by Beth Gray

Even if you are not a golfer, it is likely that you know at least several people who enjoy the game.  In the United States, golf has a tremendous economic impact.    According to the 2007 Golf 20/20 economic impact report, golf was a $76 billion industry.  Golf courses have come under close scrutiny within the environmental preservation community.  The volume of water needed to keep courses looking green and lush is tremendous and many courses use various pesticides and other chemicals which can harm the environment.  The typically large amounts of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers used on most golf courses create substantial concerns regarding run off into local rivers and lakes. 

Several golf courses, however, are beginning to acknowledge these issues and many are changing their ways to be more diligent stewards of our delicate environment.  San Francisco’s Harding Park, a Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) golf course, is one example.  Administrators at Harding Park employed a team of entomologists and other scientists to help determine ways in which they could reduce water and pesticide usage while still maintaining a golf course that people would like to visit.  An article in Science Daily details how Harding Park is greening their operations and one of America’s favorite pastimes.

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