Community at the Heart of New York Golf

A defining strength of New York’s golf industry is the way courses serve as community anchors, evolving far beyond the traditional role of sport. Today, 71% of facilities offer amenities such as racquet sports, fitness, or aquatics, positioning themselves as multi-use recreation centers that enhance family value, extend year-round engagement, and diversify revenue streams.

These facilities also bring people together in ways that transcend golf. From fireworks displays that light up summer nights to “First Green” outdoor classrooms and Rails-to-Trails partnerships linking neighborhoods, golf courses create shared experiences rooted in pride and connection. Festivals like Wings and Wheels highlight their place as community gathering grounds.

Inclusion is central to this mission. Nearly 69% of courses provide youth development opportunities through scholastic teams, junior golf, or The First Tee, supporting over 8,000 high school golfers statewide. More than 50 courses participate in Youth on Course, giving juniors $5 rounds, while New York PGA Sections engage 6,200 juniors annually through 400 facilities.

Accessibility extends further: 30% of courses host programs for beginners, seniors, Veterans, and individuals with disabilities through initiatives like PGA HOPE and adaptive golf. Shared-use greenspaces - gardens, trails, and birding areas - further underscore golf’s role as an inclusive, welcoming community asset, ensuring age, background, or ability never limits participation.

New York Golf Greenspace
& Ecosystem Services

Golf courses across New York comprise a statewide network of green infrastructure that supports people, wildlife, and climate resilience. Collectively, 833 courses provide nearly 103,000 acres of open space. Of this total, 74,177 acres are maintained turfgrass (greens, tees, fairways, rough), averaging 89 acres per course - slightly below the GCSAA national median of 95 acres for 18-hole facilities. This indicates efficient land management that balances playability with environmental stewardship.

Natural areas - wetlands, forests, waterbodies, and native rough - account for 38,105 acres (37% of total golf course land). These areas preserve biodiversity, provide wildlife corridors, and deliver ecosystem services such as water filtration, flood mitigation, and carbon storage. Within the natural areas, there are 2,465 acres designated as wetlands (2.4% of total golf course land), functioning as critical habitat and natural stormwater infrastructure.

Geographic distribution underscores golf’s relevance in both urban and rural landscapes - representing substantial open space in every region. With urban development pressure increasing, especially in places like Long Island and Mid-Hudson, golf courses serve as critical buffers for natural habitat, stormwater management, and climate resilience. Notably, New York City includes over 3,800 acres of golf-course greenspace - an important complement to parks in a dense urban context. Natural areas filter surface water runoff, reduce air pollutants, enhance quality of life, reduce the urban heat island, and contribute to the overall health and well-being of New Yorkers.

More than one in five acres is located on Long Island (22%), followed by Mid‑Hudson (16%), Western New York (13%), Finger Lakes (12%), and Central New York (12%).
Regions with the most acreage - like Long Island, Mid-Hudson, and Western NY - are key zones for capital reinvestment and facility upgrades. These areas may benefit most from sustainability initiatives or economic stimulus aimed at the golf industry.

Environmental Leadership & Ecosystem Services

New York golf facilities operate as living laboratories for environmental management. Golf’s ‘green infrastructure’ - turfgrass, trees, native rough, waterbodies, and wetlands - helps offset taxpayer costs for stormwater storage and treatment. Vegetation and soils filter runoff, reduce peak flows, and recharge aquifers, while trees and turf remove pollutants to support cleaner, healthier air for communities.

The New York Best Management Practices (BMP) Guide - developed with Cornell University - provides standardized, research‑based protocols that 99% of surveyed superintendents deem valuable, with nearly half rating it ‘very to extremely valuable.’

Many New York golf facilities have earned recognition through rigorous third-party evaluations, highlighting their commitment to environmental stewardship.

38 courses are certified by Audubon International
4 achieved Signature Sanctuary designation for excellence in habitat protection, water conservation, and sustainable land management.

Approximately one in twelve courses surveyed report participation in environmental programs and shared‑use initiatives, a figure that amplifies conservation efforts and understates the broader integration of BMPs in daily operations across the state.

Facilities increasingly provide public value through acting as recreational hubs for multi‑use amenities: shared walking paths, bird‑watching, community gardens, educational workshops, tree walks, bird-watching stations, and STEM field lessons that take classrooms outdoors.

New York golf courses support STEAM programs with local schools, hosting golf course field trips with experiential learning focused on science, math, and the arts; many events are co-hosted with the support of the First Green, an initiative of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the philanthropic arm of the GCSAA.

Surface Water Management

Surface water includes rainwater and stormwater that flows off impervious surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. Stormwater can cause flooding, erosion, and reduced water quality by carrying pollutants with it. Golf course turfgrass reduces stormwater by slowing runoff, capturing precipitation, and reducing water volume that flows into the stormwater system.

Reducing Urban Heat Island Effects

In urban areas, impervious surfaces (e.g. roads, buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, etc.) absorb rather than reflect heat, causing surface and ambient temperatures to rise, which results in heat stress, increased air pollutants, impaired water quality, negative health impacts, and higher energy consumption. Hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt absorb heat and worsen flooding, as seen during Hurricane Ida.

As impervious surfaces rise, greenspace becomes increasingly important.
Golf courses help cool cities by reflecting sunlight, unlike pavement which absorbs it. Their grass, trees, and water lower surface temperatures and provide shade.
Golf courses reduce smog, break up heat zones, and offer the same cooling benefits as parks - making them valuable for urban climate resilience, especially during hot summer days.

Cooling New York City: Golf vs. Heat Islands

New York City is the most impervious major U.S. city, with Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens exceeding 70% hard‑surface coverage. These surfaces trap heat, producing urban heat island (UHI) intensities averaging +7.6°F versus surrounding areas. New York City golf courses contribute over 3,800 acres of urban greenspace that reflect sunlight, provide shade, and cool the air, offering the same thermal benefits as parks while supporting habitat, recreation, and stormwater management.

Community, Health, and Wellness

Health, Fitness, and Wellness

Spending time in nature offers profound benefits for physical and mental well-being. Activities like golf, where players immerse themselves in natural surroundings for up to four hours per round, amplify these positive effects. Even golf spectators benefit by walking the course and engaging in physical activity uncommon in other sports.

Golf in New York serves as a vital platform for fitness and community well-being. The New York PGA Sections, Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA), and New York State Golf Association (NYSGA) collaborate to deliver one of the nation’s most robust pipelines for junior and community golf.

More than 6,200 juniors participate annually through PGA Jr. League, the Met PGA Junior Tour, and NYSGA championships, learning the game in a team-based, health-focused environment that promotes physical activity and sportsmanship.
The Met PGA and MGA Foundations extend golf’s reach through scholarships, caddie programs, PGA WORKS and GOLFWORKS internships, ensuring cost and background are never barriers.
Adaptive clinics, veteran outreach, and inclusion programs further embed golf as a tool for wellness and community connection.
Since 1967, the NYSGA Scholarship Fund has awarded over $500,000 to club employees pursuing higher education, reflecting golf’s commitment to opportunity, inclusion, and lifelong well-being.

Key Health Benefits of Golf

Physical:

Walking 18 holes covers about five miles or 10,000 steps and using a cart is estimated at 6,280 steps, or roughly three miles - boosting immunity, reducing chronic illness risk, increasing life expectancy, and reducing medical costs.

Mental:

Time in nature lowers anxiety, stress, and enhances mood, cognition, and memory. Golf’s strategic elements improve attention and memory.

Social:

Golf promotes connections, making people healthier and happier.

Community & Ecosystem Services