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The planet is burning. Why do golf courses still exist?

The debate about the sustainability of golf courses is contested: many reports extol their benefits to physical and mental health of the golfers who use them, as well as how the planting of a deliberately wide variety of trees and fauna increases the biodiversity of the area. However, there is also a great deal of research that points to their dire environmental record. First, there is the gargantuan water usage—in the US alone, over two billion gallons of water is used every day to irrigate golf courses. There have also been studies on the high levels of toxicity that effect the local residents and environments that surround courses, due to the heavy pesticides used to maintain them (so much…

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 Golf Gets Back to Nature, Inviting Everyone to Play

Using natural landforms and native grasses and plants, golf course designers are creating links that are environmentally up to par

 Power, Pollution, and Golf

Despite the closure of over 800 golf courses in the last decade and the fact that young people have virtually no interest in the sport, golf may be the emblematic pastime of the 21st century. So many of the key issues our society must grapple with in the next hundred years or so, from environmental change to the concentration of wealth and political power in the hands of an elite few, are borne witness to on the vast stretches of meticulously maintained green.

Articles of Interest

Can golf courses help save the planet? Ask a herd of wild pigs

Wildlife-friendly golf course management can even benefit the game itself. The same flowers that entice pollinators attract natural enemies of turf-trashing caterpillars like the fall armyworm, reducing the impact of this pest. Water hazards that operate as wildlife ponds might also be a boon, but careless planting of showy plant varieties can push native flora out. There are sterner environmental challenges with running a golf course, though. Irrigation is a major drain on water – especially for courses in arid regions. Water draining from these courses may be polluted with pesticides or nutrients that alter the algae in adjacent streams.

Get a round in anywhere on thousands of golf courses with Phigolf

Phigolf combines swing training and virtual courses to improve your game.

Golf Courses Adjust to a Changing Climate

The global climate is changing, and golf courses are trying to adapt. Many clubs are facing water shortages, while some in coastal areas must deal with extreme weather events that wash away dunes or even leave entire holes underwater. Clubs in temperate and cool regions are seeing longer, warmer golf seasons—which plays havoc with the health of the climate-specific grass on the course.

Golf courses can be safe havens for wildlife and beacons of biodiversity

Golf courses are sometimes seen as harmful to the environment. According to the popular notion, the grass soaks up too much water, is cut too short and sprayed with dangerous chemicals. But in reality, golf courses can act as safe havens for native wildlife, especially in cities.

In Golf’s Birthplace, an Effort to Keep the Game Alive

As a membership crisis looms, golf clubs across Scotland are feeling the financial strain and trying to make the sport more accessible for a new generation of golfers.

Living Near a Golf Course Might Raise Your Risk of Disease

Golf courses are serene sanctuaries for retirees and business bros looking to simultaneously get wasted and feel more rage than they have in their entire lives, and all before noon. But it’s not all sunshine and beer bottles. Golf courses are a notorious scourge on the environment, and a new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests living near one might also come with the unexpected hazard of an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

The Evolution of Golf Courses—From 1880 to Now

In most popular sports, the playing field must be laid out according to strict rules. In golf, there is only one requirement. The hole must be 4¼ inches in diameter. Everything else about the layout may vary from course to course: the distance from tee to green, width of fairways, texture of the playing surface, size and contour of greens, and the shape and depth of sand bunkers, grass swales, mounds and water features. Small wonder that golf provides arguably the most interesting and diverse playing surface of any sport.

Urban golf courses are biodiversity oases. Opening them up puts that at risk

High demand for green space under COVID restrictions led councils in Melbourne to temporarily open golf courses to non-golfers and fuelled public calls to “unlock” or repurpose them permanently. However, this must be done carefully because many golf courses are oases of biodiversity in Australian cities. If more people visit golf courses, increased disturbance of wildlife is just one of the results that may be incompatible with their nature conservation values.

What if your smartwatch knew the golf course better than you?

Itching to hit the green after a long winter? We’re right there with you. But do you remember every bunker, hidden slope, and green undulation on your favorite course? If not, you might be in for an embarrassingly high score. Gaining a competitive edge is as easy as getting this golf smartwatch.

Resources

GolfLink

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Tee Off

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Golf Advisor

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Golf Net Top 20

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Golfnet

The Golfing Union of Ireland is the governing body for men's golf throughout Ireland. Includes a directory of golf clubs affiliated to the organization.

Golfscape

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Junior Golf Scoreboard

The Junior Golf Scoreboard was created by a group of parents whose children have been involved in all levels of junior golf, from local competitions to the U. S. Junior Amateur and AJGA events, and most of whom have gone on to play golf at the college level. The founders of the Junior Golf Scoreboard saw a real opportunity to help junior golfers market themselves, find tournaments more easily and assess their playing skills against other junior golfers without necessarily having to travel all over the country.

The Golf Travel Guru

Ed Schmidt Jr. aka, The Golf Travel Guru is a full-time, is an independent writer with more than 2,800 articles and columns published in international, national, regional and local publications.

18Birdies

18Birdies is synonymous with ambition, performance — and the thrill that one gets from reaching a goal they’ve been working so long and so hard to accomplish. Above all else, our community of golfers is always on a mission to get better, play better, and achieve more. And, maybe, over a few good rounds — they'll be able to check off those 18 birdies one by one. We can all dream, can't we?

Golf Travel Scotland

Golf Travel Scotland details the finest golf courses, hotels and resorts in Scotland and offers information on vacation planning, weather, travel tips and sample golf itineraries.

PGATour

PGATour.com provides scores, news, schedules, tickets, and live chat related to all U.S. tours.