In addition to active recreation, golf courses also make a major contribution to the promotion of biodiversity and the ecosystem services of a landscape.
Swiss Golf registered over 100,000 golfers in 2022, making it the seventh largest sports association in Switzerland.
Some interesting key figures from Swiss Golf about Swiss golf courses are:
Surface area - Golf courses occupy an area of 4200 ha in Switzerland, which corresponds to 0.1% of the country's surface area.
Biodiversity - At least 33% of the total area of a golf course is natural habitats (meadows, forests, rivers, biotopes), which are home to numerous animal and plant species.
Plant protection products - Their use has steadily declined over the last two decades. It is essentially concentrated on about 2% of the area of a golf course (the greens).
Water - The annual consumption of an 18-hole course averages 21,000 m3 and about 24% of the area of a golf course is irrigated. In dry seasons, the irrigated area can be greatly reduced and concentrated only on the greens, which is 2% of the area. Golf Meggen irrigates with rainwater.
Global warming - In urban areas, the average cooling effect of a golf course in Switzerland is 2.6° Celsius. Did you know that an 18-hole golf course contributes to the production of oxygen extrapolated for up to 10,000 people?
