Climate Change Effect On Golf Courses

[Tim Martin]

Climate change crisis: Golf courses on borrowed time as Earth's weather patterns become wilder
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/08/golf/climate-change-sustainability-spt-intl-cmd/index.html

[Mark_Fine]

Lowering maintenance costs, reducing water usage, increasing sustainability are all now at the top of the list on any sound master plan and/or renovation project.  Golf courses can and have to be environmentally responsible.  What would help is more of the higher end courses stepping up and leading by example.  It is ok for courses to be rough around the edges and not be perfectly manicured with green grass wall to wall.

[jeffwarne]

Demand, economic and urgency wll drive change.


At the moment we have mutiple related threads on GCA going on which are intertwined.
1.Membership demand is very strong(indicates demand and resources are high)
2.Seven plus figures devices are deemed necessary and affordable in certain areas so members can have a certain species of grass, where another has been proven to suffice,in often non peak months
Six plus figures are spent creating "perfect"(or not so) bunkers with cement liners.




Surely at some point those $$ can and will be redirected to more sustainable, money saving and eventually essential methods of sustainability
Certain countries/regions recapture their rainwater for drinking water etc.(Bermuda, Mexico, Mediteranean Europe)
Many countries regions use desalinization to irrigate and drink(73% of the earth's surface is water)
Affluent water is used worldwide to irrigate


And at some point golfer's perceptions, expectations and attitudes will,change
Ohoopee, the latest GCA darling, has dry, brownish dormant bermuda-25 years ago a winter destination club in the deep south would've needed vast inputs of water chemicals and crew to maintain a suitable green, tight overseeded playing surfaces for peak play during dormant months.
I played there the last two days and it is a good of a surface as I've seen anywhere at anytime. I was on the golf course/practice area/putting green from 12 pm-5:30 pm the first day and 9 am until 2 pm the second day and I did not see one golf course maintenance worker(other the Superintendant who came out to say hello)




The sky's not falling.

[John Kavanaugh]

If you have ever been lucky enough to be a member of a course that hosts a professional tournament you know that the course is rarely prepared for the members. Try being a member who comes out against additional capital expenditures that destroy a natural experience to provide unnatural conditioning. It's not the members stupid.

[Steve Lapper]

What's minimally mentioned in this article, or most others is the increasing frequency and enormity of serious financial risk posed by ferocious rain/wind storms (i.e. hurricanes, typhoons, Nor'easters, etc..).


Leave aside the more commonly recognized storm paths in North America (i.e. Caribbean, Florida, Gulf Coast & Mexico) for a moment. The damage inflicted by Hurricane Ida in the Northeast was exponentially worse than any previous storms in the last half a century. Record-breaking flooding and wind damage in the NYC-CT-NJ region didn't just flood fairways or greens, but took out bridges, heavy equipment and entire maintenance facilities.


Surely, insurance will cover these costs to some measure, however I'm told premiums are expected to  skyrocket going forward. Perhaps the worst thing about this (unlike fire or incremental temperature changes) is there is near to nothing preventative to be done, save for moving expensive risks (where possible) to higher ground.


Courses with or near large bodies of water have little if any recourse and insurers will now look even beyond the 100yr flood plain levels. Town planners and engineers are now being forced to reconsider well beyond historic flood patterns and making zoning adjustments accordingly. Bordering homeowners are also becoming acutely aware of issues related to living aside courses. The immediate and future insurance costs are likely to become prohibitive.

[Buck Wolter]

This was among the best golf years I remember in the Upper Midwest

[John Kavanaugh]

In the never ending battle of man vs grass there is only one winner on those dreaded cart path only days. As temperatures rise and the number of CPO days increase I personally would choose man over turf. I don't see "The Industry" on me or mine fellow members side.

[Thomas Dai]

Lowering maintenance costs, reducing water usage, increasing sustainability are all now at the top of the list on any sound master plan and/or renovation project.  Golf courses can and have to be environmentally responsible.  What would help is more of the higher end courses stepping up and leading by example.  It is ok for courses to be rough around the edges and not be perfectly manicured with green grass wall to wall.

Well said.
The CNN piece contains the emotive kick in the nuts words “..golf is a dirty sport that's wrecking the planet.” The articles next sentence then goes on to say. “But it doesn't have to be.”
Be good if those in charge of the game, those who have had their heads in the sand for a considerable time now, adopted the “But it doesn’t have to be” aspect.
Atb

[jeffwarne]

Lowering maintenance costs, reducing water usage, increasing sustainability are all now at the top of the list on any sound master plan and/or renovation project.  Golf courses can and have to be environmentally responsible.  What would help is more of the higher end courses stepping up and leading by example.  It is ok for courses to be rough around the edges and not be perfectly manicured with green grass wall to wall.

