Proportions When evaluating the pollution risk from a golf ball, the amount of balls is of course crucial for determining whether there is a problem or not. In addition, when evaluating how damaging the golf balls are for the environment, an evaluation of the sensitivity of the area where the balls land should also be taken into account. The issue is therefore very different depending on whether the affected area is used for agriculture, is not farmed or has another use such as a lake. In addition, care must always be taken to keep actions in proportion to the problem and clarify the actual environmental risk from the disturbance which, for example, would be caused by removing the balls from the bottom of the lake. In soil, waste that for example is discarded or blown on to fields can potentially constitute a much larger problem in certain areas. At the present time, we do not however know the proportions of the various different influences. Alternatives to traditional golf balls One alternative to the environmentally-damaging washout process is to find alternative materials for manufacturing golf balls. There are companies who have begun to produce golf balls without zinc, and some companies advertise golf balls without heavy metals and which are manufactured with 100% recyclable materials, including the packaging. The product development is thus moving in an environmentally friendly direction, and hopefully this will result in our not having to consider the environmental impact of golf balls in the future. More knowledge desired The pollution potential of golf balls is unfortunately not answered fully by this article. We therefore hope that next year we can start an actual research experiment to illustrate the problem further so that golf sport can handle the issue as well as possible in future. For more information, please contact Torben Kastrup Petersen, Course Manager at tkp@dgu.org, or call +45 40 40 91 02.
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