Climate change crisis: As Earth’s weather patterns become wilder, golf courses face a challenging time
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4:00 AM EST, Wed December 8, 2021
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People play on a golf course which has been affected by fires in Oroville, California, July 25, 2021. Deadly wildfires that ripped through the west of the US, including in California, have led to poor air quality and course closures in recent years.
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A general view of the par three 16th hole on the Montrose Medal Course at the Montrose Golf Links in Angus, Scotland. In the last 30 years, the sea has encroached by almost 230 feet (70 meters) in places at the club, according to research released in 2016.
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Danny Willett tees off on the 18th hole during day four of The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at The Old Course at St Andrews on October 3, 2021 in Scotland. With sea levels projected to rise by one meter in the next 50 years, the home of golf at St. Andrews could be a swamp like Miami as early as 2050.
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Georgia Hall (left) on the 17th tee during day one of the AIG Women's British Open at Woburn Golf Club on August 1, 2019. The course constructed its own reservoir in 2013 to capture rainwater to irrigate its turf, and more recently drilled a borehole to tap water from underground. The company managing the course says the new infrastructure should make Woburn fully self-sufficient, so it isn't using water that could be otherwise used for drinking and in homes.
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A general view of Remuera Golf Course, Auckland, New Zealand. The club says carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions were reduced by nearly 25 tons from 2018-19, through the cutting of all electricity use at the club.
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A general view of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Black Rock, Melbourne, Australia. Tiger Woods and Ernie Els both praised the course's natural setup, with dry and vast areas of the rough and fairways that have forgone water.