Well said.
The CNN piece contains the emotive kick in the nuts words “..golf is a dirty sport that's wrecking the planet.” The articles next sentence then goes on to say. “But it doesn't have to be.”
Be good if those in charge of the game, those who have had their heads in the sand for a considerable time now, adopted the “But it doesn’t have to be” aspect.
Atb

ATB,
It would be good, but that's not what is happening.
Look at all the "Top whatever" lists-the holy grail of most high $$ renovation business plans.
Sure "firm and fast" are now cherished, given lip service and rewarded, but rarely because a course lacks resources or inputs-usually the exact opposite, and often just "fast" is the outcome.

[Thomas Dai]

Jeff, fair points but often times it’s pressure from outside that forces those on the inside to change. Fingers crossed.
Atb

[Anthony Gray]

 Fake news leads to fake grass. My god we are going to be golfing on astroturf with recycled car tire bits flying up with every swing. No need for overseeing just crush up some more tires.


 I don’t see this as bad for golf.  Now every course  can be a links course playing fast and firm. Let ‘em dry out.

[Tim Martin]

In the never ending battle of man vs grass there is only one winner on those dreaded cart path only days. As temperatures rise and the number of CPO days increase I personally would choose man over turf. I don't see "The Industry" on me or mine fellow members side.

Cart path only/walking only is code for please stay home. If that message hits your inbox before the sun comes up the wise man stays in bed.

[Mike Wagner]

Climate change crisis: Golf courses on borrowed time as Earth's weather patterns become wilder
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/08/golf/climate-change-sustainability-spt-intl-cmd/index.html

So raise your hand if you're gonna do your part and quit golf ...  and quit driving ... and taking airplanes .. and doing anything that requires energy ..

[Ally Mcintosh]

Lowering maintenance costs, reducing water usage, increasing sustainability are all now at the top of the list on any sound master plan and/or renovation project.  Golf courses can and have to be environmentally responsible.  What would help is more of the higher end courses stepping up and leading by example.  It is ok for courses to be rough around the edges and not be perfectly manicured with green grass wall to wall.

Well said.
The CNN piece contains the emotive kick in the nuts words “..golf is a dirty sport that's wrecking the planet.” The articles next sentence then goes on to say. “But it doesn't have to be.”
Be good if those in charge of the game, those who have had their heads in the sand for a considerable time now, adopted the “But it doesn’t have to be” aspect.
Atb

ATB,
It would be good, but that's not what is happening.
Look at all the "Top whatever" lists-the holy grail of most high $$ renovation business plans.
Sure "firm and fast" are now cherished, given lip service and rewarded, but rarely because a course lacks resources or inputs-usually the exact opposite, and often just "fast" is the outcome.

There are definitely moves afoot from some to make a genuine difference but Jeff’s point is absolutely accurate. Most of it is jingoism, lip service. 90% of people are just talking green without really doing because it sells. A lot of those are not really willing to make the real sacrifices either because it costs money or because the audience aren’t willing to accept them.

[Mike_Young]

Jeff's post and JK's are correct.  Golf is minute...Replace the words golf course with soybeans, cotton, corn,strawberries and compare useage to golf courses.  All of the BS around golf is based on the INDUSTRY abusing the unknowing member or board.  American golf is driven by HOC, monostands and sand conditions.  It only stands to reason that the biggest difference between crops and golf is that golf is capable of adapting to various climates via grasses and conditions and crops are not.  UNLESS you create acceptable conditions at affordable prices.  That why we don't grow bananas in GA.  AND it's why golf cost more when there is a water issue etc. Ask yourself why the same chemical used on a golf course may be $300 per ounce and yet $20 on an agricultural crop...

A little OT:  the freshest lettuce in GA is found in Walmart grocery stores...why?  Average store gets lettuce from California.  When it arrives is at least a week old due to harvesting process and shipping.  Walmart distribution centers find greenhouse operations nearby who can grow lettuce efficiently and go from greenhouse to shelf in three days.  Maybe greenhouses are the future for golf...

