RIT initiative helps golf courses reduce pollution and protect waterways through practical and cost effective environmental solutions

Rochester, New York – What began as a single phone call about a costly wastewater issue has grown into a far-reaching effort that is changing how golf courses manage their environmental impact. More than a decade after that initial call, an initiative led by researchers connected to Rochester Institute of Technology is helping golf facilities across New York State reduce pollution, conserve resources, and better protect nearby lakes and rivers.

The program was launched after a golf course superintendent reached out in 2014 to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) searching for help. He faced a wastewater problem that was expensive to fix and difficult to manage, and he needed a practical solution. At the time, no one expected that request for assistance would evolve into a model now gaining attention well beyond the region.

Today, the effort has expanded into a structured program that has helped hundreds of golf courses across the state adopt better environmental practices. Researchers say the project demonstrates that meaningful environmental progress can happen when industry needs and sustainability goals are addressed together.

The work was led by Eugene Park, a researcher with NYSP2I and RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability. Park and his colleagues focused on a challenge that had long frustrated environmental advocates and industry experts alike: persuading golf courses to actually adopt improved environmental practices rather than simply learning about them.

“It was a win-win proposition,” Park said. “You’re helping businesses remain healthy economically while improving the environment. There’s nothing you can not like about what we did.”

Golf courses are often beautiful landscapes, but maintaining those green fairways and manicured greens requires significant water, fertilizer, and pesticide use. Without careful management, these inputs can run off into nearby waterways, contributing to pollution problems such as nutrient overload and harmful algal blooms.

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The team’s strategy focused on creating a practical system that golf course operators could easily understand and implement. Instead of relying solely on traditional lectures or workshops, researchers built a program grounded in data, field surveys, and direct engagement with course managers.

To get started, NYSP2I partnered with Cornell University’s turfgrass program, which has long worked with golf course professionals on improving turf management practices. The collaboration was led by turfgrass specialist and professor Frank Rossi, who had spent decades studying how courses maintain their landscapes.

Rossi said the effort represented a rare opportunity to turn education into real-world change.

“I’ve been working on this for 30 years,” Rossi said. “Getting people to adopt best practices is a totally different animal than educating them about it. This is the first time we could really effect change.”

The research team began by surveying a randomly selected group of golf courses located across 17 counties in Central and Western New York. The surveys gathered information about how courses managed water use, fertilizers, pesticides, and equipment cleaning practices.

After collecting baseline data, the team launched a targeted outreach campaign aimed at course managers and superintendents. Educational materials were developed by NYSP2I’s communications team and distributed throughout the region. These resources included a detailed handbook, posters for maintenance facilities, and practical guides on how to improve wash station management.

Wash stations—where maintenance equipment is cleaned—are an important focus area. Improper cleaning practices can lead to contaminated water entering nearby soil or waterways. Addressing this issue was one of the earliest motivations for the program.

The team later returned to the same golf courses and conducted follow-up surveys to determine whether practices had changed.

The results were encouraging. Researchers found measurable improvements in several areas, including how courses handled water use, fertilizer application, pesticide management, and runoff control.

In one example, a single change in fertilizer practices was estimated to remove the equivalent of more than 68,000 pounds of excess nutrients from entering regional waterways each year. Reducing these nutrients helps limit the risk of harmful algal blooms, which can damage ecosystems and threaten drinking water sources.

An important element of the program was making environmental improvements feel achievable rather than overwhelming. To do this, the researchers created a framework that used familiar terminology from the sport itself.

The system introduced three levels of action—par, birdie, and eagle.

A “par” level improvement might involve installing a simple nozzle costing around $20 that reduces water use. A “birdie” step might include more advanced upgrades, while an “eagle” could represent installing a full water recycling system capable of dramatically reducing wastewater.

Cornell researcher Carl Schimenti, who helped design the framework, said the approach helped course managers feel more comfortable starting the process.

“We had to meet each person where they were at,” said Cornell researcher Carl Schimenti, who created the framework. “By dipping your toe in the water, you build momentum. One thing leads to another.”

The approach proved effective because it allowed courses with different budgets and resources to participate. Some facilities could only afford small changes at first, but those initial steps often encouraged further improvements.

Students from Rochester Institute of Technology also played an important role in the project. Several RIT co-op students contributed technical support, including mapping work, data analysis, and report preparation.

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Among them were Jessica Wagner, who studied industrial engineering and sustainable systems, and Khursten Alphonso, a mechanical engineering student.

For Wagner, the experience provided a chance to work on a project with tangible environmental impact.

“The program gave us the opportunity to contribute to something that really mattered,” said Wagner, who works as an engineer for JK Muir. “We had the opportunity to learn from people who are doing this work at the highest level.”

Industry professionals also became active partners in the effort. One of them was Rick Slattery, former golf superintendent at Locust Hill Country Club. Like many experienced turf managers, Slattery had long believed that maintaining healthy grass did not require excessive chemical use.

When he connected with the NYSP2I team, the goal was straightforward: find a more affordable way to deal with wash water systems that could cost as much as $80,000 to install.

The solutions developed through the program showed that practical alternatives were possible.

“It wouldn’t have happened without the people at NYSP2I,” Slattery added. “They lit a fire under all of this.”

As word of the initiative spread, interest grew beyond New York State. Earlier this year, the team presented their work at a national conference of the Golf Course Superintendents Association in Orlando. The event drew more than 12,000 attendees from around the world, and the presentation generated strong interest among international participants.

The project’s influence has already reached classrooms overseas. A professor at Scotland’s Rural College has begun incorporating the NYSP2I handbook into coursework, introducing future turf managers to the program’s sustainability strategies.

Meanwhile, the initiative continues to expand. Researchers have launched a new phase of the project on Long Island, an area where golf courses exist alongside sensitive coastal ecosystems and drinking water aquifers.

Roy Green, director of NYSP2I, said the program demonstrates how collaboration between universities, government agencies, and industry can produce real environmental progress.

“This work shows how New York State can lead in environmental progress with influence extending across the country and beyond,” said Roy Green, NYSP2I’s director. “By working closely with our university partners and student co-ops, we’re driving innovation that helps the golf sector take practical steps toward sustainability.”

More than ten years after a superintendent first asked for help solving a wastewater problem, the answer has evolved into something far bigger. What started as a single effort to reduce pollution has grown into a model showing how one of the world’s most resource-intensive sports can begin to care for the environment in smarter ways.