Quick Facts about Golf and the Environment

A typical 18-hole golf course produces enough oxygen to support 4,000 to 7,000 people.

Golf courses have a cooling effect during the hot summer months. The average temperature of a golf course is normally 5 to 7 degrees cooler than a residential area and 7 to 15 degrees cooler than an urban downtown setting.

A golf course can be a healthy natural environment. The turf grass on golf courses serves as a filter to runoff to control flooding; out of play areas offer wildlife habitat; trees and bushes filter dust and pollen; and the green space has a cooling effect on surrounding property.

Most golf courses compost grass clippings and leaves, which reduces the amount of waste in landfills. Composting is a growing and recommended practice for golf course operations.

Golf course architects now design courses that reduce the need for pesticides, water and costly maintenance practices while preserving habitat and environmental quality.

Golf course managers are among the best-educated and most conscientious users of chemical management tools. Today, most superintendents have two- or four-year university degrees in agronomy, horticulture or other related fields. Many of them enter the profession because of a love of nature and the outdoors, and are strongly committed to conservation. A recent survey shows golf course managers give extremely high priority to maintenance practices that do not have a negative impact on the environment.

Ecological benefits of golf courses

In addition to turf-related benefits, courses provide other important ecological and community assets. Golf courses are:

• Key sanctuaries for birds and other wildlife
• Disposal and treatment sites for (effluent) wastewater
• Attractive and environmentally sound “covers” for closed landfills and other ecologically damaged sites
• Recreational places for non-golf activities, such as jogging, walking and bird-watching
• Wetlands preservation areas