Story by: Brian Hurlburt
Golf seems to be under attack in some ways here in Las Vegas lately. Courses closing to build homes. Courses closing for other reasons than real estate. Water getting more and more precious and more expensive. Overall, the non-golfing general public seems to not understand the many positive impacts the game makes on society and overall quality of life.
While these are challenges, there is a golf boom underway post Covid, and golfers of all levels are flocking to courses and enjoying the game in big numbers. With such a diversion in the state of golf, we got to thinking about the many, many ways golf should be loved and appreciated—even by non-golfers, and dare we say, “golf haters.”
So, let’s tee it up with our first item on the list of Big Five Reasons to Love Golf, on and off the course.
1. GOLF MEANS BIZ
Golf in Nevada is a true economic driver that exceeds many other industries’ overall financial impact directly and indirectly. A 2018 study showed a total direct, indirect, and induced economic impact of nearly $2 billion ($1.981 billion). The direct impact of $1.242 billion by the golf industry was comparable or more substantial to other major industries in the state, such as agriculture ($664.9 million), performing arts ($883.7 million), and computer programming ($1.316 billion).
Backing up the industry’s efforts is the fact that the Southern Nevada Water Authority understands how well
The study was generated by TEConomy Partners, LLC in agreement with GOLF 20/20, the Southern Nevada Golf Association, the Northern Nevada Golf Association, the Nevada Golf Alliance, the Nevada State Golf Association, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the Southwest Section of The PGA of America, the Northern Nevada Chapter of the Northern California Section of The PGA of America, and the Southern Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
Additional key findings in the study:
• 17,505 direct, indirect, and induced jobs
• $701.3 million in wages and benefits
• $138.6 million in state and local tax revenue.
2. GOLF COURSE MANAGERS ARE BEST WATER STEWARDS
According to official statistics, golf courses account for only five- or six-percent of total water use in Southern Nevada, and superintendents and course operators take water conservation seriously. Think about it—with water at such a premium and prices going up, when a course operator looks out on the course and sees sprinklers running, it is basically like dollar bills being spread over the course. Combine that with wet grass not being conducive to quality conditions, and the less water, the better. Over the last decade plus, course managers have reduced turf and cut water use in other ways. There have been billions and billions of water gallon savings due to the industry taking water conservation seriously.
Backing up the industry efforts is the fact that the Southern Nevada Water Authority understands how well operators manage their water. But even with this understanding, course operators are being asked to conserve more. A recent mandate of allowing courses to use only four acre-feet of water annually is a big challenge for golf courses, and overseeding and other traditional maintenance may not be done due to this water budget. Plus, there are water fee hikes imminent for some golf courses in the valley.
Here is an excerpt from a recent SNWA open letter.
One of the leading business sectors that have contributed to this (water conservation) effort and served as an example of how to “do it right” is the local golf industry. … Since the early 2000s, golf courses participating in the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s (SNWA) Water Smart Landscapes Rebate Program (WSL) have converted more than 403 million square feet (936 acres) of thirsty grass to water-efficient, drip-irrigated plants, and trees. This has resulted in savings of more than 2.2 billion gallons of water. In exchange, golf courses have received more than $41 million in cash incentives through WSL, allowing them to reduce maintenance budgets and concentrate their financial resources in other areas.
3. Golf Is Cool and Helps Urban Cooling
In the last few months, the term “heat island” seems to be more and more prevalent in the media narrative. When it comes to Las Vegas, the result of these heat islands is they are causing the average temperature to increase, which leads to negative results including health issues, water strains, and more.
A recent article at USGA.org written by Brandi Merrick, manager, Green Section Education and Cole Thompson, Ph.D., director, Green Section Research, entitled “The Environmental Benefits of Golf Courses” reveals how golf courses can help mitigate this temperature surge.
From the article:
Land used for urban development has increased by 4.7% since 1949, more than two times the rate of population growth in that same time frame (Bigelow & Borchers, 2017). Increased urbanization can degrade local environments, decreasing quality of life for residents and contributing to the formation of urban heat islands. Urban heat islands (UHIs) are well-documented phenomena where the temperature is higher in an urban area than in surrounding suburban or rural areas (Nguyen et al., 2022). … Numerous studies have shown that turfgrass areas like golf courses can significantly reduce temperatures in urban areas (Stier et al., 2013). Not only is the golf course itself cooler, but it also makes the surrounding area cooler—an effect that can potentially extend up to 600 meters (0.37 miles) beyond the boundaries of the course (Lonsdorf et al., 2020). These adjacent cooling effects are linked to decreased energy use by air conditioning, sometimes by up to 50%. … In a recent study, researchers carefully examined a large metropolitan area that was divided into a variety of land-use categories including residential, commercial, industrial, main roads, public green spaces, golf courses and intentional conservation areas. Temperature measurements taken on two consecutively hot summer days with maximum temperatures of 95.2 degrees F revealed that conservation areas had the lowest average land surface temperature (LST) of 86.0 F and golf courses had the second lowest LST, averaging 87.8 F. According to the researchers, residential, industrial, and other use areas, along with main roads, had high LSTs, ranging from 95.0 to 98.6 F, and even average green space LST was higher than that of the golf courses at 91.0 F. The authors concluded that golf course vegetation “can play a beneficial role in helping to reduce urban heating during hot summer days” (Nguyen et al., 2022).
