The great game of golf has enjoyed a relatively quiet, yet hard-earned industry-wide reputation for environmental stewardship. Through the foresight and hard work of organizations like the Center for Resource Management, Audubon International, the Royal and Ancient’s Best Practices for Golf and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s Environmental Institute for Golf, the game has been largely left to its own devices to manage its impacts. It was this very fact – the golf industry’s self examination – that first drew me to golf course environmental management. It is one thing to do stuff because a government agency was breathing down your neck and watching everything you do. It is a another thing completely when an entire multi-billion dollar international business conducts a critical assessment and actually reveals all of the bad news about itself to everyone!
After several years of remarkable achievement in the golf course environmental management field, activity has begun to slow a barely perceptible crawl. Don’t get me wrong, great strides have been made in reducing use of potable water and pesticides. With the recent economic downturn, it seems as if fewer managers at ever fewer courses have the time, resources or available staff members to go beyond compliance much these days. Of course, there are the few well-off courses that still are cranking out the rounds and profits necessary to be publicly “concerned” about the environment. These guys are truly blessed. Problem is, being an environmental steward is getting harder every day – and the future isn’t overly comforting.
The economy is still in the doldrums and the overall number of courses in this country will probably decline again – for the fourth year in a row! Fewers courses equal fewer jobs. Operating costs may never be lower. Reuse water prices in Tucson, Arizona will nearly triple for those being good stewards and not using potable water to irrigate their courses. Pesticide use will come under increased scrutiny as the U.S. EPA and several municipalities contribute to the stress of golf managers.
One issue may not have been discussed, at least not in the vain of increased environmental management concerns, since the 1980s. The source of this concern? The game’s fervent embrace of equipment technology, especially the golf ball. The ball is going so far now, golf architects – if they ever get a chance to design a new course again – must be making their courses 15-25% longer and wider.
Augusta National has been the site of several lengthening projects that in some minds makes the course so different as to not allow comparisons between different champion’s eras. Even the venerable Old Course, recent host of The Open Championship, had a new back tee added to probably the greatest par 4 golf hole in the world. Watching the PGA Tour on the tube this summer, I witnessed more than just a few players hitting an uphill, 600 plus-yard par 5 hole with a drive and an iron! How long until the USGA has a par 4 bordering on 600 yards at one of its U.S. Open sites? At this rate, not very.
Courses will need to be longer and wider which means increased development costs and more water, fertilizers and pesticides to keep the grass green. Increased areas to maintain are not the answer to golf’s problems. The entire industry, at least in America, is down. The game has troubles and those charged with ensuring its long-term wellness are seemingly looking the other way. Does the R & A and the USGA really approve of the pros being able to hit 8-irons over 175 yards? Several PGA Tour players hit over half of their drives over a season over 300 yards! That is obscene and unnatural. And on that point, even I can launch a tee shot over 300-yards now and then. Some of them I can even find and play! Something needs to be done and soon.
In the end, improvements to clubs and balls have been a recurring theme in golf. Before the game’s introduction into America, golf balls were made of leather stuffed with a top hat of feathers. The feathery was replaced by the gutta percha. The guttie flew farther and actually lasted more than a round or two. Next on the scene was the rubber Haskell ball which added appreciable length and along with the newfangled steel shafted clubs, changed the game forever.
It was during this time, commonly acknowledged as the Golden Age of golf course architecture that many of the classic American courses like Augusta National, Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Merion, Pine Valley and Oakmont were built. All of these courses measured between 6500-6900 yards long. Today, this figure is considered unworthy of “championship” play. Only those layouts that approach 7500 yards in length can be considered. Even the great champion, Tom Watson, agrees. When asked recently what he would change about the game, he offered that the ball flight needs to be reduced 10-15%.
The question I have is – can the game continue to endure? If the ball really flies too far, have we finally crossed the line? Will the economy ever allow golf to grow and thrive in the face of continued pressure from environmentalists? I, for one, am not sure. I just hope there are a bunch of people a lot smarter than me working on these issues. The game of golf is too important to turn it over to engineers and technocrats.
About the Author:
Bill Bushman is the director of Ecodesigns International, a golf course management consulting firm. Contact him at ecodesigns@satx.rr.com.
