Golfers always aim for the green, and now golf courses are, too. Golf clubs across the country are putting forth eco-friendly initiatives to make their courses partially or totally sustainable.
Traditional pesticides, while effective at ridding pests, likely contain harmful ingredients that can be toxic to humans and animals. Also, there is a risk that runoff could seep into public drinking water contaminating it for the community (think Who Killed Cock Robin).
That is why some golf courses have adopted the use of ecological pesticides. Derived from organic sources, these pesticides are less harmful to the environment, with many popular organic pesticides including Wormwood extract, an oil extracted from the flowers and leaves of a Wormwood shrub and used as an herbal medicine, and Sambucus (elderberry) extract.
Beyond pesticides, water waste is a huge concern for courses from Massachusetts to Hawaii. In the past to keep a golf course green and lush landscapers would use an immense amount of water on a daily basis, leading to outrageous water bills and community water bans.
To combat the overuse of water, golf courses have devised several ingenious methods. One way is to use special strands of grass that do not require as much water as regular grass. Courses have moved away from using drinking water and have started using safe wastewater. Also, they have put in place special aquifers that collect water for reuse on the course, considerably cutting down on the amount of water used.
Golf products have also made a step towards becoming more environmentally responsible. Most golf balls are made from a synthetic compound that cannot be recycled. With this in mind, Dixon Golf created the Earth ball, which has a polymer core that can be completely recycled. According to Dixon, the Earth ball, which it touts as being the world’s first 100 percent eco-friendly golf ball, is good for golfers with a swing speed under 110 miles per hour who have a handicap between five and 25.
Massachusetts is home to the only 100 percent organic golf course in the United States. The Vineyard Golf Club, nestled in Edgartown on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, has done more than any other course in the country to go green. To combat grubs, groundskeepers use nematodes, also known as round worms, as a natural predator. The extra labor put into the course’s green practices increases cost, but this is offset by the amount of money saved by not purchasing expensive pesticides. The private course has attracted the attention of President Obama, who has hit the links for a round of 18 holes at least three times in the past couple of years while vacationing with his family on the Vineyard.
In Central Massachusetts, there have been green improvements, too. The Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Massachusetts has had a long history of employing environmentally friendly greenskeeping methods. Natural wetlands have been integrated into the public course, and the club has returned about five acres of turf to its natural state, letting tall grasses grow freely, says Director of Maintenance Dick Zepp. This allows the course to cut back on water and fertilizer usage across its 18 holes. The course doesn’t use a lot of phophorus, which can have adverse effects on freshwater supplies, either, Zepp explains.
“When people think of how the course should look they typically think green, soft and lush. It’s actually better for the green to be drier and a little hungry,” says Zepp, noting that golf course sustainability is a top priority for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. With sustainability on the minds of Zepp and course-maintenance directors across the country, chances are in the coming months and years you’ll see more natural beauty when hitting the links.
By Chris O’Day
