According to the Environmental Institute for golf, golf course facilities in the Southwest region had the highest water costs - approximately $107,800 per year for an average 18-hole golf course.
18-hole golf facilities in the North Central, Northeast and Transition regions had the lowest water costs, paying $4,700, $6,300 and $6,900 per year, respectively.
July 15, 2009
Eco-Friendly Golf Courses
Next time you nail that drive, Remember golf courses are alive, Don't handicap the natural scene, Golf where the grass is truly green!
As Green as its Greens
Today's golf courses face many environmental issues including course location, design, construction, and maintenance. To maintain the lushness of a golf course, owners and operators use massive amounts of water and douse the greens with fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. This presents a huge problem when considering the dangers of water scarcity, pollution of surface and groundwater resources, and the degradation and destruction of natural habitats and wildlife. Has your favorite golf course gone as green as its greens?
Does it use treated effluent water or wastewater for watering instead of drinkable water? Storm water can be naturally filtered through a course's wetlands and turf grass.
Does it use effective and efficient watering systems and methods? This includes irrigating smaller areas of the course, irrigating more efficiently, using more advanced equipment, raising grass mowing heights, and using new strains of grass that require dramatically less water.
Is the course's location appropriate? Most courses located in deserts or other inappropriate climate regions should be avoided.
Does it protect the area's natural ecosystems? This includes the preservation of natural habitats, the provision of wildlife sanctuaries, the incorporation of native plants and wildlife, and the use of other environmental precautions.