[John Emerson]

Golf is more willing to do more than they are to do less.  The thread about subair is a perfect example.  Growing grasses in environments where they have no business growing requires more inputs as oppose to growing the adapted species that require less.  Just because one can, doesn’t mean one should.  Golf will dump tons of money into something that doesn’t make a lot of sense in order to beat their chest.  It’s a constant state of keeping up with Jones’. This has repercussions that many fail to see.  How many homeowners pump tons of inputs, that are detrimental to the climate change cause, into their own properties because they saw it at their local golf course or on TV?  I’ll answer that….a lot!  Add those inputs (excessive nutrient loads, carbon emissions etc)up over the entire USA and we have a big issue.
We have to be better.  Golf is front and center and the poster child/scapegoat of “excess”.  Food gets a pass (kinda) because we cannot exist without it…golf is a luxury item that will be first on the chopping block when the rubber hits the road and if we are not proactive we are essentially shooting ourself in the foot.
I think maybe I love golf, grass, and soils more than humans and I do not want to see it disappear.
Someone mentioned that we need leaders (clubs with plenty of resources/highly ranked), instead of followers, to set the tone and lead by example….this has never been more true.

[Anthony Gray]

Jeff's post and JK's are correct.  Golf is minute...Replace the words golf course with soybeans, cotton, corn,strawberries and compare useage to golf courses.  All of the BS around golf is based on the INDUSTRY abusing the unknowing member or board.  American golf is driven by HOC, monostands and sand conditions.  It only stands to reason that the biggest difference between crops and golf is that golf is capable of adapting to various climates via grasses and conditions and crops are not.  UNLESS you create acceptable conditions at affordable prices.  That why we don't grow bananas in GA.  AND it's why golf cost more when there is a water issue etc. Ask yourself why the same chemical used on a golf course may be $300 per ounce and yet $20 on an agricultural crop...

A little OT:  the freshest lettuce in GA is found in Walmart grocery stores...why?  Average store gets lettuce from California.  When it arrives is at least a week old due to harvesting process and shipping.  Walmart distribution centers find greenhouse operations nearby who can grow lettuce efficiently and go from greenhouse to shelf in three days.  Maybe greenhouses are the future for golf...

 Going green challenges and mitigating cost. The hybrid courses with hazards and surrounding areas being replaced with viable agricultural products. Heather and iceplant being replaced by soy bean and alfalfa. Forced Caries over feed corn and sinsemilla. The cash crops will pay for the water consumption. The hybrids look like the future.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Interesting how there is no mention of the golf course industries initiates on BMP.


No mention on the number of courses that water with reclaim water or RO water.

No mention of the Audubon Sanctuary Certification Program.
 
No mention of golf course's lakes being holding ponds for millions of gallons of run off water.


No mention that we utilize computers, weather & thresholds to decide when the golf course gets water, unlike most homes & businesses that water every night. (think about how many times your neighbor is watering their lawn after 1" of rain)
 
No mention that we use soil & moisture sensors in the grow which dictate when & how much we water.
 
No mention of the huge push to have much of the newer equipment run on electric or hybrid.

No mention of the development of newer grasses that need less water & inputs.

No mention that every pesticide applicator needs to be state certified.

No mention that many courses monitor & report water usage & many are limited, even.

No mention how golf courses end up being sanctuaries for so many different types of wildlife.

 

[John Kavanaugh]

Interesting how there is no mention of the golf course industries initiates on BMP.


No mention on the number our courses that water with reclaim water or RO water.

No mention of the Audubon Sanctuary Certification Program.
 
No mention of golf courses lakes being holding ponds for millions of gallons of run off water.


No mention that we utilize computers, weather & thresholds to decide when the golf course gets water, unlike most homes & businesses that water every night. (think about how many times your neighbor is watering their lawn after 1" of rain)
 
No mention that we use soil & moisture sensors in the grow which dictate when & how much we water.
 
No mention of the huge push to have much of the newer equipment run on electric or hybrid.

No mention of the development of newer grasses that need less water & inputs.

No mention that every pesticide applicator needs to be state certified.

No mention that many courses monitor & report water usage & many are limited, even.

If you didn't get your medal for working through Covid the GCSAA should soon be handing out additional awards for saving the planet.

[Jim Sherma]

One impact that will affect those of us that traditionally lived just above the transition zone is the northward creep of Bermuda Grasses and tougher challenges with cool weather grasses in the summer. I doubt any turf guy in PA is looking forward to dealing with weather that progressively looks more and more like DC and Virginia.

