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A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

Health & Environment

Is Golf exercise? Does walking the course help keep you in shape? Can you golf eco-friendly? What are courses doing to help the environment? You've got questions, we've got answers.

Marriott Golf Focuses on the Environment

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Perhaps you’ve never thought about golf’s impact on the environment – or perhaps you don’t care. But the reality is, golf courses make a tremendous impact on our environment and we should be doing all we can to help minimize that impact.

marriottgolfMeanwhile, Marriott Golf announced its ESPA award initiative last week. The ESPA (Environmental Sustainability Performance Award) program is the hotel chain’s way of implementing “greener” golf courses at its resorts around the world – and others should take note.

At first glance, hardcore environmentalists (who have long criticized golf as extremely anti-environmental) might dismiss the ESPA program as nothing more than a good public relations piece with only a minor impact to the environment. But the fact that Marriott – a corporation that manages several golf courses in multiple countries – has implemented an initiative towards more sustainable golf is a good sign for the environment.

This is actually the second positive step Marriott Golf has taken with regards to the environment. In 2008, the company mandated that all its golf resorts become Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries – a designation that protects areas of wildlife habitat on its courses.

This latest step (implementation of the ESPA) will take their eco-friendly initiatives a bit further: For starters, Marriott Golf will require 60 of its golf courses across the globe to complete the ESPA program by the end of this year.

All 60 courses must (in addition to being certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries) implement a water conservation strategy (specifically focusing on reducing irrigation water consumption); reduce their overall carbon footprint (by completing a program Marriott and agribusiness corporation Syngenta created in 2011 – more HERE); and achieve a set of conservation standards (established by the Marriott Golf Conservation Scorecard – “a newly developed exclusive evaluation of nearly 100 key conservation standards”).

So, is this ESPA program the most comprehensive environmental initiative for golf that could be implemented? No. Not by a long shot. There is so much more that could/should be done (to that end, see GolfStinks’ previous posts about golf and the environment HERE). But the ESPA program is a step in the right direction – and one that was sorely needed in golf. Kudos to Marriott Golf – let’s hope this trend catches on and expands exponetially.

Golf & Health Insurance.

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Look at it this way, your doctor might be keeping you on the golf course...
Look at it this way, your doctor might be keeping you on the golf course…

With all the crap about health insurance being flung around in today’s political arena, the reality is we need it. Period. There is no two ways about it. Unfortunately, people still go without it and that can put them in a serious pickle. Luckily, my employer has a pretty good policy and I don’t have to deal with the Obamacare drama…yet.

If it wasn’t for health insurance I probably wouldn’t be golfing. Who knows, I might not even be here today. Let’s face it, if I didn’t have health insurance you can bet I wouldn’t be visiting the doctor regularly. In fact, I think I went most of my 20’s without a regular check up. Bad, I know.

Enter health insurance. Two and a half years ago, a regular check up turned into me needing major surgery. Thanks to health insurance, I’m here today and I was actually told to golf a little bit during the later stages of recovery. Who knew?

Speaking of golf, today I find myself with another medical run in thanks to golf. Actually, it was more due to the years of running but golfing didn’t help. A bum hip of all things. Not to worry, the mechanics will have me up and running in no time. And get this…golfing makes the list of activities during the rehab. Later on of course.

Where would I be without golf and health insurance?

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Get health insurance.

 

Back Pain and Golf

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back pain golfIt was the end of my senior year in high school. I was 17 years old and had never felt any back discomfort in my life whatsoever. But after golfing everyday for most of April, May and June for my high school golf team, along with practicing my chips and putts for many additional hours on top of that, something finally gave way.

I woke up one morning and literally couldn’t get out of bed. My lower back, right hip and a bit down my right leg were stiff and painful. I finally was able work myself into a sitting position and remember barely being able to walk to the car for my doctor’s appointment. One I reached the car, it was nearly impossible for me to sit inside!

According to the doc, it was my sciatic nerve acting up. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and plenty of rest. Two weeks later, I felt back to 100 percent, but I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I began a stretching routine before each round, which I continue to this very day.

Fortunately, the issue has never cropped up again. Of course, I don’t play as much as back then, but that doesn’t mean I won’t ever run into problems. Now pushing 40, I realize I’m more susceptible to aches and pains – as well as easily aggravating old sore spots.

According to recent statistics, more than half of all male golfers (and nearly half of all female golfers) suffer some sort of lower back pain. If you play a second sport besides golf (like softball or even bowling), your chances for back pain increase by an additional 40 percent! And the risk goes up the older you get – especially for those over 50.

Want more bad news? Most recreational golfers (like many of us), work full time jobs where we sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. This puts us even more at risk for back problems! So what can we do to help avoid these lower back flare-ups (besides popping multiple doses of ibuprofen or acetaminophen or both)?

Well, according to this article from sportsmed.org, warming up before the round can lower your risk by more than half! Their study found that lower handicap golfers were also twice as likely to warm up for 10 minutes or more before each round (I warm up for probably 2-3 minutes)!

In addition to warming up before your round, it is strongly recommended you incorporate some sort of exercise program into your general life – especially one that helps strengthen your core, since a strong core can help stabilize you during a golf swing.

A few years ago, GolfDigest published this article specifically targeting exercise programs for golfers – and strengthening your core muscles was very important. According to the author, utilizing his golf exercise program three times per week will not only help rid you of pain, but also help improve your golf swing!

