A new survey of golfers has found they are far more concerned about the environmental impact of golf venues than previously thought.
Ninety six per cent of respondents said they would like their regular golf course to be more sustainable, with nearly half citing chemicals used to control pests as their biggest cause for concern. The other main environmental issues that worried golfers were reducing water usage, reducing waste and protecting biodiversity.
The survey of 308 golfers – of whom nearly half were members of clubs – from 25 countries by the Sustainable Golf Project, which benchmarks the environmental credentials of venues, found that more than half of golfers play the game because it is an opportunity to experience nature. This proved to be an even more popular reason than ‘because it is fun’, and was particularly attractive to nomadic golfers (regular players who are not members of clubs).
More than half of the respondents (52 per cent) stated that they would be prepared to offer compensation for the environmental impact that their rounds of golf caused, whether it be paying more money for their golf, promoting sustainable golf or carrying out local community work. Nearly a third of golfers, (31 per cent) even said they would be prepared to volunteer for course maintenance activities.
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