Environmental Principles

In conjunction with the Golf Industry Show in Anaheim, the Golf & the Environment Coalition (G&E) prepared a report on the ten-year progress assessment (1996-2006) of environmental stewardship on the nation's golf courses. Here's a linked transcript from the conference, dated April 2007.

Jon Last has posted an interesting presentation about golfer attitudes concerning the environment from the conference.
Highlights:

• 93% of golfers say golf is an environmentally friendly sport.
• "Awareness" of golf facility efforts to mitigate environmental issues is at an all-time high, however, with 36% of golfers claiming they "are aware."
• 48% would pay a higher green fee to minimize pesticide use.

Generally, environmental concern among golfers seems to have fallen slightly in the past five years, and (of course) are divided among regional tastes:
• Golfers in the South are more likely to believe government regulation isn’t necessary.
• Golfers in the Midwest are more likely to specifically look for products made of recycled materials.
• Golfers in the West are more likely to contribute to environmental organizations and to believe golf is an environmentally friendly sport.
• Golfers in the East are more likely to believe that future courses should be restricted to unclaimed land.

Biggest golf-course management enviro efforts?
• Regulated/recycled water usage
• Restricting environmental areas for plants/wildlife
• Reducing use of pesticides