You have to stop the push for lower heights of cut on all surfaces why do you needs greens below .100" do you really need that extra foot or two on the stimpmeter?
Why do you need fairways below .300? Really .450 or .5 is probably an easier playing surface for most golfers. Also the higher the height the firmer they can get and less water plus inputs they require.
Tees should be flat and grassed I’ve seen course brag about tees down to green height for what reason I don’t know fairway height seems sufficient.
Natural areas (native areas) of pure fescues look beautiful but what’s natural about that. Also most fescues used in golf are not native to North America.
The answer to sustainability is devoting more resources to Turfgrass research.
insightful… yes
But certainly a little “Debbie Downer” and “Sally Sky is falling”
Even in very dense, very expensive, no affordable housing, Nor cal/ bay area, there is plenty of available land around. We just need to use it a little smarter.
We will not be building great courses in the middle of cities anymore (SFGC, Denver CC) but just outside, even very big cities, it gets pretty rural pretty fast. Think of Common Ground built on land no one wanted just outside Denver (I just visited CG once, might not have all the facts. If a Denverite has more info chime in)
It will take the next generation of execs and course managers to effect change. Most boomers think banning plastic straws is the worst thing to ever happen to the world.
How would a higher height on fairways make them firmer?
I’m fine with greens not running 12+ on the stimp but firm and short is good everywhere. Tee box, fairway, green. I played from tee boxes with “short rough” length grass last weekend and it makes it really hard to hit a 3 wood from the tee.
This is a really important topic… Some clubs must have this topic front and centre if their long term viability is to be ensured.
I have written several times before (various forums such as golf club atlas) about how several courses in the Melbourne Sandbelt serve a very important role as wildlife sanctuaries and repositories of endangered vegetation. The remnant Heath, small coastal plants and other indigenous vegetation within the course would never have survived if not for the courses occupying these acres, and the careful guiding hands of course superintendents in decades past and present.
These ecosystems are also comprised of a range of animals (including birds) that would otherwise have been displaced and threatened by urban sprawl.
Several clubs such as RM and KH are acutely aware of their responsibility in this regard and the treasure they possess. They cultivate various plant species and re-propagate the local region. Pete Murray and his efforts at Kingston Heath feature in Volume 1 of Caddie Magazine.
The clubs also harvest storm water run off and filter it for use with on-course irrigation. Plastics, chemicals, other issues are all worthy of attention too ad the note to @djpie indicates. The Open made a good step this year to eliminate single use plastic bottles from the grounds at Portrush.
Then as @LJP wrote early in in the thread - Rollback Alliance is one of many voices calling for action on ball and club tech so as to essentially reduce the scale of the game. Golf is not going to prosper in the mid term let alone the long term if it occupies a large and ever expanding footprint, and utilises lots of water.
I’m far from a greenie but we all need to be responsible and broad minded custodians if the game we live if it is to endure.
Definitely agree with you regarding height of cut.
What would you propose as an alternative to “native” areas? Even though they may be non-native species, chemical inputs needed and general maintenance here in the midwest are virtually zilch.
In most places, from what I’ve read, it’s surprisingly few. Even in places like Phoenix, where water is scarce and therefore very expensive most of the water used on golf courses is essentially drinking water.
In most cases it’s not that courses would object to using recycled water, it’s that the infrastructure isn’t there. A couple years ago two courses near me partnered to put in a pipeline from the canal that would give them access to wastewater for their courses, essentially in perpetuity. The cost was almost $10 million. The city paid about a third of that. But with what water costs, the courses may recoup that fairly quickly.
(One of those two courses, around the same time, also did a redesign that eliminated several ponds on the course and saved them a huge amount of water annually.)
The biggest part, if I remember correctly, was the state funded grass removal program. They got several million dollars by reducing the total grassed area by a significant percentage. The reclaimed water helps too, but I don’t think it was the largest factor
I’m in the process of starting a brewery as a side hustle and environmental concerns are huge in the brewery world. It’s almost like an arms race to see who can be as net-neutral as possible and if you aren’t doing things to conserve water or electricity, you get looked at like the devil. I’ve been surprised that the golf industry hasn’t gotten on board with this. It would be relatively easy to leverage solar to completely power your pro shop and most likely charge all of your carts. And there are so many little things you can do to conserve water or store it for later use. But I think too many course operators either don’t care or have the “that’s how we’ve always done it” mentality. I have my eye on a course that might be on the market this winter and if I go that direction, I can tell you reducing the environmental impact will be number one on the list. It will save money in the operating budget and give you some good PR and karma.
Yeah…I’ve kind of kept that out of that thread since I’m not sure how realistic it will be. With this brewery thing going to hopefully be moving full speed by May or June, hopefully a few more rental properties, and my normal full time job, just not sure there will be enough time and money to go around. But this is a course I grew up playing and I think there is a ton of potential the current owners aren’t ignoring. Hopefully it either goes for very cheap or they keep it going another year. I just don’t want to see it close.
Yeah, that is definitely something you have to be careful with. But it’s extra special when you can combine a good business investment with something you love. The key is being self aware enough to see it.
The Tara Iti story of removing plantation pine forests, restoring native flora, eradicating the habitat of predators of the native birds, and growing the colony of endangered native fairy terns is a model many should celebrate.
It is a bit easier to do this sort of thing when you’re really smart, and you’re a billionaire, and the local government is onside, but still, the moral of the story remains.
Golf environmentalist here, guilty as charged. Worn many hats in the golf industry, but as a lifelong golfer and passionate environmentalist (aren’t we all?), I’ve started a business with the intention of blending these passions and demonstrating that golf courses (can) benefit the planet and society. Have a look at my website for more info, constructive criticism is appreciated… http://www.greenergolfgroup.org/
Thanks to @djpie for starting this thread. Hope we can keep it going.