Recently I came across an article which used to exist on greenecofriend.co.uk. Not on this version of the website, but whoever previously owned the domain name had written it. The article was originally published in 2008 and can be seen here on WayBackMachine. I’ve also copied some of it below. It was called “Golf Courses Are Not Eco-Friendly – FACT”. The responses to the article on a golfing forum were extreme to say the least. I understand being upset that someone claims your hobby is destructive, but many of the comments were very unnecessary. However, it did get me thinking about whether golf courses are eco-friendly or not.
Let’s take a look at some of the key points of the original article first before I delve deeper.
Golf courses are not eco-friendly – FACT
Think golf, think golfer, think carbon footprint.
FACT: Golf is an environmentally damaging sport – The boom time has created scores of golf courses which are becoming the scourge of environmentalists.
Here’s what the average golf course destroys when being built:
- Vegetation
- Cutting forests
- Creating artificial landscapes
Creating a golf course leads to problems with land erosion and the inability of soil to retain water.
Golf courses are planet killers, as are golfers
Let’s not forget the chemicals that golf courses use every day in their attempt to keep them pristime for the ‘eco-friendly golfers’ of the world.
Chemicals, pesticides and more
Every day uses on golf courses include pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, all three can of course create health problems for golfers and nearby residents.
Golf courses use lots of pesticides
Here lies the problem, governments from around the world support golf courses simply because of the economic benefits they can bring – tremendous, the government taxes the life out of us to be greener and then rewards planet-killing projects, how does that work?
So when you are spending more on food at your local shops blame a golfer, because the need for additional golf courses has led to the loss paddy fields and virgin forests.
Oh yes, golf is such a Eco-friendly sport – NOT!
It’s worth reading the article in full; One thing is very clear, the author of this piece “Eco-Girl” really didn’t like golf courses or golfers. I have to say that some of her points make some sense, even though she might not have been particularly balanced when forming her arguments. A statement like “when you are spending more on food at your local shops blame a golfer”, seem to come from a hatred of golfers rather than from facts backed up by any data.
Why Do People Play Golf?
For many people, golf courses are quite beautiful. They have large expanses of well kept lush green lawns, trees line the fairway and some have beautiful ponds as well. The grounds are well maintained and the golfers can enjoy a few hours outside in nature getting some exercise and fresh air. So what’s the problem with them?
The first thing you have to ask yourself is how does the grass always looks so perfect? You will rarely see ‘weeds’ and when have you ever heard of mole hills on a golf course? The arguments ‘Eco-Girl’ made about the usage of pesticides and herbicides might be on the right track. To be fair these are all important things to consider if you care about the natural environment. It would be very wrong to describe most golf courses as being natural, a lot of time and money goes into maintaining them so they aren’t taken over by nature.
Golf Courses and Pesticides
I found an article on the Golf Club Managers Association (GCMA) website from 2017 called ‘Golfs Pesticide Problem‘, and I thought I had come across some environmentally aware golfers calling for golf course maintenance to become more eco-friendly and less reliant on pesticides. I was both disappointed but at the same time pleased to find out what the article was actually about. Let me explain…
The pesticide problem they were referring to was that they weren’t allowed to use some of the harmful pesticides they are used to. The upcoming problem was going to be that “Golf Clubs could find themselves in the grip of a grub epidemic following a pesticides ban”.
“It is not always the direct damage caused from the actual grub which causes the most disruption,” says BIGGA’s sustainability executive James Hutchinson. “Badgers, crows, rooks, foxes and many other animals will peel turf back to expose the underlying grubs – this fauna practice causes the most damage and repairing these areas can be costly and time consuming.”
Hooray for the ban, boo that the only problem these golfers had with pesticides is that they can’t use them anymore!
The article goes on to describe alternative ways for Golf Courses to rid themselves of insects, which include allowing the soil to dry out so that a large proportion of the eggs will ‘desiccate and become unviable’.
There has also been a ban on some herbicides, but GCMA hope that Bayer (makers of the very toxic and controversial herbicide Round-Up which contains glyphosate) have launched a solution with their new “fungicide chemical group (…) it’s a whole new category of fungicide, Succinate DeHydrogenase Inhibitor.”
Golf Courses and Water Usage
“Global water consumption is doubling every 20 years and water deficits are increasing. As an industry, golf’s water footprint is significant, incorporating the irrigation of thousands of golf courses worldwide and the use of potable water in clubhouses, restaurants and real estate. It extends to the manufacturing of machinery, merchandise and equipment; fertilizer, pesticide, turf and seed production; as well as cements, concrete and other construction materials.” – GEO Foundation
Water usage for golf courses in hotter, drier countries is definitely more of a problem than in the UK, but many UK golfers travel to play golf around the world and so help to contribute to the problem outlined above.
Anyway, let’s look at some actual facts about Golf Courses…
Facts About Golf Courses in the UK
Many of the facts below come from statista.com
- England had the highest number of registered golf courses in Europe in 2018 at 1888 courses compared to the second highest country, which was Germany at a total of 730 golf courses.
- Golf is increasing in popularity. In 1990, there were 1.71 million registered golfers in Europe, whereas in 2018, there were approximately 4.11 million registered golfers.
- There were 642,240 registered golfers in England in 2018.
- In 2018, it was found that 34 percent of the golfers from Great Britain and Ireland who took a golf holiday abroad, traveled to Spain.
- The estimated size of a golf course with 18 holes is 45ha (111 acres). By that estimate 209,568 acres in England is golf course. (England size in total = 32.19 million acres).
The UK, and especially England, has an awful lot of golf courses, and golfers who travel abroad to play golf are obviously increasing their carbon footprint.
Are Golf Courses Eco-Friendly?
It appears that golf courses, especially in the UK, are more eco-friendly than they were a mere 5 years ago. I don’t have a major problem with golf courses, personally I don’t think they look nice, but then I prefer the natural look of grass and not carpet-like turf. I certainly don’t think it’s necessary for the UK to have quite as many golf courses as we currently do. I’d much prefer some of those locations to be given back to nature and wildlife.
The fact that many pesticides and herbicides can no longer be used is great, but I do worry about new products that are likely to be used that may be used for many years before it’s known how harmful they are.
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