A beautiful, weed and disease free turf is the goal of the golf course superintendent. He has developed a certain standard, figured out how to maintain that standard with the help of fertilizers and pesticides, and invested in equipment to apply those products to every green inch of the course.

But pesticides and fertilizers don't stay on course, so to speak...they contaminate ground and surface waters, and drift into areas where they can negatively impact wildlife and ecosystems. Pesticides that drift into surrounding residential neighborhoods can harm people too.

A few superintendents have taken the steps to reduce or eliminate pesticide use and have found success in alternative products and new maintenance practices. They are using these new technologies to help them maintain their courses while at the same time eliminating the environmental and health problems associated with chemical use. Among others nationwide, the Presidio Golf Course near San Francisco has been using compost tea on greens that traditionally are treated with regular applications of fungicides.

Because golf courses use considerable amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, even small efforts to reduce usage can have a significant impact on the local environment and one of the most successful ways to bring about change is to educate the membership. Enlightened golf club members may want to circulate a flyer similar to one that was created by a Westchester County, New York activist. Click here to view the flyer (pdf).

LINKS & RESOURCES

Information
Beyond Pesticides www.beyondpesticides.org Under Programs - select "Golf and the Environment"
Long Island Neighborhood Network www.longislandnn.org/golf

Consultants
Bob Ehrler, CGCS, MG, CTP, CGIA
Golf & Sports Turf Specialist
395 West Hills Road
West Hills, NY 11747-1021
Home office: 631-351-1948
CMGC office: 631-754-1386
Email: ehrler@optonline.net

Sunfire Institute Brian Jones, Robert Burton (610-459-4644) www.sunfireinstitute.com

Suggested Reading
"Toxic Fairways" - a report from the New York State Attorney General's Office View On-line Report
Ecological Golf Course Management by Paul D. Sachs and Richard T. Luff (March 2002) ISBN #1-57504-154-5)