Finishing Strong: Golf’s Sustainable Path Forward (Part 5)

On a late summer afternoon at a seaside golf course on Cape Cod, the wind suddenly shifts and dark clouds roll in. Within minutes, a drenching downpour unleashes sheets of rain across the links. Once, this kind of cloudburst might have sent golfers running and left the course waterlogged for days. But today, as thunder rumbles in the distance, the course handles the deluge with hardly a hiccup.

Rain gardens and widened drainage ditches channel the excess water off fairways into restored wetlands, and by the next morning, the bunkers are drained and play resumes. Scenes like this are becoming more common as Massachusetts golf courses brace for the realities of a changing climate – and adapt to ensure the game can go on.

A Game Resilient by Design

Climate resilience has become a buzzword in the golf community, and for good reason. New England’s weather has grown more erratic in recent years: unseasonable spring nor’easters, record summer heat waves, and extended droughts followed by intense rainfall events.

In fact, the Northeast has seen a 71% increase in the amount of rain falling in “very heavy” precipitation events since the late 1950s—far more than any other U.S. region. Golf course superintendents have had to become first responders of sorts to Mother Nature’s mood swings. In response, many courses are investing in infrastructure and practices to make their layouts more resilient.

Smarter Turf for a Shifting Climate

On the agronomic side, there’s a shift toward hardier turfgrasses—improved breeds of bentgrass and fine fescue that tolerate heat and require less water. Grounds crews are adjusting maintenance schedules to the new normal: aerating more frequently, mowing slightly higher during heat waves, and installing more efficient irrigation heads that can be precisely controlled during droughts.

Some courses have even begun experimenting with warm-season grasses like zoysiagrass, a species more common in the Carolinas. While still rare in New England (fewer than 2% of courses used warm-season varieties as of 2021), researchers believe climate shifts could soon make these grasses more viable. “Sooner rather than later, we’re going to see some kind of transition into warm-season turfgrass species,” one turf scientist told Golf Course Industry magazine in 2024.

Designing for Nature

The layout of golf courses is changing, too. At the Country Club of Greenfield, repeated flooding from nearby streams led to the installation of overflow ponds and the planting of tall native grasses to create sponge-like swales. Along the coast, courses are restoring dunes and marshes as soft buffers against storm surge.

Superintendents on exposed shorelines have embraced their role as “guardians of the green and the shoreline,” planting dunegrass to stabilize coastal banks. At some sites, entire seaside holes have been rerouted inland, with the old fairways converted into conservation floodplains—proof that protecting the land can go hand-in-hand with preserving playability.

Changing the Golfer Mindset

Resilience isn’t just about infrastructure—it’s also about attitude. More and more, golfers in Massachusetts are embracing the idea that “brown is the new green.” During droughts, superintendents often let fairways go golden to conserve water for the greens and tees. What used to prompt complaints is now seen as a sign of sustainability.

“It’s like playing links golf in Scotland,” some say, reframing firm, fast conditions as part of the experience rather than a flaw. Even the USGA has promoted this mindset, reminding golfers that water is golf’s most precious resource, and that firmer turf is the future.

From Spectators to Stewards

Across the state, golfers are becoming more active participants in sustainability. Green Committees at courses like Winchester and Needham are helping organize pollinator garden installations, tree plantings, and habitat monitoring projects. The Captains Golf Course in Brewster has eliminated plastic water bottles entirely, replacing them with filtered refill stations across the property.

Other clubs have added electric cart fleets, solar-powered maintenance facilities, and educational signage to help players understand their environmental impact. On weekends, more golfers are choosing to walk—saving fuel, reducing wear, and reconnecting with the landscape.

A Culture Shift in Motion

These changes didn’t happen overnight. They’ve been accelerated by outreach efforts from Mass Golf, the PGA Tour’s sustainability campaign, and local leaders who recognize that golf is uniquely positioned to showcase environmental leadership. Younger golfers are especially engaged, bringing with them a built-in awareness of climate issues and a passion for stewardship.

The result is a subtle but profound cultural shift: courses are becoming teaching grounds, players are becoming stewards, and golf itself is redefining what a successful round looks like.

Public Support, Federal Action

Policy is starting to catch up. The Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program now offers grants to help courses build flood buffers, restore habitats, and implement low-impact design features. One MVP grant helped restore the former Pine Grove Golf Course in Northampton into a public floodplain and wetland. In Stow, a 2021 proposal sought MVP funds to purchase a portion of the Stow Acres Country Club for use as conservation land and stormwater storage.

At the national level, the EPA has formalized a partnership with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), promoting Best Management Practices for water use, runoff reduction, and chemical safety. “This partnership is the culmination of decades of collaboration and environmental stewardship on golf courses,” said GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans.

A Future Worth Playing For

Of course, challenges remain. Some historic clubs may hesitate to change their layouts. Budget-strapped public courses may struggle to upgrade facilities. And not every golfer will embrace change right away.

But the momentum is unmistakable. Massachusetts courses are proving that environmental responsibility and enjoyable play can go hand-in-hand. Through partnerships, planning, and persistence, they are shaping a model for golf’s next era.

As the sun breaks through after that Cape Cod storm, a double rainbow arcs over the course—a fitting symbol of renewal and possibility. The fairways and greens we leave to the next generation may be a little browner, a little wilder, and a lot more resilient. And the game will be better for it.