ECOLOGY
Richard Studdart, the STRI’s Ecologist looks at the relationship between management of the ecology and a golf course’s bank balance.
Does it have a role on the modern golf course?
If you were to ask a golfer what his or her perceptions of ecology were within golf you may well get a varied response. It is generally the case that they have no opposition to the concept of ecology, if they understand it in the first place, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their golf. Many, in their keenness to get out and play, fail to recognise the benefits wildlife has on playing the game. To some there is a conscious benefit where the landscape and its wildlife are strongly dominant. This may be a reason why a golfer would choose which course to play on. To others,
wildlife represents a subliminal part of the golfer’s enjoyment of the game.
Golf courses are nature reserves whether golfers realise it or not. Many of our rarest species are found nowhere else but on golf courses. For example, Lizard Orchid, Bedstraw and Clove Scented Broomrape are only found at Royal St. George’s Golf Club. It is not only prestigious courses that support the best wildlife. Take Bradley Park Golf Club for example. This council run club near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is committed to improving wildlife
on the course. The Club have erected nest boxes, installed signage to educate golfers on what is going on around the course and have been successful in conserving Great Crested Newts and orchids by understanding and managing their habitat requirements and, importantly, by communicating the need with visitors and the Local Authority who manage the course. Golfers perceptions of wildlife
will vary depending on their understanding of the course set up and the context and role of the Golf Course in the local area.
Golf courses are nature reserves whether golfers realise it or not!
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