Golf on vacation: Sustainable or an environmental problem?

Golf is considered an environmental disaster. There are courses that use millions of gallons of water a year. Instead of nature, you find heavily fertilized lawns with no biological value. The criticism of golf is not unjustified. However, attitudes are slowly changing and people are starting to think about how to play golf on vacation in a way that is more in tune with nature.

Environmental aspects of golf – how bad is it really?

A golf course requires a lot of space and dense, green turf with a cut length of 2 to 5 millimeters. Doesn’t sound like a haven for biodiversity, does it? But this does not automatically mean that every golf course has a negative environmental footprint. Here are some of the determining factors:

1 Land

A standard 18-hole golf course requires approximately 40 to 90 acres of land. Some courses are only 9 holes.

The question is: What else would the land be or have been used for? Would it be industrial agriculture (e.g. corn fields or pasture for cows) or a commercial area (sealed surface)? In either case, a golf course would be better in terms of emissions. (On the other hand, if natural areas (or near-natural fallow) have to disappear, a golf course is worse for the environment..

2 Water use on golf courses

The green of a golf course among the cacti of the desert – this is the sight that makes environmental activists tear their hair out.

Water usage varies widely and not all golf courses are irrigated. Tee boxes, fairways and greens are watered.

• According to HR-Inforadio, the Praforst Golf Club (a 27-hole (18+9) course in eastern Germany) uses between 300,000 and 600,000 liters of water per irrigation cycle. (That would be 45 to 90 million liters for 150 days of irrigation (April to September).
• According to RBB, Berlin’s three largest golf courses are allowed to use up to 270,000 cubic meters (= 270 million liters) of water per year..
• This Los Angeles Times article even mentions 1 million gallons (= 3.79 million liters) for a single watering.
• The greenkeeper at the Bad Gastein Golf Club in Salzburg, Austria, reports that he uses between 40,000 and 60,000 liters of water to irrigate his 45-acre, 18-hole course. This figure is mentioned in the standard description of golf courses that use “little” water because of their favorable location.

As you can see, even in water-rich countries like Germany or Austria, water consumption is enormous. In water-poor countries (think of golf courses in deserts), this excessive use of fresh water is truly indefensible. We can well understand the protest of a climate-protection group that filled golf hole pits in Spain with cement.

What strategies are there to make water use more ecological?

The worst options are tapping groundwater and buying drinking water. Desalinated seawater, such as that used by some golf courses in the Gulf States or the Canary Islands, cannot be considered significantly more environmentally friendly. Although such desalination plants conserve groundwater, they consume a lot of energy (CO2 emissions). There is also a problem with wastewater from these plants.

Better solutions include:

1. Private Lakes: Some golf courses, for example in the DACH region, have their own lakes from which they draw water. Similar to reservoirs used for snow cannons, golf courses argue that they are not depriving the population of water..
2. A river that flows directly into the sea: In the ideal case, it can be argued that the water can be taken “without problems”..
3. Wastewater: It is well known that domestic and industrial wastewater is treated. Theoretically, it is of drinking water quality after treatment, but it is not used as drinking water. Instead, it is discharged into rivers and lakes. However, wastewater can also be used to irrigate land, which means it also returns to the water cycle.

In the future, new types of turfgrass may also be of interest. Species have already been bred that have longer roots and therefore require less watering. The “problem” is that the grass quickly turns brown and (although healthy) looks unattractive.

Irrigating with only 300 liters

Golf course in Burkina Faso. This may be the answer to climate change.

Another option – which has been rejected by the rules so far – would be to simply stop insisting on so much grass. Who is to say that the rules of sport are set in stone and can’t be adapted to a changing climate? In Burkina Faso, for example, there is a golf course that uses only 200 to 300 liters of water for irrigation! “We play in the nature we have,” says the course manager.

3 Use of pesticides

Golf courses are known to use large amounts of fertilizer to keep the grass thick, green and pristine.

There are some clubs that strictly limit the use of pesticides and fertilizers, such as those with Gold & Nature certification. Fertilizer, for example, is used only when necessary and only on greens, not on fairways and tees. Calculations have shown that such golf courses are even better than industrial agriculture (e.g. potato farming), but never better than organic farming.

Can golf and nature go hand in hand?

Golf course on the South Ayrshire coast in Scotland. Green grass is part of the natural landscape here.

Yes, they can. The German Golf Association has created the “Golf & Nature” label for this purpose. Members with this seal of approval, such as the Würzburg Golf Club, distinguish themselves by leaving large parts of the golf course in their natural state. They even create biotopes.