4. Golf By Storm
In another USGA.org article, the helpful impact of how golf courses help filter stormwater was illuminated. In Las Vegas, several golf courses were developed to help during major storms. The most high-profile is the Club at Sunrise, previously Desert Rose. When Desert Rose closed and Clark County redeveloped the area, key organizers said the new layout would be “a golf course in a flood control project.”
Here is an excerpt From the USGA.org article entitled “Five Things to Know About Golf Courses,” also written by Merrick:
Most people know that golf courses use water to maintain healthy grass, but many do not know that golf courses also capture, retain and filter stormwater, and recharge groundwater supplies. Some courses are even specifically designed to reduce the risk of flooding in surrounding communities. The turfgrass and natural areas on golf courses slow and filter runoff from adjacent properties. When best practices are followed, the water exiting a golf course can be cleaner than when it entered.”
5. Golf Overall
A Golfindustry.com article entitled, “Study: Golf Courses Enhance Communities in the Same Way as Parks and Other Green Spaces,” highlighted the results of a USGA-funded research project that was released in 2020.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Michigan State University oversaw the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the environmental impact that golf courses have on their communities. “The Community Values of Golf Courses Project” quantified the environmental benefits of 135 golf courses in the Twin Cities metropolitan area as compared with five other land uses: natural areas, city parks, suburban residential zones, urban residential zones, and industrial parks. A key finding was “that properly managed golf courses provide the greatest amount of cooling among land uses, are more supportive of pollinators than urban residential or industrial areas, and retain more nutrients from stormwater runoff than suburban or urban residential areas. In general, this demonstrates that golf courses enhance surrounding communities in much the same way as city parks or open green spaces.”
On the flip side, the study also showed that the conversion of golf courses to residential or industrial use would “sacrifice associated environmental value afforded to communities and could result in reduced biodiversity and increased temperatures and nutrient transport to surface and ground water.”
Mike Davis, former CEO of the United States Golf Association, said in a statement that the research was extremely important for the industry. “This research marks a significant moment for public golf as courses around the country face the continued threat of redevelopment for residential and commercial use,” Davis says. “It is critical to the health of our communities, particularly in urban areas, that golf courses are viewed through the same lens as a city park or other similar green space, and value is placed on their environmental benefits as well as their balance sheets.”
Dr. Eric Lonsdorf, a leader in the research and the University of Minnesota’s Natural Capital Project program director, says communities should use caution as they plan and look for ways to possibly limit golf courses or allow them to be redeveloped. “As the world transitions to a more urban lifestyle, it is critical that we understand the consequences of development decisions on urban green spaces.”
Dr. Brian Horgan, a professor and the chairperson from Michigan State University’s Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, also said caution should be taken when key development decisions are made. “Examining the environmental and societal impact of changing a golf course’s land footprint to a different land cover or management type can help us understand the implications of that decision on the ecosystem services provided by green spaces to the surrounding community.”
Local Level Impact
Here in Southern Nevada, key executives and golf course operators are working together to share the positives that golf brings to the las Vegas area. “I think people don’t realize what golf does for the state of Nevada,” says Eric Dutt, Reflection Bay Director of Operations and a founder of the Nevada Golf Alliance. “As the study we did along with other key associations showed, golf is a big driver of economic activity in Nevada in addition to the many other positives of the game. I think that impact gets lost on many people because not everybody plays golf. We need to continually educate the community and the politicians in Carson City, as well as our local politicians, that golf courses and golfers are a large part of the Las Vegas and state landscape.”
What will be the impact of additional water limitations?
The Southern Nevada Water Authority continues to ask more of the golf industry to cut back on water use, and recently enacted a limit of four acre-feet per year or face fines. This limit has many in the industry worried that it is a difficult threshold to meet, but are working to do what they can to make it work. “As an operator, golf is in a really good place post Covid and we have more players than we’ve had in a very, very, very long time,” says Karl Larcom, Boulder Creek and Boulder City Golf Course General Manager and a former Southern Nevada PGA president. “The big thing is as this four acre-feet becomes reality, the public needs to understand that there will be a change in conditions in golf courses in Southern Nevada and in other Southwestern climate states that are facing the same water challenges. One of the byproducts will be fewer courses overseeding, so that will impact conditions in the off seasons. I hope the public is patient and that they understand that golf courses are community partners and doing our part to conserve.”
Thom Blinkinsop, Red Rock Country Club General Manager, is front and center as a key member of the Nevada Golf Alliance and a leader in many of the key issues affecting the golf course industry. Behind the scenes, he is doing what he can to help the industry. He summed up what golf means to a community in eight simple words that have a deep meaning. “Golf courses are a beautiful setting for communities.”
Yes, they are in many, many ways.

