Properly addressing environmental concerns can be a positive marketing spur for golf courses, according to veteran course architect Dr Michael Hurdzan.

“People are looking for resorts that are environmentally correct and family friendly,” Hurdzan told the KPMG Golf Business Forum at Celtic Manor in Wales. “Years ago, no-one really worried about environmental aspects, and now it’s very important. We need to create a golf course that’s economically sustainable, but we need to do so using as little water, fertiliser, pesticide and fossil fuels as possible.”

Hurdzan said that communicating about the environment of the course is crucial. “At Valderrama there are wonderful signs on each hole talking about the environmental aspects of each hole. You can do the same in the yardage book,” he said.

Embracing technology to reduce environmental impact is another vital aspect, Hurdzan explained: “There are some wonderful new technologies coming on the market in grasses, irrigation, rootzone materials and drainage. We need to embrace them and build them into our golf courses and use them to reduce our impact.”