USGA: Our Experts Explain

Is Your Course Environmentally and Economically Sound?

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The game of golf faces two difficult issues affecting every course in the country – environmental and economic sustainability – and both require attention. Environmental sustainability is impacted by water and wildlife issues. Economically, the cost of maintenance and shrinking free time for golfers presents challenges. A common obstacle is unrealistic expectations about course conditioning. Fortunately, there is plenty of room to adjust expectations without damaging the integrity of the game.

To help these efforts, the USGA staff has assembled a list of questions that every facility should consider regarding best management practices (BMPs) for sustainability. The goal is to help courses assess their own situation and develop actions to improve. There never will be an end point; the journey is one of continual progress and improvement.

Click each question to reveal a collection of resources generated by the USGA Green Section staff and USGA-funded research.

Does your facility have a written set of maintenance standards?

Is the course maintained in a manner consistent with the available budget and labor?

Does the facility have a written environmental plan?

Environmental stewardship covers a wide variety of topics, from water conservation and water quality management, to management practices that keep playing surfaces healthy, problems in check, and wildlife habitats thriving. Conducting an environmental assessment and preparing a good environmental plan articulates the vision of the course and provides direction: they define goals, identify methods and establish personnel responsibilities and timelines.

Turfgrass areas should be managed with the primary goal of optimizing the health of the turfgrass and improving playability while reducing inputs. An environmental management plan identifies environmental assets on the golf course, defines the goals for maximizing these areas and outlines implementation strategies. Components of this important analysis encompass many topics, such as: