Golf Courses Help Protect the Environment

When properly sited, designed, constructed and managed, golf courses can be an environmental asset to a community. By their very nature, golf courses can provide significant open space and opportunities to provide needed wildlife habitat in increasingly urbanized communities across North America. With nearly 80% of all of the 15,000-plus golf courses in the United States located in urban or suburban areas, opportunities abound for golf courses to provide ecosystem services such as storm water retention, runoff filtration, urban wildlife habitat, wildlife corridors, heat island effect reduction, etc. Like most other businesses, golf courses must also work to address the environmental challenges of water use, water quality, habitat and biodiversity loss, chemical use, waste, energy use, etc.

Through Audubon International’s environmental education programs and other programs, golf course owners, managers, and superintendents are doing their part to help protect and sustain the natural environment in their communities. For more information and to find out how you can participate on golf and the environment, visit www.golfandenvironment.org.