Golf helps environment

April 25, 2010

Dear Sir,

In Mr. Duncan R. Simons's letter titled The Great Land Giveaway, Mr. Simons suggests that "in reality golf courses are vast monocultures with little biodiversity and are laden with chemicals." The "monoculture myth" results from an ill-informed perception that the closely mown, single variety of grass on a golf course supports little biodiversity. This myth is often perpetuated by non-golfers who lack an appreciation for the positive ecological impact of golf. With up to 40% of golf courses remaining as non-playing areas, golf courses are, in fact, far from monocultures – they are a rich habitat for a variety of wildlife.

An in-depth article published in a 2003 edition of the academic journal Biologist counters the perception that golf course are bad for the environment. In the study, only 36% of non-golfers thought golf courses were good for the environment, but among golfers, that number rose to over 80%. In a review of 36 studies on golf courses as polluters of the environment, no evidence was found to support the claims that golf courses were harmful to the environment. A 2001 biodiversity study concluded "if cultivated land is converted into a golf course development, then the variety of habitats that can be created can lead to an enhancement of local biodiversity." The most comprehensive study to date, titled The Role of Golf Courses in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management and produced by Johan Colding and Carl Folke of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics concluded that when compared to other green area habitats, "golf courses had higher ecological value in 64% of comparative cases, measured as species richness, as well as overall measures of birds and insects".

Bermuda Government's Bermuda Biodiversity Country Study shows that Bermuda's golf courses provide 243 acres of habitat with 98% of that area having conservation designations. This is more wildlife habitat than Bermuda's beaches, dunes, ponds, mangrove swamps, and marshes combined. Bermuda's golf courses remain reservoirs for a large number of rare species of plants and animals. Bermuda's golfers don't need to see the studies; walking among the butterflies, bluebirds, and terrapins, we enjoy the biodiversity of golf daily.

Sincerely,

ANDREW D. WOODWORTH

Communications Director, Bermuda Golf Association President, Port Royal Golf Club

Put the Bermuda in tourism

Dear Sir,

Here we go with another suggestion to become someone/somewhere else to improve tourism. In my opinion, that was always the problem. We have long lost touch with who we are and who we have become is no longer attractive to visitors. Since our tourism began, we were special, another world, but now we have become ordinary and commonplace in our attempts to become everywhere/everyone else transplanted into the middle of the Atlantic. People want to come here for the difference yet we only offer the same.

The biggest reason our arrivals continue to drop is that in the big picture beyond our shores, we no longer exist and are lost in the Triangle. We no longer have the repeat visitors who first came here for College Weeks and returned with their children and grandchildren. No one sees or hears of Bermuda like they once did, and anyone who thinks I am wrong, ask yourself when was the last time you saw a commercial or ad about Bermuda, either here or overseas during your travels. Not as often or memorable as Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Mexico I bet, and don't kid yourself thinking they watch their ads during the evening news and say "That makes me want to go to Bermuda for vacation."

Our Island has been slowly dying while we did nothing to where locals don't even enjoy it or use it as we once did. The best way to breathe life into our Island is to make it more attractive to locals first, because visitors want to come to experience local life and not that which they can get down the road. St. George for one, needs to become a living town again where visitors see how we live and not walk the streets with only those who they spent two days sailing here with, asking "Where are the natives?", as they have asked me. I know when I travel, I want to be where the locals are and experience life different to my own.

Many have suggested we up the ante and become more like the various rivieras and offer more high end, but those who own mega-yachts will pass on a great bacon cheeseburger and milkshake at Dorothy's and will want a Kobe Beef burger, black truffle mac & cheese with a glass of Dom and will expect higher end goods to buy. Sounds good but few locals would be able or willing to pay for this on a regular basis to keep the establishments in business when the yachts are not here. These plans will work, but to the detriment of the residents, who need to end riding in the backseat letting our life be made over for those who visit for three to seven days.

Unless you do it (the same thing) better that the other places that do it too, why would they come here? We need to get back to having visitors come to Bermuda for our uniqueness and what WE bring to the table, as they do in the places who are beating us in arrivals, instead of something already outside their doorstep. Revive Bermuda.

WENDELL BURCHALL Jr.

St. David's