Towards a sustainable golf course

In a world where the environment is becoming a pressing matter, both within people and lawmaking, golf has taken numerous hits. Revolving around the use of water, chemicals, endangerment to wildlife, and elitism, golf is now faced with the dilemma of reworking the practice of creating and maintaining a golf course. Many courses have already set the trend for the future. As research and technology improve, courses can now reverse the negative connotation which rises whenever golf is mentioned in anti-golf circles.The topic of sustainable golf courses is a new and exciting topic which many designers today have yet to tackle. The opportunities for golf to lead the way in sustainable ecosystems are unending. This project looks at how the design of a golf course can fit into the existing landscape without requiring the landscape to fit the golf course. The strengths lie in educating readers about sustainability in golf as well as how golf courses are not only for players, but the community as well.This project is the capstone event in the five year landscape architecture curriculum. The goal of the project is to gather all of the information which has been accumulated throughout the five years and utilize it in a thesis setting. The project research was begun in the fall of 1997 and culminated with a presentation in the spring of 1998.College of Architecture and PlanningThesis (B.L.A.