For some people, golf is tinged with eco-guilt. The 16,000-plus golf courses in the United States take up equivalent land area to Rhode Island and Delaware combined. Each eighteen-holer, on average, drinks enough water for a town of 8,000 and is sprinkled with a dozen pounds of pesticides per acre (NationalGeographic.com). In addition, fairway mowing guzzles gasoline and creates fumes. The good news: Two groups are helping courses restore emphasis on the natural environment.
• Audubon International (AI; no relation to the Audubon Society): Offers voluntary golf course eco-certification, focusing on improving water conservation, promoting wildlife habitat, and reducing chemical use. Currently, 2 percent of U.S. courses are certified; 13 percent are members of AI’s cooperative sanctuary programs. (518) 767-9051; AudubonInternational.org/ programs/acss/golf.htm
• Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG): This philanthropic offshoot of the Golf Course Superintendents Association is committed to astute course siting, design, and construction; energy conservation; and better water, wildlife, and plant management. (800) 472-7878; EIFG.org
A few golf courses are making the game better than “par for the course.”
• RAPTOR BAY GOLF CLUB; Bonita Springs, Florida
• SUMMER GROVE GOLF CLUB; Newnan, Georgia
• WIDOW’S WALK; Scituate, Massachusetts
• FOREST DUNES GOLF CLUB; Roscommon, Michigan
• SANCTUARY GOLF COURSE AT WESTWORLD; Scottsdale, Arizona
• CYPRESS RIDGE GOLF COURSE; Arroyo Grande, California
• DESERT WILLOW; Palm Desert, California