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GE Golf and The Environment

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Wong Zhou
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14 views3 pages

GE Golf and The Environment

Uploaded by

Wong Zhou
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Golf and the Environment

Golf courses have long suffered from a reputation of being harmful to the
environment. While this perception is not entirely unfounded, golf courses
have made great strides in becoming more environmentally responsible in
recent years. Audubon International is dedicated to helping golf courses
protect the environment while at the same time preserving 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 course operations, the Audubon
Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for Golf Courses serves as vital
resource for golf courses. Learn more about golf’s environmental issues and
opportunities and take action today!

Why Golf and the Environment?


Golf’s use of chemicals, water, and other resources to maintain pristine Golfers share spaces with all types of
amazing creatures!
golfing conditions has long been criticized for threatening the quality of our
environment. While these issues are a real concern, golf actually has a
unique opportunity to protect and enhance our environment. By their very nature, golf courses provide
significant natural areas that benefit people and wildlife in increasingly urbanized communities across North
America and throughout the world. In recent years, through education and certification by the ACSP, golfers
and non-golfers alike are taking a second look at the nature of the game. Golf courses offer numerous
opportunities to not only provide pleasant places to play, but also to protect drinking water, improve the water
quality of on-site and surrounding lakes, streams, and rivers, support a variety of plants and wildlife, and
protect the environment for future generations.

What are Golf’s Potential Environmental Impacts?


In the past, environmental issues on the golf course have been overlooked. These include:
 Pollution of ground water and surface water caused by the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and other
contaminants
 Poor stream water quality due to eroding shorelines
 Withdrawal of large quantities of water for irrigation
 Degradation or loss of natural areas
 Health hazards from chemical handling and applications
 Negative impacts of chemical use on “non-target” wildlife
 Unsound turf management driven by increasing and unrealistic golfer expectations and demands

To download this fact sheet and more, visit: www.auduboninternational.org


New golf developments may raise additional concerns, depending on their location and design:

 Loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitats


 Alteration or damage to wetlands
 Replacement of natural plant communities with intensively managed landscapes and non-native plants
 Increased conflicts with wildlife

What are Golf’s Environmental Opportunities?


With sound education and technical assistance from third-party environmental organizations like Audubon
International, golf courses are uniquely positioned to offer a host of environmental benefits:

 Provide needed wildlife sanctuaries


 Preserve natural areas within urban environments
 Support plants and wildlife native to the area
 Protect water resources
 Filter stormwater runoff through golf course wetlands and turfgrass
 Rehabilitate degraded landscapes
 Promote physical and mental well being, reducing stress for more than 25 million U.S. golfers
 Improve air quality and moderate temperature
 Educate golfers and the general public about the nature of the game and promote environmentally-sound
management

What are the Benefits of Improved Environmental Performance?

 Image and Reputation: Good environmental performance can help you differentiate your course from
others in a crowded market and add value by improving public relations and marketing opportunities that
attract new golfers or club members.

 Customer Satisfaction: The nature of your course


can enrich golfers’ experience of the game. Surveys
have shown that golfers report that playing quality is
maintained or even improved as a result of steps
taken to manage a course in harmony with the natural
environment.

 Financial Performance: An effective golf course


environmental management program can result in
reduced insurance premiums, as well as reduced
costs for energy, water, fuel, pesticides, or fertilizers.

 Worker Safety and Reduced Liability: Best


practices for chemical management reduce exposure
More than 2,200 golf courses have
and liability risks from storing, handling, and applying
registered in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program,
chemicals. sponsored in part by the USGA. The education and certification
program helps golf courses protect the nature of the game.
 Improved Efficiency: Sound environmental
management cuts down on waste and promotes efficient operations.

To download this fact sheet and more, visit: www.auduboninternational.org What Can
Golfers Do?
Sit atop the environmental leaderboard by following the Environmental Etiquette for Golfers:

 Be kind to the course: repair ball marks and replace divots to help maintain playability.
 Walk, rather than use a cart, if health permits. Walking promotes physical fitness, healthy turf, and a
clean environment.
 Look for consistent, true ball roll on greens, rather than speed.
Lower mowing heights required for fast greens are at the root of
many turf and environmental problems.
 Keep play on the course and stay out of natural areas. Respect
designated environmentally sensitive areas and wildlife habitats
within the course.
 Use trash and recycling receptacles and encourage others to do
the same. If you see trash, don’t pass it up…pick it up!
 Appreciate the nature of the game. Foster wildlife and natural
habitats in non-play areas.
 Educate others about the benefits of environmentally
responsible golf course management for the future of the game
and the environment. Become a driver for improved environmental
performance at your golf course!
 Encourage your golf course be an active participant in the
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses

To download this fact sheet and more, visit: www.auduboninternational.org

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