Fore: Golf and the Environment

Walking on the golf course yesterday, I couldn’t help but feel one with nature. The birds around me, the green grass, the streaming water…paradise! Yet, in the back of my mind I was also wondering how it all came to be - and what the impact of this golf course had on the world around it.

On one side of the spectrum, golf courses provide natural areas for people and animals to enjoy in urbanized surroundings. On the other hand, absurdly large quantities of water, chemicals, and other resources are used to maintain this environment.

There’s a great paradox that exists with golfing today - it is based in nature and glorifies it, yet it also destroys it at the same time.

If we want to continue enjoying this great game, then we need to do things a little bit better than what we’ve seen in the past. As it stands now, according to GolfAndEnvironment.org, the sport is causing…

• Pollution of ground and surface water
• Poor stream water quality
• The withdrawal of large quantities of water for irrigation
• Degradation of natural areas
• Chemical health hazards for humans and wildlife
• And unsound turf management.

Again, on the other hand, golf courses provide areas for wildlife to live within urban environments, support native plant life, protect water resources, renew otherwise rundown landscapes, promote physical health, and improve air quality.

How can we limit the bad and promote the good?

This question is extremely important, especially considering the fact that we still want our greens to be green. But there is an answer. It all comes down to three things: course planning, course management, and course etiquette.

If golf courses were only placed in areas that required little maintenance and had a limited negative effect on nature, then they would be much more able to promote sustainable living. If every golf course was managed so that green (as in nature) was as important as green (as in money), then wildlife would thrive. Lastly, if every golfer recognized their role to be sustainers as well as consumers, then there wouldn’t be any divots requiring repair, trash needing to be picked up, protected areas being destroyed, or wildlife being harmed.

A green golf course will have an improved image and reputation, more satisfied customers, and improved efficiency.

If we all play our role, we’ll enjoy the nature of the game much more than ever before.

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