Return To Main Blog Page Golf is Good for the Environment Sun Nov 19, 2006 at 10:43 PM
The headline is a teaser, since the golf industry is a long way from being truly good for the environment. Nonetheless, in recent issues of GolfWeek and Golfdom, topics such as water conservation, wilderness protection and integrating golf courses with their natural surroundings are actually worth reading.

I’m an ardent conservationist and believe that, as a sport, golf is as good as it gets for connecting people with trees, birds, flowers, clouds, waves and anything else that reminds us of the natural world. If we got out of the golf cart and walked a few holes we’d see even more.

A walk on the golf course was supposed to be like a “walk in the park,” when parks were intended to bridge cities and wilderness. City green spaces like Central Park, Golden Gate Park and Jackson Park were designed to provide relief from the helter skelter of urban life, and have succeeded beyond their designers’ expectations. I think that should be the philosophy behind golf course design, as well.

The article in GolfWeek was about golf courses that participate in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP). Taken from the website:
“The ACSP is an award winning education and certification program that helps golf courses protect our environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf. By helping people enhance the valuable natural areas and wildlife habitats that golf courses provide, improve efficiency, and minimize potentially harmful impacts of golf operations, the ACSP serves as a vital resource for golf courses.”

Course superintendents report that managing golf courses as wilderness sanctuaries is less labor and resource intensive than traditional course management, and more enjoyable for the golfers. Examples of such courses include Bear Creek Golf Club, Hilton Head; Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, Indiana; and Prairie Dunes CC, Hutchison, KS and site of the 2006 U.S. Senior Open.

I’ve had the thrill of watching a red fox saunter across the 7th fairway at Stony Creek Golf Course in Oak Lawn, IL; a young stag eat grass less than 10 yards from where I was practicing chip shots near Joe Louis, a local county course; an alligator sunning itself near one of the ubiquitous water hazards on a municipal course in Venice, FL, and dozens of different birds, most of which I didn’t recognize, every place I’ve played.

What I’ve experienced is just a tiny fraction of what serious golfers have seen, assuming they pay attention. And, I think they do, even when a lot of money is riding on that next shot.
So, let’s support conservation as a means to good golf, get out of your cart, and enjoy the walk.

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