Golf courses

In recent years golf tourism has increased in popularity and the number of golf courses has grown rapidly. Within the last 5 years, golf tourism has been spreading rapidly across Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia leading to degradation of coastal environments, groundwater pollution, water scarcity and resulting in conflicts with resident farmers who see themselves forced to sell their land to golf course investors. The development of golf courses usually entails land clearing and filling causing erosion and blocking the soil's ability to retain water efficiently. In addition, golf course maintenance can deplete fresh water resources typically requiring about 3,000 cubic meters of water per day, which is enough to meet the needs of 15,000 people. If the water comes from wells, overpumping can cause saline intrusion into groundwater, depletion of aquifers, groundwater pollution, and thus jeopardising water supply to local communities.

This golf course at the edge of the Waccamaw River (South Carolina) was part of a study conducted by the North Inlet - Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve designed to determine the effects of golf course best management practices on water quality.

Pollution from the large quantities of pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides (about 1500 kg a year) required to maintain golf courses can lead to habitat degradation, and can cause health problems. In both the Sarasota Bay and the Corpus Christy National Estuary Program assessments, lawn care practices on golf courses were found to be major sources of nitrate and phosphate contamination of the bay from storm water runoff. Exacerbating their impacts is the fact that golf resorts are more and more often situated in or near protected areas or areas where resources are limited.

For those looking to take in a game of golf while vacationing in the Caribbean, Barbados has becomes the island of choice. It boosts some of the region's most luxurious and breathtaking courses. However, this has come at a cost, with vast expanses of sugar cane fields having been turned into grass areas, right near the coast - a major threat to islanders and coastal environments. For the courses to be developed land had to be cleared, bulldozed, filled etc. leading to increased sedimentation loads in coastal waters. Due to the amounts of water needed to maintain the golf courses grass and the limited supply of local freshwater one of the hotels has resorted to building a desalination plant on its grounds!

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