energy conservation. One example is the launch of the Environmental Institute for Golf in 2003 to create standards for course design, construction, and management, and other environmental initiatives.

The sport has also seen some green press with the decision of professional golfer Justin Rose to offset the carbon emissions for his entourage's travel on the 2008 pro tour and last month's Beyond the Lights Celebrity Golf Classic in Austin, Texas, which offset all carbon emissions from the event.

For planners in search of an environmentally sound tournament site, one of the best resources is the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, a certification program that recognizes existing courses for implementing and documenting environmental management programs. The organization also offers Audubon Signature Programs that help new courses with environmental planning and management. The list of ACSP-certified courses is dominated by country clubs and public courses, but some resorts have gotten in on the act as well. In fact, in March, Marriott Golf, a division of Marriott International, announced a new mandate requiring 34 of its managed golf courses in North America and the Caribbean to be Audubon certified by the end of this year.

Here's a sampling of resorts that have earned the ACSP certification. For the full list, organized by state, go to www.auduboninternational.org (click on “programs”).

• Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, Va.
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, San Antonio
• Amelia Island Plantation, Amelia Island, Fla.
• The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort, Stone Mountain, Ga.
• Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, S.C.
• Barton Creek Resort, Austin, Texas
• Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda
• The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Negotiation

Fee Fright

Negotiating down the sometimes jaw-dropping price of a round of golf can be tough, but try for discounts on boxed lunches, receptions, pro shop gift certificates, and amenities, such as sleeves of balls. The best prices are on weekdays and during the off season.

Here's a sampling of course prices, courtesy of Zagat — America's Top Golf Courses 2007/2008, which reports on 1,075 courses around the U.S. Prices quoted are for weekends in the high season.

Marriott's Griffin Gate, Lexington, Ky.: $69

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga.: $100

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai, Calif.: $170

Princeville Resort, Kauai, Hawaii: $175

The Phoenician, Scottsdale, Ariz.: $195

Coeur d'Alene Resort, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: $250

Pebble Beach, Monterey, Calif.: $475

Wynn Las Vegas: $500

Meetingsnet.com:

• Starwood's new 3-D virtual planner, which allows planners to design their meeting spaces online, is available at its two resorts in Baja California: Westin Los Cabos and the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Los Cabos.

• An online forum for sharing green meetings best practices formed in March. The “Green Meetings and Events” Google group was started by Jeanavive Janssen, from Alameda, Calif.-based Event Productions Inc.