Myerscough College and University Centre

Sustainability to the FORE!: Using research and education to support the golf industry’s environmental journey

This research and education project sought to address the challenges posed by climate change, resource constraints and regulation on the sustainability of the sports industry. The work brings together, for the first time, current academic and technical research, as well as expert industry views on how to maintain golf course quality with less chemicals, fertiliser, and water for maintenance.

Results offers an essential guidebook to support the golf industry in the context of wider environmental pressures, by addressing how playing quality can be optimised in harmony with the conservation of its natural environment. The practical guidance is supplemented with tangible easy to implement action points and case studies of best practice so that clubs can quickly make the required changes.

Furthermore, the work was produced by degree students as part of their education pathway, meaning it plays a role in improving awareness of environmental concerns as part of their studies, but also the students are playing a direct and important role in impacting on the decisions the industry makes in regard to climate change.

The results directly support the sports industry in their sustainability journey, and positively impact the millions of golfers worldwide.

Top 3 Learnings

1. Emerging environmental and economic challenges means that the golf sector is increasingly required to evaluate the nature and role of their course management practices. This represents a difficult but necessary process to remain viable in a volatile environment with consistently changing demographics and economic conditions.
2. The research has sought to provide a roadmap whereby clubs are equipped with the skills to assess which programmes are essential to their individual strategy and culture, which they could do without, and where they can innovate on current practices.
3. Degree students were centrally involved in this knowledge production project, meaning they are not only now acutely aware of environmental concerns as part of their studies, but also they play a direct and important role in impacting on the decisions the industry makes in regard to climate change via this specific project.