Introduction
Among all the major land-based sports, golf has probably the strongest interaction with the environment. Certainly no other sport occupies and manages such large areas of greenspace. In Europe alone, there are almost 6,000 golf courses, covering some 300,000 hectares and serving a golfing population of nearly 6,000,000 people. Golf is a sizeable industry in its own right and continues to grow. Any activity on this scale cannot function in isolation and it is important to understand the game's responsibilities towards the wider community.

Golf courses serve a broader function than simply as a particular type of sports ground. In a wider context they can provide important areas of greenspace in urban areas, they can be buffers between natural areas and developed land, they can provide valuable wildlife habitat in their own right, and they also have the opportunity to conserve and enhance water resources (turfgrass is a highly effective biological filter, capable of improving water quality).

The very basics of turfgrass management are integrally bound with ecological science. Turfgrass cultivar selection, mowing regimes, cultivation practices, fertiliser treatments, pest control, irrigation and drainage, are profoundly influenced by prevailing environmental conditions. In turn, these activities can have a strong effect on the ecology of a golf course and its immediate surrounds. In short, to be a good golf course manager, one must also be a good environmental manager the two are synonymous.

But the playing area comprises only a small proportion of the golf course 'estate'. On average, 52% of golf courses are 'out of play'. These areas are made up of grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, open water, scrub, heathland and many other habitat and landscape features.   Ecological study of golf courses shows that they can often be valuable habitat patches in their own right and can act as vital elements of habitat corridors and networks in the wider landscape. The same studies show that well designed and managed golf courses can provide habitat niches for even some of Europe's most pressured species. Golf courses should not simply be seen as havens for common and adaptable species.

In summary, golf courses neither inherently conserve or damage the environment. The relationship between golf and the environment depends upon the degree of attention to environmental detail shown during the courses planning, design, construction and management.