It has become widely accepted that the Earth’s climate is shifting. The form that this shift takes will vary greatly across the world, yet we can all expect more extreme weather events and an increasing unpredictability in seasonal weather patterns. Any climatic fluctuations may have profound effects on the way golf courses are managed and it is important to ensure that your management approach is planning for this change. A sustainable approach will offer the most effective solution for developing stability in your operations in the future, despite these uncertainties.
Some of the issues the industry can expect to face as a consequence of climatic extremes include changes to:
To be fully aware of the implications that climate change may have to your golf course, the following steps may prove extremely valuable:
Golf courses can play an active role in limiting the extent of future changes to the Earth’s climate system by reducing energy consumption and making a commitment to becoming progressively more energy-efficient.
You can demonstrate how you are adapting to climate change by recording your management of energy, water, pesticides, fertilisers and waste.
More frequent heavy rain events may dictate a reassessment of drainage requirements.
Drier summers will impact on your irrigation needs.
An increase in the number and frequency of storm surges may result in significant coastal erosion.
More and stronger winds will quickly highlight weak trees and poor woodland management.