 Jeffrey D. Brauer |
The golf industry seems focused on environmental issues again, after a few years of relative quiet. It’s probably in response to the rekindling environmental awareness in Washington D.C. and the nation. That alone suggests golf is more reactive than proactive, despite numerous industry press releases.
Like other industries, golf’s environmental leaders are generally large and profitable companies, who see the payoff in environmentally sound management in both real dollars and image. But the “golf industry” is more a collection of smaller, poorer, independent operators, who lag behind because of cost.
On the 20th anniversary of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf courses I asked Audubon International’s executive director Kevin Fletcher for his take. He shares my opinion that golf’s environmental performance is mixed. Too many anti-golf environmental articles trot out the same three golf course incidents to create false illusions that golf courses are environmental disasters. However, Fletcher says the industry is doing the same thing, repeatedly featuring the relatively few eco friendly exemplars. He fears the industry reads its own press releases and figures little is left to be done, comparable to self-esteem courses making students feel better about their academic abilities than is really warranted.
While golf can tout many “natural advantages” and truly significant operational changes, it remains in a difficult public relations position and it may get worse. Golf’s environmentalism is a mix of responding to legal requirements and undertaking voluntary measures under programs like those of Audubon International, LEED certification and the new Golf Environmental Organization.
On the legal side, golf usually greets new mandates with much gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands, before adopting new practices and proclaiming ourselves a success. But we don’t always carry those best practices over to other projects where they are not mandated.
Voluntary efforts are really too low to proclaim our greens as green. For 20 years, the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program has served as golf’s best environmental ambassador and offered a very cost-effective and practical program. Despite this, only 14 percent of courses participate and only 2 percent are certified by the program, allowing critics to deem the other 98 percent of golf courses as environmentally deficient. Other environmentalists downplay golf’s environmental efforts, comparing golf to automakers squeezing every last GPM out of old technology to avoid the cost of adopting completely new – and expensive – hybrid or electric technologies for quantum leaps in performance.
All of golf’s environmental groups face credibility questions because they’re industry funded and have little outside performance verification. A.I. now brings in independent environmental scientists to perform “fourth party reviews” for more transparency and continues to upgrade its program.
Still, other fields are making bigger leaps forward, focusing on better erosion control, water resource and wetland protection, increased water harvesting, bioengineered streams and wetlands, recycling, eco friendly building materials, energy efficient heating/cooling, ventilation and appliances, and green roofs, walls and solar panels for structures. Paved areas now feature bio-filters and permeable pavement. Tree management plans are common, while golf construction crews still park heavy equipment under large shade trees for lunch.
Golf needs improvements in these areas in addition to continuing reductions in irrigation, fertilizer and chemical use to be a real environmental heavy weight and stop losing the image battle. We have done the easy stuff and even harder work lies ahead as golf will be challenged to be more environmentally sustainable, and to be more “socially responsible” where it is also perceived as weak, with more golf courses becoming multi-use public facilities to satisfy public opinion.
That’s the bad news. The good news is we might be making some image progress – at least no one is blaming golf for the Gulf oil spill – yet.
|
