Golf courses have a bad rep; they require inordinate amounts of water to keep sufficiently green and the greens are doused in pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, all of which runoff into local rivers and lakes, impacting local water supplies and can contribute to local air pollution. Despite the fact that they use lots of water, many developers have and continue to build golf courses in deserts and severely drought afflicted areas.

Many Western states, like Nevada and Arizona, are famed among golfers for their many awesome lawns and greens and ball pits.  These same western states are staring down massive droughts and water shortages as sources like the Colorado River start to run low.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. And I actually like golf, despite being horrible at it, just as I enjoy any sport where outdoor drinking is encouraged. So I've gone out to find some of the world's best golf courses that are green in more ways than one. It is possible to have eco-friendly golf courses (Scottish golf courses were essentially just whatever land was around at first, no pesticides or fancy lawn mowers needed) and we've tried to find the ones that stand out, whether they've achieved the rigorous Audubon International specifications for eco-friendly course maintenance or proven their commitment some other way.

Tournament Players Club, Dearborn, Michigan

This is the only good thing left in Detroit made by Ford. Ford apparently has an environmental quality office that one day noticed a big dump site in Detroit's suburbs and thought “Hey, I bet that could be a pretty nice golf course”. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, with assistance from Audobon International, the old trash heap on company owned land was made into a championship course and a certified wildlife refuge as well. And the management is also conserving water, using daily measurements to see if the course needs watering or if it's ok to just be left alone. Since it sits on a flood plain, it can use less water than many other courses.

Isla Viveros, Panama

Isla Viveros, an as yet uncompleted course designed by Jack Nicklaus (that guy is busy) has been grabbing headlines recently by talking about its course and how eco-friendly it will be. While it remains to be seen whether the completed course will eventually be eco-friendly, they're certainly saying (and doing, for now) all the right things. The course will be part of a resort on a lush, naturally wet tropical island in Panama. The course plans to limit water use and reuse water, as well as create lakes that will ensure no runoff contaminates local water systems. While that last part is debatable in its effectiveness, the developers are at least super committed to replacing trees displaced by the course. (according to TripPun ) They have been promising to uproot and replant trees, rather than cut down and replant, and say they will replace every uprooted tree on the island they disturb. That's impressive, if they stick to it.

Machrihanish Dunes, Scotland

This course in Scotland, opening this May, is historic in a number of ways. It's being built on a Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), the first time this has ever been allowed. The course steers clear of the rare native plants for its fairways and makes only less important grounds in play. It's also literally inspired by golf history. The course will use no pesticides, chemicals or non-natural irrigation systems at all. Not even heavy machinery is allowed on the course. It will be a throwback to how the game started, a real natural links course built out of the sand dunes near the Mull of Kintyre. The course's naturalist approach to the game is a lesson Donald Trump, who has been trying to build a 1 billion pound golf resort on wetlands nearby, would do well to learn.

Vineyard Golf Club, Martha's Vineyard, MA

Tucked in the heart of New England privilegedom, this golf course has brought a new way of doing things to the area. While other local courses are water and energy hogs, the management at Vineyard Golf Club takes a more natural approach. The links style course, which takes advantage of the land it sits on rather than changing it, is also planted without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides, winning superintendent jeff Carlson the President's Award for Environmental Stewardship from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and plaudits from Golf Digest for his environmental management.

Oitavos Dunes, Cascais

If you happen to be in Portugal, you know, for green business meetings or something, and you want to play a round, this is absolutely the only place to do it. It has achieved the super prestigious Gold Audobon Signature Sanctuary award, within the already prestigious Audobon program. Much like Machrihanish Dunes, the course incorporates its natural surroundings, using local sand dunes as part of the course rather than bulldozing them out of the way. It's even a links style course like its Scottish cousin. It's Audobon Seal means it has proven extremely dedicated to the environment and its natural inhabitants, making it an excellent wildlife sanctuary as well as an excellent golf course.

Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma

You know who owns a suprisingly large number of environmentally conscious golf courses? The Air Force. Maybe they're making up for using all that rocket fuel in their fighter jets (by the way, I consider military aircraft one of the highlights of mankind's capacity for awesomeness in invention and fully support them flying around) but they own dozens upon dozens of courses that are run through the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment's (AFCEE) Golf Course Environmental Management Program.  And you thought the USAF was all super secret experimental aircraft and covering up alien landings. Turns out they're that AND producing a shockingly large number of certifiable environmental golf course managers. That is really, really cool in a completely and utterly unironic way. Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma is one of their flagship courses, said to be one of the best values in the Department of Defense. They've attacked water usage and according to the Air Force a recent greens renovation succeeded in “increasing the environmental compatibility of the course with Air Force and installation stewardship goals and objectives.” That's government speak for “environmentally improved.”  I'm fairly certain the public can actually play this course, but its probably best to contact them before you show up to play, just in case.

The Old Collier Golf Club, Naples, Florida

The OC is another Gold Seal winner from Audobon (the first one ever, actually), but that's not why they're on this list. Naturally they do the whole water conservation and reuse thing, tailored their course to the natural environment and ensured local wildlife was safe in the area. That's pretty much a given for all of the places on here. No, The Old Collier Golf Club takes the top spot because it went above and beyond. Some golf courses tailor their grass use to the environment, this club went ahead and just invented a brand new type of eco-friendly grass that thrives in salty environments. The grass, according to the club's website, is called Seashore Paspalum, Latin name Paspalum vaginatum. Anyway, Paspalum vaginatum is a godsend for eco-friendly courses in coastal areas, where a large number of golf courses are. The OC's landscaping approach already included salt tolerant natural plants, but the new grass will allow courses to use naturally brackish and salty water rather than using up all the local freshwater to water its grounds. Way to go, Paspalum vaginatum. Oh and if you're worrying about whether the non-native grass will mess up the local ecosystem, don't. Since it was introduced even more native animals have been spotted hanging around.

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