Supporters of golf (e.g. Bernd Müllender, author of the taz column “Eingelocht”) argue that golf is much closer to nature than many other sports, e.g. football and other stadium sports. (He doesn’t even mention things like “Formula 1”).

If you want to argue that way, it is important to note that the only courses that have any ecological value are those that make a real effort to provide large areas of trees, lakes and biotopes, for example, and not just green, artificially fertilized meadows that not a single ladybird can benefit from! Fortunately, courses without any nature at all are now considered “boring” anyway.

Combine a sustainable vacation with golf

If you want to ensure that your golf vacation is as sustainable as possible, the first step is to choose a region that does not suffer from water shortages. Countries like England, Scotland, Ireland, but also the Alpine region (Switzerland, Austria, South Tyrol) as well as Germany or the Scandinavian countries (usually) have an abundance of surface water, so it is not too problematic from an ecological point of view to irrigate a golf course.

Golf in the Rh?n UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

The gently rolling hills of the Rh?n are naturally green.

The Rh?n region in central Germany has been designated a biosphere reserve. As such, it is a model region for how nature and people can live in harmony in the long term.

Here in Mellrichstadt you will find the Green Pearls? Hotel STURM. Using natural materials and organic food from the region, this family-run hotel is very sustainable. You can relax in a large, natural garden area with a natural swimming pond and a garden sauna.

• For golfers, the STURM offers a 30% green fee discount at the following golf clubs in the area: Golf-Club Fulda Rh?n (which advertises itself as being close to nature), Golf-Club Maria Bildhausen, Golf-Club Bad Kissingen, Golf-Club Lauterbach, Golf-Club Hofgut Praforst and the Kurhessischer Golfclub.
• Es gibt 2 Programme: ?Golf x5“ und ?Golf x2“

We are actively involved in sustainable tourism. We are aware that sustainable economic activity requires both responsibility and financial resources – for an environmentally conscious hotel business that will also be preserved for future generations”. – Julius Schulze Dieckhoff from STURM

“Golf & Spa” Days at Hotel Klosterbr?u in Austria

Hotel Kloserbr?u

Combine golf, wellness and a short break in a sustainable hotel? You can this summer at Hotel Klosterbr?u. From 22 June to 13 July 2025, you can book the “Golf & Spa Days” special with a minimum stay of 4 nights.

Included are:

• 4 nights half board
• 35% discount on green fees at the Wildmoos and Seefeld\/Reith golf courses
• Free shuttle to the golf course
• Feel Spa massage voucher worth €20 per person

Golf on the Ritten in South Tyrol

A golf course in the Dolomites.

The Ritten Plateau in South Tyrol is another great place to spend a sustainable vacation close to nature. The northern Italian vacation region is characterized by many sustainable initiatives, such as the Bio-Fair Südtirol gastronomy project or eco-friendly mobility. With the RittenCard, you can use all public transportation, including cable cars, for free and get discounts at museums and other attractions.

The family-friendly Green Pearls? Hotel Weihrerhof is located 1,200 meters above sea level, directly on the Wolfsgruben lake. From here you can reach four golf courses within a radius of 45 kilometers.

Other sustainable hotels on the Ritten are the ADLER Lodge RITTEN, where you can enjoy a relaxing vacation in wooden cabins and with a farm-to-table concept, and the APIPURA hotel rinner, which serves organic food and has its own beekeeping.

Golf around Munich

In the Munich area we can recommend Gut Sonnenhausen. A carefully restored former manor house in the midst of nature. The surrounding gardens are sustainably managed according to the principles of permaculture. Within 15 to 25 minutes by car you can reach the following golf clubs:

• Golfclub Ebersberg
• Golfclub Schloss Egmating
• Golfclub Schloss Elkoven e.V.
• Golfclub Schloss Maxlrain (By the way, dogs are allowed Monday through Friday)

Golf must adapt to climate change

Golf is said to have been invented by shepherds in Scotland in the 13th century. There was an endless expanse of green grass – and they played on it. Wonderful. Over time, it developed into an elite sport with many rules and high standards. For many years, the environmental aspect was neglected. However, a change in attitude is slowly taking place and a number of “natural golf courses” are now emerging that take responsibility for the use of resources.

In the long run, however, it would be best to follow the approach of courses like those in Burkina Faso, where you play on the land “as it is” and don’t try at all costs to transform the landscape into the Scottish Highlands, anywhere in the world.