[Mike Wagner]

Golf is more willing to do more than they are to do less.  The thread about subair is a perfect example.  Growing grasses in environments where they have no business growing requires more inputs as oppose to growing the adapted species that require less.  Just because one can, doesn’t mean one should.  Golf will dump tons of money into something that doesn’t make a lot of sense in order to beat their chest.  It’s a constant state of keeping up with Jones’. This has repercussions that many fail to see.  How many homeowners pump tons of inputs, that are detrimental to the climate change cause, into their own properties because they saw it at their local golf course or on TV?  I’ll answer that….a lot!  Add those inputs (excessive nutrient loads, carbon emissions etc)up over the entire USA and we have a big issue.
We have to be better.  Golf is front and center and the poster child/scapegoat of “excess”.  Food gets a pass (kinda) because we cannot exist without it…golf is a luxury item that will be first on the chopping block when the rubber hits the road and if we are not proactive we are essentially shooting ourself in the foot.
I think maybe I love golf, grass, and soils more than humans and I do not want to see it disappear.
Someone mentioned that we need leaders (clubs with plenty of resources/highly ranked), instead of followers, to set the tone and lead by example….this has never been more true.

What exact repercussions do we fail to see?

[Thomas Dai]

…golf is a luxury item that will be first on the chopping block when the rubber hits the road and if we are not proactive we are essentially shooting ourself in the foot.
I think maybe I love golf, grass, and soils more than humans and I do not want to see it disappear.
Someone mentioned that we need leaders (clubs with plenty of resources/highly ranked), instead of followers, to set the tone and lead by example….this has never been more true.

Well said John.
As Mike Cirba said in an interview with Ran a couple of years ago “A game dependent on so much of the Earth’s acreage on a shrinking planet with finite resources is inevitably going to be on the wrong side of history.”
Atb

[John Emerson]

Golf is more willing to do more than they are to do less.  The thread about subair is a perfect example.  Growing grasses in environments where they have no business growing requires more inputs as oppose to growing the adapted species that require less.  Just because one can, doesn’t mean one should.  Golf will dump tons of money into something that doesn’t make a lot of sense in order to beat their chest.  It’s a constant state of keeping up with Jones’. This has repercussions that many fail to see.  How many homeowners pump tons of inputs, that are detrimental to the climate change cause, into their own properties because they saw it at their local golf course or on TV?  I’ll answer that….a lot!  Add those inputs (excessive nutrient loads, carbon emissions etc)up over the entire USA and we have a big issue.
We have to be better.  Golf is front and center and the poster child/scapegoat of “excess”.  Food gets a pass (kinda) because we cannot exist without it…golf is a luxury item that will be first on the chopping block when the rubber hits the road and if we are not proactive we are essentially shooting ourself in the foot.
I think maybe I love golf, grass, and soils more than humans and I do not want to see it disappear.
Someone mentioned that we need leaders (clubs with plenty of resources/highly ranked), instead of followers, to set the tone and lead by example….this has never been more true.

What exact repercussions do we fail to see?

The trickle down impacts of lush, green, high input golf courses.

[Mike Wagner]

Golf is more willing to do more than they are to do less.  The thread about subair is a perfect example.  Growing grasses in environments where they have no business growing requires more inputs as oppose to growing the adapted species that require less.  Just because one can, doesn’t mean one should.  Golf will dump tons of money into something that doesn’t make a lot of sense in order to beat their chest.  It’s a constant state of keeping up with Jones’. This has repercussions that many fail to see.  How many homeowners pump tons of inputs, that are detrimental to the climate change cause, into their own properties because they saw it at their local golf course or on TV?  I’ll answer that….a lot!  Add those inputs (excessive nutrient loads, carbon emissions etc)up over the entire USA and we have a big issue.
We have to be better.  Golf is front and center and the poster child/scapegoat of “excess”.  Food gets a pass (kinda) because we cannot exist without it…golf is a luxury item that will be first on the chopping block when the rubber hits the road and if we are not proactive we are essentially shooting ourself in the foot.
I think maybe I love golf, grass, and soils more than humans and I do not want to see it disappear.
Someone mentioned that we need leaders (clubs with plenty of resources/highly ranked), instead of followers, to set the tone and lead by example….this has never been more true.

What exact repercussions do we fail to see?

The trickle down impacts of lush, green, high input golf courses.

That's not specific enough for any alarm.  What is it exactly that people fail to see?

[Ronald Montesano]

The post I made on the ICONIC GOLF HOLES thread works equally well here. The golf industry needs to encourage the high-profile, televised tournaments to tout what they do for the environment in presentable way (aka don't be boring.) Make conservation sexy; make water restriction sexy. Then, slip in a bit about coming generations, about responsibility to the future, that the preceding generations DID NOT necessarily consider.