Page 48 - Las Vegas Golf & Leisure Magazine Winter 2022

GOLF

in this town and you’re going to see a lot of wildlife, whether it’s coyotes, bird
species, rabbits, a variety of reptiles, and other wildlife. Golf courses also
filter groundwater and clean up storm runoff before it goes back into the sys-
tem. Carbon sequestration is another positive and golf courses also produce
oxygen. I think most importantly, because of our climate, golf courses cre-
ate a cooling effect.”

As Jensen mentioned, golf courses are becoming more recognized for the
role they play in carbon sequestration, which is the process of capturing and
long-term storage of carbon. This takes place on a golf course in tree trunks
and in the soil by turfgrass.

According to golfcourseindustry.com, the discussion surrounding carbon
sequestration has recently focused on golf courses because the data is com-
pelling. Research conducted by the Colorado Carbon Project, a collaborative
effort among Colorado State University, the USDA and the Rocky Mountain
Golf Course Superintendents Association and other entities, suggests that if
the average fairway is 1.7 acres, then a single fairway will sequester .75 tons
of carbon per year, which is equivalent of driving 6,500 miles with the aver-
age car. In addition, putting greens have the potential to sequester .40 tons
of carbon per acre, per year.

“We are environmental stewards because everybody in our industry is try-
ing to protect the environment,” Neindorf says.

Caretakers of golf, they are.

46 LAS VEGAS GOLF & LEISURE WINTER 2022 www.lasvegasgolfandleisure.com
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