You're invited to join Golf Goes Green "in the cloud".

I'm sure you have your favorite social media sites, so let's connect where you frequent.  I'll update this blog, as Golf Goes Green expands to additional sites.  Please feel free to comment and suggest sites you like.

Here are the sites that Golf Goes Green is actively present on, in addition to this blog.  Follow on the ones you like and let's get an online discussion going on topics you're interested in.

Twitter: @golfgoesgreen

Facebook: Golf Goes Green page

Blogger: 

Natalie Gille, Environmental blogger

If you would like the chance to see an alligator, otter, armadillo or fox when golfing a round...golf with Marriott.

I viewed the YouTube video on Marriott Golf Goes Green and was impressed with what they are doing for the environment.

Here's a few snippits of what they had to say in the video...

Anthony Williams, Golf Course Superintendent Marriott's Stone Mountain Golf Club: "If you look, some of the most valued green spaces in the entire world are also great golf courses."

Robert Waller, Senior Director Golf Grounds Operations, Marriott Golf: "We have to prove ourselves a capable source of providing green space." "We provide handbooks with the caddies or with the groups that go out that have information about detail on some of the plants on the properties and some of the wildlife they see."

Andy Mitchell, Director of Golf, Marriott's Grande Pines Golf Club: "In 2007, we achieved Audubon National Sanctuary Certification." "It's the right thing to do for the community."

Claye Atcheson, Vice President Marriott Golf: "What we're doing is very environmentally sound. Our golf course operators, our superintendants are great stewards of the environment." "This is a community coming together to raise the standard of environmental care."

Are you planning a spring or summer vacation?  I invite you to take a trip up to beautiful, northern Minnesota.

Pack your golf clubs and let's play a round.  I moved to Bemidji last summer and am excited to play some golf up here in the northwoods, as soon as spring is in bloom and the courses open for the season.

In my neck of the woods (Bemidji, Minnesota and surrounding area), here are your options.

Maple Ridge Golf Course: 24907 Beltrami Line Road, Bemidji, MN 56601-5481; #218-751-8401

Greenwood Golf Course: 1361 Swenson Road Northeast, Bemidji, MN 56601-7424; #218-751-3875

Bemidji Town & Country Club: 2425 Birchmont Beach Road Northeast, Bemidji, MN 56601-9879; #218-751-4535

Castle Highlands Golf Course: 13848 Gull Lake Loop Rd NE, Bemidji, MN 56601; #218-586-2681

Sandtrap Golf Course: 6355 Golf Course Road, Cass Lake, MN 56633; #218-335-6531

I'm a big fan of Twitter and love the casual, frequent tidbits of information circulating among tweeps in the cyberworld.  This is the second week @golfgoesgreen has been live and the tweeps have spoken.

So, here's what the retweets are all about...

Are golf course designers considering sustainability?  Let's take a closer look and find out who's going green.  I've selected a few upcoming events to shine a spotlight on their course designers.

Tom Kite:  designer of Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico, where the Puerto Rico Open will be held March 7-13, 2011.  Tom has been known to collaborate with Randy Russell of RussellGolf Design LP, who brings environmental insight to their joint projects.

Dick Wilson: original designer (with the assistance of Joe Lee and Bob Hagge, although there is some debate on who assisted with the design evolution), of TPC Blue Monster, Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Florida.

Raymond Floyd and Jim McLean: modified, updated, and modernized the design of the TPC Blue Monster, Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Florida, where the 2011 World Golf Championships will be held March 9-13th, 2011.  In 2012, the resort will celebrate its 50th anniversary, with plans for a renewal.  This would be a perfect opportunity for the PGA Tour to consider partnering with Audubon International in a proactive approach to incorporate sustainable management practices.

William "Billy" Bell: original designer of Newport Beach Country Club.

Harry Rainville: designer who enhanced Newport Beach Country Club.

Ted Robinson: current designer of Newport Beach Country Club, where the 2011 Toshiba Classic will be held March 7-13th, 2011.

I was disappointed to find very little information on any environmental stewardship taking place at these courses.  Kudos to Randy Russell, who takes the sole prize for a blip on the "going green" radar; although, I was not able to confirm whether he collaborated with Tom Kite on the design of Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico.

Welcome to Golf Goes Green!  My name is Natalie Gille, the person behind the rants and raves on golf and the environment that will be posted to this blog.  Would you like to be on the cutting edge of going green, and in the process lower your operating costs, attract new investors, help create green jobs, and take advantage of tax relief available for using alternative energy?  If you'd like realtime updates with answers to these questions and more, I invite you to subscribe to the RSS feed for Golf Goes Green and comment on my posts with your own rants and raves.  If you're one of the many tweeps out there in cyberworld, feel free to connect with @golfgoesgreen on Twitter for helpful links and other random abbreviated musings.  I hope you enjoy my blog and find it helpful.  Together let's go for the green!