 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Background
This thesis was written in part for fulfillment of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies at Brown University. However the desire for the project stems from an interest in addressing some of the most pressing environmental issues of today's world, primarily: the shortage of clean drinking water.
There are currently more than 17,800 golf courses in the US, 12,900 of
which are open to the public. Approximately 12% of the US plays golf,
and the states with the most courses are: Florida, California, Michigan,
Texas, and New York. During the year 2001, 377 new golf courses opened,
and 48% of golf course construction was part of a residential community.
The average daily fee of a golf course in the US is $36; and in RI the
average fee is $33, according to my research.[21]
Courses in the US average 30,000 rounds of golf per year, compared to
RI courses that average 33,000 rounds per year.
There are at least 50 golf
courses in the state; the majority of which are public (31), followed
by semi-private (9), and private (10). Although there are several trade
journals such as Ocean State Golf and the website, www.rigolf.com
there is no governing body of golf in RI, and there are no resources intended
purely for superintendents to keep them updated on what other courses
in the state are doing. Due to the constant changing status, opening,
closing, and hole additions, it is difficult to obtain precise numbers,
and accurate records of state golf courses. However, at the time this
study was conducted 50 golf courses were accounted for in RI.