Is the use of artificial turf a sustainable solution in golf course construction? Until now, the use of artificial material on large surfaces was difficult to imagine. Their use is currently largely limited to training areas, indoor golf areas, putting areas or artificial turf tees. To date, golf course architects have not seen any large-scale use of artificial turf surfaces. “Outdoors, artificial turf in Central and Northern Europe only makes sense on individual training areas if you want to play all year round,” explains German golf course designer Thomas Himmel. At the same time, artificial turf is experiencing a boom, “because it meets a need in areas where it is difficult to create quality solutions with natural grass,” Haaye de Jong, Managing Partner of Southwest Greens Construction, told Golf Course Architecture magazine. Southwest Greens, has just built an artificial turf training area for the Eichenheim Golf Club in Kitzbühel, Austria. And the German investor Carlos Merz is thinking about building a 9-hole course with artificial turf greens and tees in Hesse. Artificial turf, he argued in the online magazine Main.golf, “is a unique selling point that can be marketed with ecological features.” This is followed by the reference to “no irrigation, no fertilizers, lower maintenance costs” and longer usage times per year.
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No studies on the topic
How sustainable is the use of artificial turf in golf really? A question to which there is currently no simple answer. This is also because science has not yet addressed this question. While various studies have investigated how artificial soccer pitches should be assessed in terms of recycling management, playability or impact on players’ health, there is no comprehensive assessment of the effects of artificial turf in golf. The two organizations, the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, have also not issued an assessment on the subject.
In fact, artificial turf surfaces have been experiencing a boom in sport since the first artificial turf was used in with the so-called Astrodome, a baseball and American football stadium in Texas. In , the Synthetic Turf Market Report published by the Synthetic Turf Council estimated an artificial turf area of 24.6 million square meters in North America alone. According to Data Bridge Market Research, the global artificial turf market will be worth 19.58 billion dollars in , compared to 4.75 billion in . The installation of artificial turf in soccer stadiums, on field hockey pitches, in baseball, American football or even in golf is big business.
Artificial turf also needs water
But how should the sustainability of artificial turf in golf be assessed, and which questions are relevant? From an ecological point of view, irrigation, heat, fertilization, pesticide use, the influence of microplastics and soil sealing are the biggest issues.
It is wrong to assume that artificial turf surfaces do not need any irrigation. The study Water Requirements for Cooling Artificial Turf, published in in the Journal for Irrigation and Drainage Engineering and published at New Mexico State University points out that “in arid and semi-arid climates, the surface temperature of artificial turf surfaces can rise to over 80 degrees Celsius during the summer, requiring irrigation and drainage systems to cool them for use.” “Stand in the middle of a soccer stadium at 90 degrees Fahrenheit and you know why there will never be artificial turf fairways. Fake grass amplifies the heat,” explained the American Golf course designer Michael Hurdzan told Golf Digest magazine in .
A model test by New Mexico State University, which examined irrigation, came to the conclusion that “over a 24-hour period, the amount of water required (3.00 mm to 5.00 mm) was comparable to that of natural grass.” “If the investment in artificial turf is to be worthwhile, the game must be guaranteed and the artificial turf must then be cooled,” summarizes Prof. Dr. Bernd Leinauer, Extension Turfgrass Specialist at New Mexico State University and one of the internationally recognized specialists for golf turf.
For him, the argument that no pesticides are used on artificial turf is also only partially convincing, as the use of pesticides on turf is restricted or completely banned internationally anyway.
Microplastics remain a problem
Instead, Leinauer points to the fact that artificial turf is currently made of polypropylene or polyethylene fibers, i.e. plastic, and that the introduction of microplastics into the ground therefore plays a significant role. However, it is unclear how long these products can still be used for the production of artificial turf, as sports associations such as UEFA are now calling for the materials to be replaced.
No soil compaction
Artificial turf surfaces do not compact the ground. “The products are water-permeable and have a mineral gravel layer as a base,” explains Volker Sternberg, owner of Private Greens, which is one of the leading providers in the D-A-CH region. He also refers to the long service life of the surfaces, which is no less than 25 years, and to the fact that Private Greens does not use PU adhesive.
Sternberg sees a future for artificial turf above all in the area of greens, tees and training areas, because this is where the highest maintenance costs are incurred with normal grass. “On a rough estimate, the maintenance costs for artificial turf are around ten percent of natural grass,” he says. Not only is less time required for the greenkeeping staff, but the machinery is also reduced. At the same time, however, the initial investment in artificial turf surfaces is significantly higher than for normal greens or tees.
CO₂ footprint and disposal
If you add up the area of nine average greens and two average tees per fairway, this still results in an artificial turf area of around 8,000 square meters. All in all, a considerable area. Due to the fact that plastic production is based on fossil fuels, the CO₂ footprint of artificial turf is a negative aspect that does not apply to natural turf. Disposal must also be considered when removing the material, whereas all materials can be reused when converting a natural green.
Prof. Dr. Johannes Kollmann, who holds the Chair of Renaturation Ecology at the Technical University of Munich and has been studying the ecology of golf courses for years, also points out the “disadvantages of artificial turf in terms of the lack of cooling and carbon sequestration, reduced infiltration, reduced soil life and the release of microplastics.”
