The Thammasat University Libraries have newly acquired a book about St. Andrews Links in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Sometimes called the home of golf, one of the oldest courses in the world is located there, where golf has been played at least since the 1400s. Two Years in St. Andrews: at Home on the 18th Hole is by George Peper, an American journalist who bought an apartment overlooking the Old Course at St. Andrews. Among the seven public golf courses in the town, the Old Course is especially appreciated by golf fans. Golf has had an eventful history in Scotland, including when it was banned in 1457 by King James II of Scotland, who felt that the game distracted young men golf from practicing their skills with the bow and arrow. This was considered more useful for military reasons and for hunting than golf. Only in 1502 did King James IV, who was a devoted golfer, decide to make golfing legal once again. Over the years there has also been conflict over how to best use the land occupied by golf courses. Around 1800 when St. Andrews Links went bankrupt, the local town council voted to raise rabbits on the land, until two decades later, when yet another golfer reestablished the right of golfers to use the area instead of rabbit farmers. The best use of land currently devoted to golf courses remains a subject of some debate. The TU Libraries own many other books about the sport, including information about golf course architecture; The Guinness Book of Golf; golf cartoons; British golf; and advice from greats of the game, from Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer to David Leadbetter.

Thailand and Golf

Golf was apparently first played in Thailand during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). Since then, a number of Thai athletes have excelled in the activity. Thongchai Jaidee (born 1969) has won some major international tournaments on the Asian and European Tours. On the Asian Tour, Thongchai holds the record for the most career earnings and is second in victories. After serving as a paratrooper in the Royal Thai Army, Thongchai turned professional at age thirty. In 2004 he became the first Thai to win a tournament on the European Tour by winning the Carlsberg Malaysian Open. In 2006, he became the second Thai to play in the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in the city of Augusta, Georgia, USA after Sukree Onsham did so in 1970 and 1971. Last year Thongchai won his seventh European Tour title at the Porsche European Open in Germany and this month he won the Open de France, the oldest winner of the tournament at age 46. Among other successful Thai golfers are Prayad Marksaeng (born 1966), who was also invited to play in the Masters Tournament. In March Prayad told The Nation that younger golfers were too easily distracted:

Although the young players are getting better, players my age are still better. I’ve seen several young ones playing game on their mobile phones at lunch which is something I have never done…For me, all I think about at lunch is a game plan to play. All my focus is on strategies to play in order to give myself a good position on the leader’s board. I don’t understand how could these kids play a game on a lunch table where they are supposed to eat.

Boonchu Ruangkit (born 1956) tried at first the combat sport of Muay Thai, but was knocked out in his third bout. Instead he chose golf, where no one kicks him. A promising talented athlete is Pornanong Phatlum (born 1989), playing on the American-based Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. Pornanong has won tournaments in Hong Kong, Thailand, India, and the Japan. Even some Thai athletes who have excelled in other sports have been attracted to golf. According to The Nation,the former tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan (born 1979) is a golf addict, and chose to work as a broadcaster in Singapore to be able to return to golf in Thailand as often as possible.

Thailand’s golf courses

There are an estimated 250 golf courses in Thailand, including over 20 in in Chonburi (Pattaya) alone. These attract golf tourists to Thailand. According to one report, last year over one million tourists played golf in Thailand, rivaling other popular destinations for golf holidays such as Spain.

Ecological Concerns

Since in hot climates, water is needed to keep golf course lawns green, it is a matter of common sense that these can create ecological problems. In one year, a golf course may consume as much water as 60,000 people living in a village. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are also used to keep the lawns neat and insect-free, and these poisons remain in the local air and water supply. Golf courses can also cause an increase in automobile traffic and raise property values until they can no longer be afforded by the next generation of residents. Against these disadvantages, golf course enthusiasts point to increased employment possibilities and tax benefits. These and other concerns have been explored by the Asian Tourism Network (ANTENNA) based in Thailand. ANTENNA’s website cites a United Nations Environment Programme report:

Golf course maintenance can also deplete fresh water resources. In recent years golf tourism has increased in popularity and the number of golf courses has grown rapidly. Golf courses require an enormous amount of water every day and, as with other causes of excessive extraction of water, this can result in water scarcity. If the water comes from wells, overpumping can cause saline intrusion into groundwater. Golf resorts are more and more often situated in or near protected areas or areas where resources are limited, exacerbating their impacts.

Tourism Concern, a British organization, states:

An average golf course in a tropical country such as Thailand needs 1,500kg of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides per year and uses as much water as 60,000 rural villagers.

The economic impact of golf course development in Malaysia have been studied, with clear signs of drawbacks. The ANTENNA website points out that local economies rarely if ever benefit the most from golf course development, which mainly enriches foreign investors:

Golf courses are in fact another form of monoculture, where exotic soil and grass, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and weedicides, as well as machinery, are all imported to substitute for natural ecosystems. These landscaped foreign systems create stress on local water supplies and soil, at the same time being highly vulnerable to disease and pest attacks. Just as the Green Revolution is collapsing in country after country, the Golf Green is also fraught with ecological problems. The environmental impacts include water depletion and toxic contamination of the soil, underground water, surface water and the air. This in turn leads to health problems for local communities, populations downstream and even golfers, caddies and chemical sprayers in golf courses. The construction of golf courses in scenic natural sites, such as forest areas and coral islands, also results in the destruction of biodiversity. In addition to environmental damage, golf course and resort development often creates skewed land use, displacing local communities or depriving them of water and other resources. In a number of countries, the victims of such projects are subject to police or military intimidation when they protest against the destruction caused by golf courses.

With these issues in mind, ANTENNA calls for, among other measures:

• An immediate moratorium on all golf course development.
• An open and public environmental and social review/audit of existing golf courses.
• Existing golf courses should be converted to public parks, and where they lie in forest areas, wetlands and islands, there should be rehabilitation and regeneration of the land to its natural state.
• Investigations into illegalities in the golf industry, including illegal occupation of public lands and encroachment into protected forests, diversion of water, violation and evasion of corporate regulations and corruption. We call on governments to prosecute the violators.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).