Golf Tourism :: Environmental Sports Golfing Essays

Golf TourismGolf tourism is spreading rapidly all over the world in places like Asia and Mexico. Although close people who play the sport of golf play beca part of its interaction with nature, what most golfers do not realize or consider is the damaging environmental impress on the sport. The booming golf trade throughout the world creates a haven for golfers and a nightmare for environmentalists. According to members of the Malaysia-Based Asia-Pacific Peoples Environment Network, golf reading is becoming one of the most unsustainable and damaging activities to people and the environment (TED Case Studies, 1997). Asia has gone from just 45 golf courses in 1970 to over vitamin D today (TED Case Studies, 1997). The rapid increase in development also brings a rapid increase in ecologic problems. In Southwest Asia ecological apathy includes greens carved out of paddy fields and virgin forests. Development of golf courses also entails clearing vegetation, cutting forests and creatin g artificial arenascapes. These activities lead to land erosion and block the soils ability to retain water (Klein, 1996). Golf courses also need large quantities of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, which cause health problems among golfers, workers, and nearby residents. Unfortunately, these numerous problems are lose by developers who are often supported by the Asian governments due to the economic rewards from the sport. The low green fees in Asia have increased tourism to these courses as well as increasing the temptation for further golf course development. The most notorious debate among golf course development in late years has been the plan to create a $311 million project consisting of 592 luxury homes, hotels, restaurants, and a 7,276-yard golf course in Tepoztlan Mexico. Opponents of the golf course claim that golf-course projects use dangerous chemicals and too much water as well as induce higher property taxes and disrupt culturally intact communities. The sit e of development in Tepoztlan go away be located on 462 acres of communal land within a national park and a biological corridor that harbors Aztec ruins and 28 endemic species of animals (Planet ENN, 1996). The high amount of water necessary for the project is estimated by developers to be approximately 800,000 gallons a day for peak irrigation (which is nearly five multiplication that pumped daily by Tepoztlan). This brings about much debate because of the towns ongoing problems with water shortage. Those who support the Tepoztlan golf plan (mainly developers) believe that it will create 13,000 construction jobs over seven years, and 2900 permanent jobs (Selcraig, 1996).