In addition, the purification qualities of normal soil also come into play: “Natural soil and earth also serve to filter water before it reaches underground aquifers (rock bodies, editor’s note) or water bodies,” explains David Bily who, as a landscape architect and golf course designer, also has experience with artificial turf from the soccer sector.
France points to plastic pollution
The French Golf Federation has already gone one step further in view of the discussion about the consequences of installing artificial turf and recommends not to use it. ffgolf refers to the negative effects of heat generation and the pollution of water by microplastics with reference to the study The dark side of artificial greening: Plastic turfs as widespread pollutants of aquatic environments from . In addition, the European Commission has already issued a ban on the use of rubber granules on artificial turf surfaces, which will apply from October 15, . The French Golf Federation points out that the installation of artificial turf with this material is not recommended anyway.
Is environmental awareness suffering?
Given all the arguments put forward by experts, it is extremely unlikely that artificial turf is the more sustainable solution compared to natural grass. Especially as there is also the question of how such areas affect the environmental awareness of athletes. This is a topic that the three Scandinavian scientists Erik Backman, Daniel Svensson and Itai Danielski have addressed in their study The Changing Landscape of Sport Facilities – Consequences for Practitioners and the Environment. They point out that “the landscapes in which we move can reduce or increase our awareness of the natural world”. This, in turn, can have a positive or negative influence on sustainable actions.
Applied to the sport of golf, this raises the currently still hypothetical question: What feeling for nature would a golfer develop if he were to play on a purely artificial golf course? A scenario that is currently not yet a reality because there are no golf courses with large artificial turf surfaces due to the limits of implementation imposed by the issues of cost and heat.
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On the other hand, who would have thought 20 years ago that ski resorts largely equipped with artificial snow would ever become a reality? If the playability of artificial turf continues to adapt to the needs of golfers, and it becomes possible to play the sport all year round in regions where this is not possible, 9-hole courses made of artificial turf would be quite conceivable. After all, people ski in a huge indoor arena in Dubai.
The question of how sustainable the use of artificial turf in golf is will therefore remain. When it comes to today’s assessment of how sustainable the use of artificial turf is on larger golf course surfaces, the result is probably negative.
For many, a putting green can be a great place to relax, have fun and also improve your golf game. It can also be a great addition for your backyard. You can enjoy the convenience of just stepping out of your back door and feeling like you’re at the golf course. And if you miss a short putt, hopefully nobody’s watching.
So if you’re thinking of investing in a putting green, here are some things that are good to know about them.
Grass Types – Artificial or Natural
On the surface, why wouldn’t you want a natural grass putting green in your backyard? It will have the look and feel of the greens at the golf course and will allow you to get some practice in similar conditions. Oh, and it will also cost you less to install than artificial grass.
Or will it? Sure, initially you’ll pay less to get the grass installed, but don’t forget about the maintenance. Putting greens grass is intended to be really short. That will mean a lot of cutting to keep it that way. Add to that, you need to fertilize it to keep it nice and green and water it when it’s thirsty. Over time, all of these costs can add up.
With an artificial turf green, there really isn’t any maintenance. Other than sweeping it clean from leaves or even snow, it’s ready to play on. Even though it’s not real grass, the ball should react pretty similar to the roll of a regular putting green.
So other than some up front costs, artificial grass may be the way to go.
Type of Terrain – Flat or Hilly
This can depend on the area where you want to place the putting green and if you want it to truly simulate a real green. People can take advantage of the natural contour of the space which may contain some small hilly areas. This can make it more challenging to properly judge the speed and break of the putts.
However, some people may opt for a fairly straight and level green. This should be decided before installation begins so they can make sure the area in flattened if needed. If your green is being used more by children or non-golfers, this will have an easier surface to putt on.
Soil
You will want a good solid base for the ground before beginning your green installation. Compacting the soil as much as possible in areas that are not overly susceptible to moisture is usually fine. However, in areas that will receive a good amount of moisture or that need some added strength, the use of a geotextile fabric would be good to use. These products are used in many civil engineering projects including roads, airfields and retaining structures.
Nylon or Polypropylene Turf
Nylon turf performs well and is a desirable surface for putting greens. Nylon can be tufted into a very high density (face weight). This allows the fibers to be close to each other and you end up with a product that won’t require infill material and a faster, smoother surface. This is done by subjecting the very top of the fibers to a 230 degree heat source for a split second which curls the ends of the fibers creating the “memory” in the fibers.
Nylon turf will cost a bit more than polypropylene but you’ll get a smooth omni-directional roll on your putts.
Polypropylene turf does not contain memory within its fibers. This can cause the turf to want to lay down in one direction. In order to correct this, you have to brush “infill” the turf with sand.
Although this turf is less expensive than nylon turf, there is potential for the golf ball to not always roll straight when putting.
Installing over Compact Stone or Concrete
When installing your artificial turf over a concrete base, the turf can be glued to the concrete substrate. This means that infill is not required to weigh down the surface and keep it in place. This method does provide some cost benefits.
With a compacted stone base, infill will be required in order to hold down the surface. There are also cost benefits with this type of install.
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