Above: Richard Studdart of the STRI's Ecology and Environment Unit
Left: Brighouse Bay, which caters largely for holidaymakers in the adjacent caravan park, gives thought to ecological matters throughout the course. Last year the improvements to the course were recognised when the club were the overall winners of the BIGGA Golf Environment Competition
the importance of, and put money into developing, their environment.
Environment The secret to success
The formula for developing a golf course that can be sustainable in the long-term can be viewed as a three-tiered pyramid, with the tiers consisting of environment, social status, and economic status. The order in which these are prioritised is the key to developing sustainability.
Sustainable pyramid
Economy Social Environment At the base of the pyramid, and
therefore being the key supporting structure is the environment. This relates to the positioning of the golf course within the wider landscape context. The perception is that greens are of the highest priority and, it is often the case, that the environment is only considered if perhaps the club has spare resources and time. Greens are, of course, very important. It is vital that they are firm, fast and true in order for the club to earn the respect of the
golfers. However, it is time we understood the context and importance of the environment. So, to return to the sustainability pyramid, if we have a strong environmental foundation, i.e. a course that is highly desirable to play in terms of its ‘presence’ within an ecologically diverse and interesting landscape and, of course, its high quality playing surfaces, then we have a firm base to build social structure into our pyramid. A course with a sound environmental base will encourage membership (word gets around very quickly in golfing circles) and, if the base is maintained, not only will the existing membership remain, but will see strong growth. With this, comes the top tier of the pyramid - economic growth. With increased membership comes increased economic sustainability, some of which can be put back into further enhancing the environmental base and so the pyramid turns into an ever growing cycle of prosperity for the club.
If the pyramid is turned upside-down, with economics as its base, the future of the course becomes unstable. With minimal investment in the course, the club doesn’t develop a good reputation and, with plenty of competition around, will more than likely lose membership to another nearby club who may recognise
Economy Social
Unsustainable pyramid
It is generally the case that golf courses concerned about the environment are those that have been stable, have grown, and continue to grow through to the present day.
Is there a problem?
Golf club membership is in decline, with pay and play becoming ever more popular from council run courses to prestigious courses such as the Belfry. Why is this? The high cost of membership is clearly a factor but there are other problems which contribute. Many members have been loyal to their club for years and the average age is generally quite high. As such, the course is often tailored to suit their style of play. With younger golfers, and those new to the game, there is a culture developing of wanting a course suitable for use by owners of the latest hi-tech drivers capable of hitting the ball miles. The latest equipment is enabling golfers to drive the ball over 300 yards off the tee and many membership courses are not set up for this type of distance play. In
It is generally the case that golf clubs concerned about the environment continue to grow
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