By Design - Issue 54, 75 Years Special Report

11 “We have largely moved away from the wall-to-wall irrigated turf monoculture that required massive amounts of water and chemicals,” he continues. “Minimalist design concepts and the creation of diverse landscapes and habitats using native plant materials, together with significant advances in agronomy and irrigation, allow golf courses to thrive into the climate-challenged future, providing valuable green recreational ‘lungs’ for the planet.” Understanding the positive environmental value golf courses can offer, continues to heighten their perceived value among the communities they serve, even among non-golfers. “Good golf architecture has the capacity to provide a positive recreational outlet for golfers but more importantly, provide direct and indirect benefit to communities beyond the boundaries of the golf course,” says ASGCA Past President Greg Martin, whose 2017 renovation of the The Preserve at Oak Meadows in Addison, Illinois, set new benchmarks for how a golf course can deliver a positive environmental benefit. Martin highlights stormwater management, water quality benefits, native habitat enhancement and the preservation of open space as some of the primary environmental benefits of golf courses. “That Photo: The Preserve at Oak Meadows Sustainable golf Find out more about golf and sustainability: Download the ASGCA publication An Environmental Approach to Golf Course Development . Read volumes I and II of the ASGCA Foundation’s Golf & Water books via the Publications section of the ASGCA website. Learn how reducing turf areas can deliver environmental benefits by reading the Golf Course Turfgrass Reduction flyer . Read about projects that have been recognized for their environmental excellence in the ‘Green Stars’ article in the Winter 2020 issue of By Design . Find out about the programs offered by Audubon International and GEO Foundation. The Preserve at Oak Meadows in Addison, Illinois, was reimagined in 2017 ASGCA Past President Greg Martin