Twenty years ago, Whole Foods supermarket was virtually unheard of, save for a minimal portion of the population in Texas. The organic food phenomenon was just beginning to take root, and many thought it was doomed to fail.
The idea that food could be grown on a large scale without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers was dismissed as hogwash. But yet these days there are nearly 300 Whole Foods markets across North America and the UK, and a growing number of consumers are seeking organic meals around the dinner table.
Like the organic food industry of two decades ago, today we’re at the dawn of a new way to manage golf courses. Within the last 10 years, an increasing number of golf course managers have begun to realize that the “Augusta effect” is not only expensive, but environmentally irresponsible to boot.
As I mentioned in a previous post, overseeding, a common practice in warmer climates to keep grass green year-round, is beginning to wane. As a result, golfers in those regions are learning that brown grass doesn’t necessarily mean bad grass.
But beyond overseeding, what about all the pesticides and synthetic fertilizers used to keep courses in line with our expectations? According to the Worldwatch Institute, golf courses encompass nearly 2 million acres of land in the U.S., and they collectively take-in 2 billion gallons of water a day. This water mixes with pesticides and fertilizers, which contributes to water pollution, and ultimately the health of plants, animals and humans suffer – A 1994 study of death certificates from over 600 golf course superintendents revealed unusually high numbers of deaths from specific cancers, including brain and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
These risks have led to a new breed of golf course: Organic. In 2002, residents of the upscale Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard were so afraid of water pollution from a proposed golf course, they successfully lobbied course management to operate 100% free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Vineyard Golf Club (pictured at top) is perhaps the only course in the United States to not use a drop of chemicals.
But others are taking similar measures. Bear Creek Golf Course in the state of Washington only uses fungicide and fertilizer on its greens; Applewood Golf Course in Colorado uses synthetic fertilizers, but no pesticides; The Resort at Squaw Creek golf course in Lake Tahoe uses no “pesticides and only a minimal amount of organic-based fertilizer;” and Kabi Golf Course in Australia has been called the only organic course in the southern hemisphere (check out the review by our buddy Michael over at the Aussie Golfer blog HERE).
There are probably more courses like this out there, but they’re not easy to find – this really is a new concept (perhaps one of the best resources is this in-depth look at golf and the environment by Golf Digest in 2008). But in a couple decades (as more courses begin weening off the chemical baths and more players begin to accept a little more brown grass) we may all have played on at least one of these organic tracks – to the benefit of both the land and ourselves.
Check out the new Hybrid golf ball and how it’s attempting to change the play & design dynamics of the game. Makes golf quick, affordable and less frustrating, while limiting the land, chemical and water requirements of the full-par golf course by 2/3’s. Prepares the golf course for an eco-responsible & sustainable future.
This is a great article. Thanks for the inspiring support for people like me who are still trying to find a job in the “Organic” part of the golf industry, but still haven’t been able to fill that void. It would be great if there was a comprehensive list out there for Golf Maintenance Professionals like me who now refuse to continue working on courses that overuse pesticides, herbicides and chemically derived fertilizers laced with pesticides to keep a “false sense” of healthy green grass going on golf courses. People are being deceived, animals are dying needlessly, and changes to legislation are not happening as fast as they should be based on the environmental information that we have currently to stop this overuse of chemicals. Btw…pesticide applicator licenses are being handed out like candy on Halloween to people in this industry that don’t even respect the basic rules on their licensing exams.