From the Greens
Sustainable Golf Courses
Maintenance of Golf of Golf Courses
by Wg. Cdr. Arun Kumar Singh (Retd)
President, GCS&MAI
olf Courses evolved from the
grasslands of Scotland and
the game of golf has been
broadly played on pasture land.
The sprawling pasture lands
populated with local species of
grasses was kept trimmed by
grazing livestock and other herbivores. They were
a habitat for diverse fl ora and fauna which not only
supported the environment but also was benefi cial
communities. The boom in construction of modern
golf courses, especially in the post war era, led to
creation of large golf courses relying on moving
lot of material and planting of single species of
new variety of grasses. Over a period of time, the
wheel has turned and renowned golf architects like
Robert Trent Jones (Jr), Tom Doakes, Gil Hanse
etc have shifted their focus to ‘ Low Impact’ design
and construction. The old ways of Scotland are
back in vogue and an attempt is being made to
blend the golf courses into available natural habitat
in the neighborhood. Efforts are being made to
create facilities which are not only environmentally
sustainable but also cater to fi nancial and social
sustainability. Maintenance of golf courses needs
to also follow the path of sustainability and need
to adapt to the local realities. The creation of large
modern golf courses focusing on grandeur did lead
to adoption of cultural practices in golf courses
which seem to have been largely similar to those
prevalent in modern Agriculture. It is interesting
to appreciate the changes in last 70 odd years in
the fi eld of Agriculture (Agar = land and culture =
cultivation i.e cultivation of land) and Agronomy
(Knowledge of land). Developments in the fi eld
of Science and Technology increased the yield
from crops substantially but it also led to increased
usage of chemicals such as pesticides and large
earth moving machinery changed landscapes into
fl at arable lands which destroyed the habitat for
other living beings like fl ora and fauna including
the soil microbes. The policymakers and the
farming community used the increased yield to
shift the paradigm to ‘Grain based Agriculture’
from the age old mix of pastures and agricultural
land. Increased production of grains and the
subsidies made it lucrative for being used as animal
feed and food processing industry. Vast tracts
of arable lands being used for producing grains
have created an environmental imbalance and
some even believe that it has caused a nutritional
imbalance too. Feeding the ever increasing
populations is a necessity and production of food
with rising yields will be always looked upon as
a virtue. The law makers cannot afford to alienate
the powerful farmer lobbies across the world and
the environmental damage caused by modern
agriculture is likely to be overlooked. Golf on
the other hand is perceived to be an elitist game
which is further enhanced by long waiting lists
and high cost of entry to golf clubs. Golf courses
have to necessarily follow sound policies to
remain sustainable especially from the ecological
point of view. Indian Golf Courses have in the
past 25 years been exposed to creation of modern
golf courses with sand based ‘Greens’ with short
or dwarf variety of grasses being planted on the
fairways and greens. Increased TV coverage of
golf tournaments and more golfers playing on
better courses has led to increased expectations
from the green keeping staff. Course managers not
only have to adopt good practices but also need to
disseminate more information to golfers playing
on the course for wider acceptance and education.
In the Indian context, maintenance practices must
focus on some very vital areas to ensure that the golf
courses continue to live and remain sustainable.
These could be reduction in usage of sand, water,
chemicals and creation of bio diversity.
Water. We live in times of water crisis and
doomsayers are already predicting ‘Water Wars’.
Days of fl ood irrigation are over and golf courses
must learn to invest in effi cient irrigation systems
for creating better effi ciency. The course managers,
at the same time should incorporate hand watering
to cover areas where necessary to save water even
further. Studies do reveal that most golf courses
are actually over irrigated and using a simple soil
moisture meter can be a great water saver. Reducing
the closely mowed areas (Greens, Fairways and
short rough) can not only reduce the consumption
of water but can also reduce costs related to man
hours / wear and tear of equipment. Consumption
of water can also be reduced by selection of local
species of grass wherever possible. Indian varieties
of grasses have good drought tolerance and are
resilient.
Sand. It is a rapidly depleting source and
the desired quality of sand is already diffi cult
to fi nd. Obviously, using sand for top dressing
for limited areas is desirable and so is to use the
material plugged out in coring after breaking it
down as top dressing material. Generally speaking
the material used at the time of construction has
undergone more quality checks and is superior to
the material procured in subsequent years from
new sources. Creating Bio Diversity. A typical 18-
hole golf course may be spread over 100 acres but
the playing area is only spread over 50 to 60 acres.
Out of this 50 odd acres, the cultivable area can be
further reduced by creating some bio diversity near
the Tees (say around 100 yards) by having local
grasses and may be even some other species of
GolfPlus
vegetation which require minimal care. Increased
bio diversity will also help in creation of better
habitat for soil microbes, birds, other species etc
and will help the golf course. Requirement of using
pesticides and other chemicals will also reduce
considerably as an improved bird life will feed on
the pests.
Fertilizers. Available evidence suggests that
most golf courses are fertilized aggressively and
need to tone down the usage of fertilizers in non
essential areas. A better application of fertilizers
in target areas will also provide different colors
and enhance the visible appeal of targeted areas.
Similarly, usage of other chemicals (fungicides,
pesticides etc) can be integrated and reduced.
Playability. Maintenance practices should
primarily focus on the playing conditions rather
than the visual appeal. Firm and consistent surfaces
are required to enhance playability and they are
not dependent on color of turf. On the contrary
heavily irrigated turf having shades of dark green
color is often shallow, inconsistent and prone to
compaction of soil.
Sequestering of Carbon. Grass as a specie
is almost completely comprised of Chlorophyll
and the entire plant is engaged in photo synthesis
which makes it an extremely effi cient plant for
sequestering carbon. A growing blade of grass
is most effi cient when it is mowed to a height
representing its growth phase as it has a high
rate of metabolism when it is in the middle of
the ‘S’ curve. It is seen that pasture grasslands
where the grass is kept clipped by the grazing
herbivores (ruminants like cattle, sheep etc) are
very effi cient in sequestering of carbon as the
animals keep shifting to new grounds in search
of the right height. This natural cycle of letting
grass rest and grow before being clipped could
be the practice which should be followed by golf
courses to become effi cient contributors to the
environment. The mowing of golf courses should
incorporate some resting schedules for the grass for
the best benefi ts. The cultivation practices in the
golf courses must help in making them not only
environmentally sustainable but also be socially
and fi nancially sustainable. Reduction in usage of
resources will certainly reduce costs and creating
bio diversity while blending with local landscapes
will make them socially more acceptable. Above
all the golf course managers must disseminate
information about the carbon sequestering benefi ts
to a larger audience and also let players understand
that playability of a golf course has little correlation
with the color of turf!
DECEMBER
2018
47