Positive and Negative Effects of Golf Courses on the Environment

Golf courses in America hold themselves to a high standard when it comes to maintaining the thick, weed free and lusciously manicured turf in the fairways of their course. There has been increased focus on pesticides on golf courses since the early 1990s. In recent years however, Golf Course managers have began to realize the effect that they were having on the environment, both positive and negative. Many managers have began to consult with local environment experts to maintain their respective courses in a more environmentally conscious manner and some have even gone organic. There are extreme factors that all golf courses must pay attention to in order to have a luscious and visually appealing facility. Chemicals are a huge one. The chemicals used aren’t always bad either. Almost all the news articles and stories related to chemicals and the usage of them on on golf courses are more often than not, pretty negative. Golf course chemicals are seen as extremely volatile toxins to humans, plants and animals when in reality, that is not always the case. According researchers Raymond H. Snyder and George H. Snyder who are professors at the University of Florida, there have been a lot of misconceptions about golf course chemicals.

According to the Snyders, when chemicals are used directly how the labeled directions tell them to, chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers that are commonly used on golf course turf are not believed to pose a real health risk to either the workers who apply the chemicals or to others who may come into contact with them after application, thus meaning that golfers are safe. Although that is true, since toxicology studies are conducted using lab animals, it hasn’t been established with certainty ho...

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..., but one of the main effects that was found was Endocrine disruption. Endocrine disruption is described as changes in the balance of hormones in the body and can affect the body’s immune system later in life. It can also severely affect the development of the body in the younger years as well as affect organ development. Other effects are sickness cancer and birth defects.

There are an extreme number of people showing symptoms that result back to the chemicals that are being used on the golf course. Endocrine disruption could be the ultimate consequence of the golfer, but no data will ever be able to be constructed due to the lack of human test subjects to test. Many courses in the modern era have even began to go green and some have even decided to go organic. Golf courses have been modernizing to fit the mold of a more environmentally conscious world.