Ireland's leading golf courses must embrace the environmental agenda to boost their chances of winning major international events, according to the former deputy director-general of the European Commission's environment division.
Mr Tom Garvey, who previously served as chief executive of An Post, said golf clubs in Ireland needed to listen to the message that a more environmental approach was not "something to be feared"; rather, it was a growing international trend, especially in Europe.
"At least four top clubs - Druid's Glen, Portmarnock, Mount Juliet and the K Club - are vying for the honour of staging the Ryder Cup in Ireland in 2005. If there is a close call, their environmental performance could be one of the key factors," he told The Irish Times.
"It seems to me that this offers them an opportunity to establish their environmental credentials," said Mr Garvey, himself a golfer. They could do so by signing up for the "Committed to Green" initiative promoted by the European Golf Association (EGA).
The EGA launched this initiative at Valderrama Golf Club in Spain on the final day of the Ryder Cup last September. It is supported by the Professional Golfers Association European Tour, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the European Commission.
The Commission's president, Mr Jacques Santer, said its aim was to "promote an increasing awareness of the environmental impact of golf and an increasing concern to make the sport ever more sustainable", now that there were 5,200 golf courses throughout Europe.
"Among all the major land-based sports, golf has probably the strongest interaction with the environment," Mr David Stubbs, director of the EGA's ecology unit, said. "Certainly no other sport exclusively occupies and manages such large areas of green space."
Europe's 5,200 golf courses occupy a total of 600,000 acres of land and serve a golfing population of almost 5 million. "Any activity on this scale cannot function in isolation and it is important to understand the game's responsibility to the wider community," Mr Stubbs said.
The environmental problems associated with golf are varied. In northern Europe, including Ireland, the development of new golf courses has encroached on wetland areas and sand dunes, while in the south one of the main difficulties relates to water consumption.
According to the EGA's Committed to Green handbook for golf courses, "it is now widely accepted within golfing bodies that a proper understanding of environmental aspects is fundamental to good golf course management . . . the two are synonymous".
The handbook emphasises that real improvements in performance will only be achieved through the active involvement of Europe's golf clubs in the EGA's voluntary initiative, particularly if they implement a certified environmental management programme. Eight key areas need to be covered by such a programme, it says - nature conservation, landscape and cultural heritage, water, waste and turfgrass management as well as energy efficiency, education, communications and public awareness.
"Obviously, golf courses are primarily intended for golf - people play golf for the game, not to save the world," it says. Thus, any environmental programme needs to be "fully compatible" with golf play requirements. "It is simply a question of balance."
The handbook says there are real benefits - including direct cost savings through reduced water, fertiliser, pesticide and energy use, and indirect savings through compliance with environmental, health and safety regulations, as well as a positive PR spin-off.
It also notes that the 1997 Ry der Cup in Valderrama was characterised by green initiatives such as the use of shuttle-buses to reduce traffic congestion near the golf course, an intensive waste-recycling programme and use of recycled materials where possible.
Mr Gerry O'Brien, honorary secretary of the Golfing Union of Ireland, said it had heard the EGA's message and was working to spread the word among golf clubs. "We're very conscious of it, particularly as golf in certain areas had acquired a bad name."
He said the GUI had a greenkeeping and ecology committee, though it did not yet employ an ecology officer or environmental consultant. It also organised a seminar on golf and the environment last year, with the head of the Wildlife Service on the panel of speakers.
"Golf is committed to do the right thing by the environment," Mr O'Brien declared. "Ten years ago, we wouldn't have known a lot about it, but now if we encounter any criticism on this front, we set out to establish why and try to ensure that golf remain a clean sport."
Though he could not name any golf club in Ireland which had signed up for the EGA's initiative, he said more and more clubs were becoming aware of their environmental responsibilities. "It had also been proved conclusively in the US that golf can live in harmony with nature."