The Positive and Negative Impacts of Golf Courses in The Us

The draw for many golf courses is not only the enjoyment of playing the game, but the beauty of the courses. I wondered, at what cost does the beauty of these courses come? Golf is a sport that dates back to 1400’s. Even with its historical prowess it continues to gain popularity among youth and adults alike. The golf courses that have been around for ages, along with the new golf courses being made to meet the demand of the ever increasing golfer population, all have to be maintained to a high standard in order for these courses to be playable, and look good.. Weeds have to be kept off the fairways, and grass needs to cover the entirety of the course. The greens need to be trimmed and manicured to ensure players can putt. The courses have to be kept in pristine condition to make the game enjoyable.

My final project aims to find out how different golf courses maintain their courses, and protect them from insects, invasive plants, and other pests. I plan to research whether or not most golf courses are held to a specific standard as to what pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides are used. My research paper will analyze what cost it is to the environment to maintain these golf courses, and what alternatives can and should be used to maintain these courses in a way that is environmentally sound, and effective.

Just in America,, there are roughly 16,000 golf courses in operation. This number is increasing by hundreds each year. In the entire planet there are around 31,000 courses which take up a total of 7181.5 square miles. Almost all of these courses use pesticides in order to keep their grass, turf, and plant-life intact. Golf courses use chemicals to keep their turf in conditions that it wouldn’t normally be found in nature. With this gigantic amount of square mileage, it can be concluded that there must be a vast amount of pesticides to maintain all these courses. A study by the environmentalist group, Neighborhood Network, determined that the US alone uses 65 millions pounds of dry bulk pesticides, and 2.9 million pounds of liquid pesticides. With the US only having about half of the world’s golf courses, the total pesticide use for the entire world is likely around double this amount. This extreme pesticide use has negative effects on the environment, as well as serious negative consequences for the health of any humans that come in contact with it.

The major environmental concern with the the the pesticide use on golf courses comes from the use of the liquid pesticides. The liquid pesticides (2.9 million pounds used in the US) are typically applied by spraying. While some of the particles of this spray reach their intended destination of the plant that they are intended to protect, many of the particles don’t and are suspended in the air. These particles are released into the atmosphere as pollutants and can contribute to global warming. This occurs when the sun’s rays pass through the particles, and radiate the earth. The earth then radiates heat back towards the atmosphere, but the heat is trapped in by the floating particles. Obviously global warming is a culmination of the world’s pollution and by no means can the blame be solely placed on golf course pesticides. However, these pesticides are certainly contributing to a serious problem for our planet. Other environmental concerns include the health and well being of animals in the surrounding areas to golf courses. When animals in the surrounding areas of the golf course ingest treated plants, or water with pesticide runoff it can sometimes be lethal for the animals depending on the animal, dose, and toxicity of the specific pesticide.

Perhaps the most dangerous part about using these pesticides on golf courses is the documented effects on human health. There have been many studies to show that certain pesticides can do serious damage to humans. Among the most dangerous of the pesticides used on golf courses is trichlorfon. This chemical was found to increase the risk of diabetes for even those who only seldomly come in contact with it, by 85%. For those workers handling the chemical and applying it more than 10 times their risk of getting diabetes increases 250%. While this chemical has been used for a variety of purposes, its main and current use on the turf of golf courses. In this study, more than 30,000 people were examined to determine these results. Trichlorfon heads up a long list of dangerous, commonly used chemicals on golf courses. These include Acephate, Atrazine, Dacthal, Pronamide, and many more. All of the 4 listed are suspected of causing cancer. Atrazine is a known endocrine disruptor, which means that it can alter testosterone levels, cause problems with thyroids, and result in reproductive problems as well as prostate cancer. Among the top 30 most commonly used pesticides on these courses, if come into contact or ingested by humans, 21 can affect reproductive abilities, 19 can cause cancer, 15 are toxic to the nervous system, and 13 have been known to cause birth defects. Golfers who play consistently come into contact with these dangerous chemicals every time they play and are subjecting themselves to these serious, life-altering side effects. Maintanence workers who apply and manage these pesticides are at even more of a risk because they acome into contact with the pesticides every day.

While golf is an extremely fun sport to participate in as well as to watch, it is not worth these serious health risks to humans, animals, as well as the dangers it poses to our environment. Golf courses need to begin to take a greener initiative, and use less or no pesticides, even if it means there courses won’t be literally as green. The health of the ers and workers should come first.currently approximately 5% of the 16,000 courses in the US are going green and using only organic means of maintenance for their turf. Other courses need to begin following suit in order to protect our environment.