A new book about the relationship between golf and sustainability, written by golf course architects Forrest Richardson and Jeff Danner, will be released in mid-2023.

The Sustainable Sport – How Golf’s Five Million Acres Benefit the Planet will provide a detailed look at golf’s footprint across the built environment, including how golf’s acreage compares to other environments such as housing, agriculture and roads.

“The very idea of golf being sustainable is one that some people can’t get their arms around, or even accept to begin with,” said Richardson, who has previously authored Routing the Golf Course and Bunkers, Pits & Other Hazards.

“During my career I’ve engaged in many deep discussions about golf and how it has contributed positively to the environment, and how the game has helped further innovations in irrigation and turf science. Those discussions have not always gone well because many people simply have closed minds – this writing is intended to give us all more information, some of which we’ve not explored in enough detail up until now.”

Richardson and Danner will also explore the question “is a golf course open space?”, the origins of golf courses, and how the sport has innovated across more than five centuries.

The book will include facts concerning the economic, environmental and social aspects relating to golf’s $200 billion global impact, and the authors will also take a look to the future, pointing out what is being done now to better the game and its impact on the next generations.

The book’s initial release, which will coincide with a related podcast series, will be printed with water-based inks on recycled and renewable paper certified by Forest Stewardship Council, ensuring that paper has come from responsibly managed forests providing environmental, social and economic benefits. It will be published by Db Print and On Course Publishing.