If you are a regular reader of the articles and highlights that GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf produces, you will understand the notion that golf courses and nature can and do go together. That’s why we’re taking a deep dive into how golf courses can support some incredible species.
We know that golf courses provide habitat for several bird species that are in urgent need of help.
Willow tits and turtle doves are two of the fastest declining bird species in the UK and we have records of them using golf courses. We’re working to actively support these species at a number of golf courses. Projects involve working at a landscape scale to connect golf courses to habitats that these species already use. Can you link up with local landowners to provide for species in need?
It’s not just the turtle dove and willow tit that can benefit from conservation actions on golf courses. Starlings, swifts, cuckoos, corn buntings, skylark and curlew are just a few of the Red-Listed species that require conservation attention and that are seen across the UK using golf courses. The habitat that golf courses provide for these species, whether passing through or as their breeding place is vitally important.
Curlew feeding at Carnoustie Golf Links © Marie Athorn
Looking out for local wildlife
Out on a golf course, nature is never far away. There are some wonderful charismatic species that any golfer would enjoy watching between golf shots; a skylark singing high above, a hare running through the dunes or a roe deer tiptoeing through the woodland.
There are also plenty of species that a golf course provides a habitat for that you might not see… hedgehogs, red squirrels, pine martens and bats to name a few. Just because some of these animals are secretive doesn’t mean you can’t find out if they use your golf course. Why not try to catch a glimpse of them using a wildlife camera or maybe even an event with a local wildlife group to see the animals as they go about their business as the sun goes down?
Red squirrel at Banchory Golf Club © Richard Mullen
Nature lends a helping hand
Nature can provide some amazing services to golf courses. Let’s take the starling for example. Starlings are in desperate need of conservation help, with the population experiencing a decline of 66% since the 70s. These magnificent shimmering birds, a little smaller than a blackbird, are often seen feeding on golf courses.
In the winter, as they move across the golf course in spectacular swirling groups known as murmurations, they will be feasting on leatherjackets as a tasty food source to survive the winter. Come spring when they have young to feed, a leatherjacket (or a hundred!) is the perfect grub to feed some hungry chicks. A great nature-based solution to the build-up of leatherjackets and golf courses supporting a species of conservation concern.
Starling eating leatherjackets at Banchory Golf Club © Richard Mullen
Choughs also feed on leatherjackets and they are making a comeback on UK coastlines in Cornwall and Wales. If you’re based in these areas, keep a look out for this black crow-like bird with its red bill and red legs. A golf course managed with nature in mind provides a natural environment where nature thrives and can help restore the balance.
Chough at Newquay Golf Club © Dan Kendle
Important stepping stones for nature
You might ask, how much can golf courses really contribute to nature conservation? With over 3,000 golf courses in the UK, making up around 126,000ha of greenspace, golf courses are well placed to help wildlife and provide connectivity between existing habitats. This means that the contribution golf courses can make to nature conservation is not just on a local scale on their own site; they have the potential to contribute on a landscape scale. Golf courses not only provide a refuge for rare and declining species but as stepping-stones across an increasingly fragmented landscape.
Although most conservation organizations across the UK own and manage nature reserves, all acknowledge that nature will require a wider, connected network to survive and thrive. This means working with other landowners and land managers to create land well managed for nature, which is essential to nature’s recovery.
The RSPB and The R&A are joined in partnership to not only showcase how golf courses are already supporting wildlife across the UK but to advise more golf courses on how to support nature whilst still being fun and challenging places to play golf.
Giving wildlife a brighter future
Providing habitat for threatened species can be easier than you’d first think – you don’t need to be David Attenborough to lend a helping hand. The partnership between the RSPB and The R&A is producing a series of factsheets to give guidance on supporting nature on golf courses, covering everything from how to make bird and bat boxes to hints and tips surrounding habitat management to benefit nature. Keep an eye on The R&A webpages for their release.
Getting in touch with any conservation organization can help provide that bit of expertise that starts you in the right direction. If you want some support then the RSPB’s Marie Athorn is here to help. Don’t hesitate to get in touch via Twitter or drop an email to conservation-advice@rspb.org.uk.
If you have done any work to support wildlife on your golf course, let us know.