How about a massage? Did you know there were massages geared specifically for golfers? Not only that, the massage therapist actually massages you with…wait for it…golf balls! These types of massages, like the ones from SPABallMassage.com, make the following claims:

“Remarkably therapeutic, deeply relaxing, and essential to help golfers stay flexible and injury free. It combines smooth compression strokes with the therapist’s hands and forearms, deep trigger point and cross-fiber work with the SPAball Kaddy™ and golf ball, as well as performing essential stretches that every golfer needs to stay in top form.”

Now, I’ve never received one of these types of massages, but I’m definitely willing to give it a try! The bottom line is back pain is a reality for half of the golfers out there – and we weekend hacks are at even higher risk. At the very least, stretching before the round can help. But working in some sort of exercise – especially one that targets your core – can not only help you be pain free, but also can help your game to boot.

As always, check with your doctor before implementing any stretching or exercise routine. But in the end, staying healthy can allow you to play this game well past retirement age – I know that’s my goal!

Are Golf Courses a Waste of Space?

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Do you have any idea how many golf courses there are in this world? Or how much land they use – especially when compared to other recreational sports fields? As golfers, perhaps we could use a little perspective.

Do statistics show golf courses are taking up too much space? (Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

I tell ya, golf courses and cemeteries are the biggest wastes of prime real estate!
– Rodney Dangerfield (as Al Czervik) in Caddyshack

Is it bad when one of the most beloved characters in golf movie history thinks golf courses are a waste of space? We love Al Czervik – we all do. But the fact remains he wanted to buy Bushwood and replace the course with condos. Granted, his motivation was purely for profit, but nonetheless he wished there were less golf courses in the world. And so do many other people.

Some real estate moguls see golf courses as an encroachment on their piggybank; Some environmentalists view golf courses as an encroachment on the natural habitat of wildlife; and some non-golfers see golf courses as just a waste of space that could have been put to better use.

Whatever your viewpoint might be, one can’t deny golf courses take up a good amount of space – to the tune of 2.24 million acres1 in the US alone. That’s a lot of real estate. Another mind-boggling stat is just how many golf courses there are in this country: More than 16,000. Let me put that in perspective for you: There are only 12,800 McDonald’s restaurants in the US. This means when you’re driving down the road craving a BigMac, you’re more likely to find a golf course before a Mickey D’s. I’ll give you a moment to digest that.

It’s also true golf takes up more space than other recreational sports. Baseball, softball, soccer and football fields take up 1 to 3 acres2 each while basketball and tennis courts much less still (0.1 – 0.6 acres respectively). This is a far cry from the average amount of acreage needed for a golf course (140 acres).

Even a golf driving range (15 acres2) takes up more than each of the non-golf fields combined! So from a space management standpoint, you could have youth baseball, softball, soccer and football games all going on at the same time in one park (and a tennis and basketball court to boot). Or, you could have one facility to practice (not even really play) golf.

Now my point in telling you all this is to give you the perspective of the non-golfer. If you’re a non-golfer and read those stats, you’d think; “Wow, that’s a lot of space for one sport that not everybody plays.” And based on that, you can begin to see why so many people have a hard time with golf and the land it requires (see comedian George Carlin’s famous take on this here). Furthermore, many courses are private – meaning vast tracts of land are set aside for only a very select few to enjoy.

As golfers, we may have never even thought about how many golf courses there are in the world (34,000). For us, there can never be too many courses. But when we look at the stats, it’s kinda crazy. That’s a lot of land, water, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. just so we golfers can play our game. Sure golf is doing more to lessen its environmental impact these days, but that’s just scratching the surface. So this brings me back to the original question: Are golf courses a waste of space?

For the avid golfer, they certainly aren’t wasting space. But the non-golfers have valid points – especially on the topic of if there are too many courses. This is a real concern and one the golf industry (at this point at least) might have a hard time rebutting. I’ve posted about there being too many courses before and tend to agree the herd could use a little thinning – especially in this post-Tiger era when golf participation is on the decline.

However, if a course is operating at sustainable levels and putting forth a decent product (they don’t have to be lush green mind you), then in my opinion, it’s hard to argue there would ever be a better use for that land.

Notes:
1See page 3 of the Golf Course Environmental Profile: Property Summary.
2See the appendix of the Reusing Cleaned Up Superfund Sites report.

Golf Course Allergies

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golf allergiesIt’s inevitable. For the past few years it seems I couldn’t wait for the warmer weather and golf season. When it finally came, so did the allergies. I don’t ever remember having allergies like this. I know, I know…the human body goes through changes every X amount of years blah blah blah. But I think that’s a bunch of hooey. I’ve yet to see supported documentation from a reputable medical source on that.

Yet, I have allergies now and didn’t before, hmmmm. Rather odd if you ask me. Regardless of why, it’s time to do something about it. I want to golf symptom free. No feeling crappy, or watery-eyes and sinus head aches. What to do, what to do? Well, I’ve  looked into precautions and remedies and came across some interesting and weird stuff.

There’s the no-brainer stuff like using otc allergy meds or getting a script from the doctor for something stronger. According to data from aafa.org (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America),  you might want to avoid the mid day tee times when the pollen count is highest. Also, playing on true links style courses with very few (if any) trees but unfortunately, this is the U.S. and  true links style courses are the minority.

Obviously, we can take the prescriptions and otc drugs but some people prefer more natural relief. They rather do it with the least amount of chemical intervention as possible. Stuff like, eating local honey, cool mist humidifiers and saline nasal rinses seem to be common natural methods of keeping allergies to a minimum.

Whatever path you may choose, the goal here is to hit the local track and enjoy your round symptom free. What are you doing still reading this? Get out there already!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

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