Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Potential Adaptation Opportunities of U.S. Golf Courses
Overview
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Golf AssociationDespite the enduring popularity of golf, relatively few resources are available to help golf course managers and owners understand the implications of climate change for this sport. In 2023, EcoAdapt partnered with the United States Golf Association to identify climate change vulnerabilities for golf courses, course management, and recreational users across the U.S., with the goal of providing managers the information they need to decrease the adverse impacts of climate change while also taking advantage of opportunities to incorporate golf courses into landscape-level adaptation planning and maintain sustainable enjoyment of this sport for all users.
Project Activities
Activities associated with this project include:
- Review of the scientific literature to identify the primary climate change impacts that will likely affect U.S. golf courses, including sea level rise, warmer temperatures and heat waves, changes in precipitation patterns, flooding and drought, and climate-driven increases in pests or disease, among others;
- Survey and interviews of golf course managers and other critical stakeholders to better understand existing climate concerns and impacts that are already being observed;
- Compilation of a comprehensive report outlining change change vulnerabilities and potential opportunities for adaptation, both generally and for various geographic regions of the U.S.; and
- Creation of a website with visualizations to provide golf course managers with the information they need to understand the potential climate change impacts that could affect their golf courses.
Are you an avid golfer, or do you work in the golf industry? The "Climate Change and Golf Survey" is now live, and your input is vital to understanding climate change concerns and vulnerabilities, as well as adaptation observations and opportunities. Take a survey here.
Project timeline: Spring 2023 through Winter 2025