The first group of TPC Network golf facilities has achieved certification from the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf — the international non-profit dedicated to inspiring, supporting and recognizing sustainability in and through golf.

“We can’t play baseball on Wrigley Field or basketball in NBA arenas,” Smith said. “But we can tee it up where the greats of golf played. It literally brings the entire golf community together on one surface.”

Time flies when you’re playing golf. At TPC Harding Park, 100 years have gone by like that. This Friday marks the centennial of San Francisco’s marquee muni, which opened on July 18, 1925. It’s a big birthday, and to celebrate it, Harding has mounted a must-see exhibit on the rich history of the city-owned course. Composed of hundreds of photos, plaques and other memorabilia, the displays fill the hallways of the clubhouse, spill into the bar and restaurant, and focus on the characters and competitions that have helped make Harding the distinctive place it is.

At Gravert’s station, participants gaped at a cross section of a golf course green and a bunker made by Alex Stuedemann, CGCS, a 26-year GCSAA member and the former director of golf course operations at TPC Deere Run, and now director of agronomy for the PGA Tour’s TPC Network of facilities. They also could run their fingers through (or over) grass mowed to rough, fairway and greens height.