Coastal commentary 



Golf Courses: Do They Handicap Water Quality? 



The trappings of a strong coastal 

 economy are often measured in restau- 

 rants, resorts and retirement homes. But 

 the sand-filled traps of golf courses are 

 becoming another yardstick of prosperity. 



Close to 60 of the 500 golf courses 

 carpeting North Carolina soil are in the 

 coastal region. Their acres of sculpted 

 green courses, often the centerpiece of 

 new resorts, attest to the popularity of the 

 sport and the attractiveness of our coast- 

 line as a resort area. 



But they also raise questions about 

 the environmental damage caused by golf 

 course construction and maintenance, 

 especially to water quality. The chemicals 

 used to maintain turfgrass can contribute 

 nutrients and other pollutants to nearby 

 surface waters and groundwater. Coastal 

 waters logged with nutrients can experi- 

 ence algae growths, which consume oxy- 

 gen and sometimes kill fish. Pesticides 

 can contaminate drinking water, fish and 

 shellfish, threatening the health of hu- 

 mans and the environment. 



When compared to other urban de- 

 velopment and agriculture, golf courses 

 are a fairly small source of these chemi- 

 cals. Nonetheless, they contribute. And 

 it's important to identify and control all 

 pollution sources that are degrading our 

 coastal waters. 



So exactly how much pollution do 

 golf courses contribute to coastal waters 

 and how can this be avoided? 



Location 



Resort golf courses are expensive to 

 build, often approaching $5 million be- 

 fore they're completed. And investments 

 of this size are built with an ideal location 

 in mind. Many coastal golfing develop- 

 ments are located next to picturesque 

 wetlands, streams and estuaries. Some- 

 times they're next to shellfish waters. 



Once a site has been selected, the 

 construction of the course itself can have 

 the greatest impact on nearby waters. 

 Sediment rinsed from construction can 

 smother juvenile fish, shellfish, plants and 

 invertebrates. And bacteria from the hous- 



ing and commercial development asso- 

 ciated with the golf course can contami- 

 nate nearby shellfish beds, forcing their 

 closure to protect human health. 



Many problems can be avoided in 

 the design by minimizing land distur- 

 bance, leaving large vegetated strips of 

 land between the course and surface 

 waters, phasing the construction to 

 minimize exposed soil area, and outlin- 

 ing an erosion-control plan that assures 

 sediment will not leave the construction 

 site. Or, rather than altering pristine 

 areas for development, land-use plan- 

 ners could encourage the siting of golf 

 courses in areas already degraded or 

 developed. 



Chemical 

 Management 



Turfgrass management is the most 

 highly refined agricultural practice that 

 requires the use of fertilizers and pesti- 

 cides to maintain a thick, healthy stand 

 of grass free from disease and pests. The 

 intensity of this management — and 

 consequently, the amount of pollutants 

 that leave the course — is decided 

 largely by members and golfers. 



On average, only about 60 acres of 

 the 160-acre playing area — including 

 the greens, tees and fairways — are 

 routinely fertilized and treated for pests. 



Once these chemicals are applied to 

 the course, they can take various paths 

 into the air, water or soil. They can be 

 absorbed by the turfgrass, vaporized 

 into the air, leached into the soil or 

 washed off by rain. Chemicals that run 

 off the course after a rain or leach 

 through soil en route to groundwater 

 pose the greatest threat to water quality. 



But a direct link between golf 

 courses and water quality degradation is 

 tenuous at best because so little informa- 

 tion is available. Until recently, there 

 were few studies of how pesticides and 

 nutrients move from golf courses. More 

 information will be available soon from 

 environmental studies conducted at 

 universities across the country with 



funding from the U.S. Golf Association. 



The limited research available sug- 

 gests that proper management can mini- 

 mize leaching and runoff of pollutants 

 into surface waters and groundwater. 

 Scientists continue to develop new strat- 

 egies to reduce the use of chemicals and 

 limit their movement from golf courses. 

 For instance, course superintendents can 

 use slow-release and low-level fertiliz- 

 ers, correlate fertilizer applications with 

 plant needs, test the soil to identify lack- 

 ing nutrients so that unnecessary fertiliz- 

 ers are not applied, irrigate conserva- 

 tively, select disease-resistant grasses, 

 use integrated pest management to ap- 

 ply pesticides only when needed, use 

 natural predators to control pests and 

 build ponds on the course to detain run- 

 off and allow time for natural processes 

 to remove nutrients and pesticides be- 

 fore they enter nearby waters. 



Many measures have been tested 

 and proven effective. Now the most 

 important job is to encourage golf 

 courses to use these measures. 



Other Sources 



Although golf courses are a source 

 of chemicals, nearby water quality deg- 

 radation can't always be traced directly 

 to turfgrass. 



Sometimes it's hard to separate 

 chemicals from a course and those 

 washed from the homes that may ac- 

 company it. The same fertilizers and 

 pesticides used on golf courses are ap- 

 plied to private lawns and gardens by 

 homeowners who have little or no 

 knowledge of proper chemical use. 

 Homeowners, as well as golf course 

 managers, must properly manage lawns 

 to protect water quality. 



For more information, write N.C. 

 Sea Grant and ask for the winter 1994 

 issue of WaterWise. Or contact your 

 local cooperative extension office. 



Barbara Doll, N.C. Sea Grant 

 coastal water quality specialist 



22 MARCH/APRIL 1994 



