Interest in golf and golf course developments has increased considerably in recent years. The reason for this growth is threefold: babyboomers are now making golf the game of choice; women, who in the past were only allowed to play at restricted times or even banned entirely, can now play at almost any time, and presently account for approximately 50 percent (once only 10 percent) of all new golfers; and young people are beginning to take a keen interest in the game. Today, about 200,000 golfers are playing on approximately 85 golfing facilities within the Lower Mainland. By 2011, it is estimated that 318,000 golfers will be playing on 119 golf courses. With a projected demand of an additional 34 golf courses over the next 15 years, locating suitable golf course development sites may be difficult, as local and provincial authorities are cautious about these 150 acre land uses that cause many land use and environmental conflicts. Golf course developers are commonly confronted with seven main concerns from the public and local government when a new development is proposed. The most heavily scrutinized of these concerns is the loss of agricultural land, the loss of wildlife habitat, and the amounts of chemicals used on golf courses. These are followed by increased water consumption levels, errant golf balls causing injury or damage, unwanted urban growth following these recreational developments, and lost recreational opportunities to non-golfers in the community. To varying degrees, these concerns can stall the golf course planning process, or even cause a municipality to reject an application. The golf course concerns were assessed in this thesis to discern how significant the issues are, and how planners and developers throughout North America are addressing them. The analysis is based on information gathered from public meetings, interviews, municipal planning reports, a general literature review and a case study. The result of the analysis is a set of planning guidelines designed to promote better golf courses. If the planning guidelines outlined in this thesis are followed, future and existing courses can become functional, environmentally sensitive and aesthetic land uses, characterized by: • sites that do not conflict with an Official Community Plan; • land fill sites reclaimed into a working recreational land use with native vegetation and wildlife; • chemical turf care management plans; • comprehensive construction plans to protect against erosion and plant damage; • protection zones for sensitive on-site habitats; • mixtures of native turf grass, plants, shrubs, and trees within the site; • nearby secondary sewage treatment plant to provide effluent for irrigation; • drainage systems that feed excess water into retention ponds for re-use; • designs that provide park and recreation space (where feasible) within the site; • proper setbacks or buffering spaces between the playing areas and nearby housing (where applicable); • multi-teed target-style golf course design layout for all skill levels. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

LD2668 .T4 1965 Y95 / Master of Science

Thesis (M.S.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-32).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Plant Biology." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University, Agronomy and Soils. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The impacts of golf courses and golf estate developments are great and definite. Proof of this can be seen in several Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), that have been submitted to the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Conservation (GDACE) in terms of the Environmental Conservation Act (ECA) (1989) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (1998). The question is how to limit these impacts on the environment. Guidelines on how to manage and mitigate these impacts are of fundamental importance, to ensure the conservation of the environment. These guidelines should set principles for the management of the environment from cradle to grave, for future golf course and golf estate developments. The main objective of this study was to develop guidelines for Environmental Management Plans (EMP) specifically focused on golf course developments in the Gauteng Province. To achieve this, a comprehensive study was conducted on the factors pertaining to the environmental process by evaluating previous EIA reports and the associated EMP’s as well as the supporting documentation. The EMP’s were evaluated and several shortfalls were identified. The EIA scoping reports were then appraised and ranked accordingly. The scoping reports assess the impacts on the environment. These impacts must be mitigated in the development process. These impacts and mitigation measures must be documented in an EMP. Hence, the connection between the EIA scoping reports and the EMP’s. Several inadequacies were recognized with respect to the inclusion of all the mitigatory measures for all the impacts as identified in the EIA scoping reports. The conclusions drawn in the evaluations were used to develop the guidelines for EMP’s. The guidelines given here will assist in future compilations of EMP’s for golf courses. It is highly recommended that GDACE and environmental consultants adopt this standard in preparing and evaluating applications. / Prof. J.T. Harmse

No description available.

This study has presented a thorough investigation of the integrity and the significance of the Augusta National Golf Club Course from 1934 to the present. The golf course still reflects the design philosophy of Alistair Mackenzie. Design features that have been retained provide this evidence. The hillocks and hollows in the golf course were identified to show Mackenzie's influence in the golf course of today. Changes have been made to Mackenzie's original design. Some changes caused great strategic and aesthetic differences in the golf course. Other changes were necessary due to the spectator and the demands of providing optimum on-site viewing of the Masters Tournament held anually at the Augusta National Golf Club Course. The modifications to the course were responses to the evolving game of golf as played in 1934 as compared to 1996. The significance of the golf course with respect to its Master Designer, Alistair Mackenzie, was shown to be sufficient to warrant the augmentation of its National Register status. Treatment of the landscape is suggested based on the criteria set forth in the study. / Department of Landscape Architecture

A spatial hedonic model was constructed for a lakefront golf course community in South Carolina. Geographic information system (GIS) analysis classified 589 vacant lots into eight different view categories including golf course, mountain, and lake views. The OLS results confirm a hierarchy in the pricing of views with premiums ranging from 42% to 54% for golf course views, 94% to 133% for lake views, and 131 %to 305% for lakefront lots. Spatial variables including the slope of a lot, length of shoreline, and proximity to the lakeside village were also found to be statistically significant variables influencing the value of the property. Other spatial variables were found to be statistically insignificant including view aspect and length of golf course frontage. Tests for spatial autocorrelation were conducted for the 589 properties utilizing spatial lag and spatial error models. Both spatial models were statistically superior compared to the original OLS model. The diagnostic tools indicate that the modeling of the spatial errors using a maximum likelihood framework produces a statistically significant model that improves goodness-of-fit indicators compared to an alternative spatial lag model. These results confirm the importance of modeling spatial errors. The period of study, from 2000 to 2010, was a decade of turbulence in the real estate market on Lake Keowee. The empirical evidence indicates the emergence of a speculative bubble that reached its crescendo in 2005/2006 with median real estate prices doubling in a five year period. This study examines the role of launch marketing tactics as a price amplifier by creating an urgency to buy in response to a systematic increase in property prices and simultaneously limiting supply by restricting lot sales to 30% of reservations. Finally, the study illustrates that the construction of golf courses is no panacea to the problems confronting today's residential real estate developers. The results suggest that communities based on waterfront properties may have greater potential price growth in strong markets and resiliency in weak markets. Further research is warranted to understand the changing role of golf courses in the 21st century.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.