A thoughtfully regenerative golf course balances Soil, Water, Air, Life and Energy as one interconnected operating system, providing playable golf alongside ecological value and ecosystem services in service of people, planet and profit, or in our terms, business, biology and being. Regenerative “Air” management is about managing a course's nutrient (and specifically gas) exchanges without compromising the playability that keeps the land in golf. Management practices aim to get nutrients into the rootzone below ground while moving the property toward net carbon storage (through roots and biomass).

Not accounting for clubhouse operations, the typical golf course requires about the carbon footprint of 33 passenger vehicles annually for its turfgrass maintenance. Evidence supports that a mature golf course is typically a modest net carbon source, but with improvements to operating efficiency and engineering carbon sinks on-site, golf courses can become carbon-regenerative or “go low” on the carbon scorecard. This article looks across the latest turfgrass (and golf) industry research to estimate what that takes.

Award-winning golf architect Paul Jansen points to a statistic that should reshape the future of golf course design: roughly 75% of golf shots are played within 125 yards of the hole. If most of the game happens inside a wedge’s reach, why do so many golf facilities continue to prioritize long holes, large footprints, and resource-intensive maintenance models? Short-format golf (including par-3 courses, pitch-and-putt courses, putting courses, short-game areas, and night-lit golf experiences) offers a more accessible, sustainable, and profitable model for the future of the golf industry.

After decades of designing around the 25% of the game played beyond wedge range, the next generation of successful golf facilities will be built around the 75%: the scoring shots, feel shots, and beginner-friendly experiences that grow participation, improve revenue per acre, reduce environmental impact, and welcome more people into golf.

What does playing great golf share in common with stewardship of healthy and sustainable turf? Carl (Cornell Turfgrass Team) and Andre (Driving the Green) discuss the very practical balance between systematic measurement and tactical feel, or between theory and follow-through when it comes to turf management.