Playing golf means being outdoors, usually for hours at a time. It is impossible to avoid interacting with or observing nature while you’re on the course, whether you’re watching hawks soar overhead or judging the best way to avoid a mid-fairway stream. Most golfers see and experience the environmental benefits of golf courses on a regular basis, but the relationship between golf and the environment isn’t always well understood or accurately portrayed. Read on to learn how golf courses can be eco-boosting green spaces.

Chill Out

While it may not always feel like it on a hot summer day, golf courses are actually cooling the air above and around them. In highly developed areas, the vegetation and turfgrass on golf courses can cool the air by several degrees and help mitigate the effects of urban heat islands. That cooling effect can extend more than a quarter of a mile beyond the course. In metropolitan areas, golf courses may be among the only large green spaces offering a break from steamy summer temperatures.

Where the Wild Things Are

As a golfer, you have probably seen any number of animals on the course while playing. Birds, reptiles, deer and many other critters are a common sight on courses everywhere. Golf courses are great homes for a wide range of plants and animals, including some threatened species. Superintendents often devote considerable time and resources to expanding wildlife habitats and participating in environmental programs.

Water Works

Most people know that golf courses use water to maintain healthy grass, but many do not know that golf courses also capture, retain and filter stormwater, and recharge groundwater supplies. Some courses are even specifically designed to reduce the risk of flooding in surrounding communities. The turfgrass and natural areas on golf courses slow and filter runoff from adjacent properties. When best practices are followed, the water exiting a golf course can be cleaner than when it entered.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Golf courses contain acres of plants that are constantly improving the surrounding air quality. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen for us to breathe. They also absorb gaseous pollutants and trap dust and particulates that are carried in the air. This is especially important in urban areas where there are high incidences of asthma and other breathing disorders.

Golf Can Still Do More

While golf courses provide many environmental benefits today, there is always room for improvement. Enlarging areas of native vegetation, making more space for wildlife, increasing use of electric-powered equipment, and continuing to improve golf course water use are just a few ways that golf courses can upgrade their environmental stewardship.

Some people don’t think of golf courses as environmentally friendly spaces, but they offer plenty of scientifically demonstrated environmental benefits for plants, animals and humans, especially in developed areas. As golfers, we want to see our courses thriving for years to come. Part of that includes caring for the plants and animals that call the golf course home and the environment around us.