ABSTRACT

Golf started between the 1300s and the 1400s and has become a much more popular game since World War II (Hurdzan, 2006), and the number of golf courses will continue to grow, even the world is currently facing various global challenges, with golf becoming an official game in the Olympics in 2016. This trend may be partially due to the fact that new golf courses have been rapidly developed within the last four to five decades in countries where golf is not traditionally played, such as Asian countries among others, along with the development of human civilization and the demand for higher living standards. Compared with other outside sports, golfing suits the broadest age span, from childhood to senior age, and it has been a life-long hobby and exercise for many golfers (Murray et al., 2017). Currently, there are about 34,000 golf courses in the world, and it is estimated that the economic impact is about $50 to $100 billion each year just for turfgrass management. Focusing on turfgrass management aspects, the golf course industry employs more than a million part-time and full-time professionals to maintain the abovementioned 34,000 golf courses in the world by the routine maintenance practices of grasses, fertilizers, chemicals, irrigation systems, pest control, stress management, golf course design and construction, and renovations, among others (Beard, 2002; Haydu et al., 2008; Dernoeden, 2013; McCarty, 2018).316