Community & Sustainability
Golf in Texas is more than a sport - it fosters health, wellness, and environmental stewardship while strengthening communities
Golf supports healthier lives and stronger communities through recreation and time spent with friends and family. Walking 18 holes covers 5 miles, while cart use spans 3 miles, boosting immunity, reducing disease risk, and improving cognition and mood. Beyond individual health, golf’s influence extends to youth engagement, inclusion, sustainability, and conservation.
Community Impact & Youth Development
Making a Big impact for every texan
Texas golf courses are committed to building foundational skills with 89.17% offering junior programs and 46.5% providing scholastic golf teams or beginner programs like Get Golf Ready.
PGA Junior Golf served nearly 4,500 juniors in Southern Texas and 5,000 in Northern Texas across 200 facilities in 2023, promoting fun, health, and sportsmanship.
Youth on Course, supported by the Texas Golf Association, grew 47.5% year-over-year, providing $5-or-less rounds for youth statewide.
Texas hosts nine First Tee chapters from Houston to West Texas, engaging thousands of youth annually, alongside dozens of LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs developing leadership skills through golf.
PGA of America REACH Foundation, PGA REACH Southern Texas, and Northern Texas PGA Foundation advance inclusion, workforce diversity, women’s leadership, and Veteran programs, ensuring age, background, or cost never limit access to the sport.
Nearly half of Texas courses offer senior golf programs, and 36.94% support Veterans and military through initiatives like PGA HOPE.
STEAM education programs, including The First Green, provide experiential learning at Texas courses, integrating science, math, art, and environmental studies.
Golf’s Role in Multi-Sport Recreation
The 2023 Texas golf facility survey revealed 34% of facilities offer racquet amenities and 39% provide aquatics
Across these facilities, there were 2,215 racquet courts and 555 pools, significantly enhancing community engagement and activity options.
The daily attendance at these amenities was substantial, with aquatic facilities averaging 20,150 visitors per day and racquet facilities drawing 17,413 daily attendees across the state.
This equates to approximately 7.36 million visits to aquatic facilities and 6.35 million visits to racquet facilities annually, further reinforcing the year-round recreational value and family activities that Texas golf facilities provide beyond the sport itself.
Sustainability & Environmental Leadership
Texas golf preserves approximately 150,000 acres of open greenspace, supporting wildlife habitats, air quality, water filtration, flood mitigation, and urban cooling
100 Texas courses are Audubon International members, with over a third fully certified, and six courses hold Signature Sanctuary designation, representing 6.3% of all U.S. Signature Sanctuary courses, indicating excellence in water conservation, habitat protection, and sustainable land management.
In 2020, the Lone Star Golf Course Superintendents Association published a Texas Golf Best Management Practices Guide. This manual features 13 BMP Sections dedicated to golf maintenance to serve as a resource for all 821 Texas golf courses - encouraging water conservation, habitat protection, responsible land use, and environmental stewardship.
Water and Energy Conservation, Recycling, and Waste Management
Water and Energy Conservation
72% of facilities use three or more water reduction strategies, and 42% use five or more.
51% of courses irrigate with recycled water.
81% of facilities use at least two energy-saving measures, and 35% implement five or more, including solar power, LED lighting, and electric carts.
Recycling and Waste Management
68% of facilities adopt two or more waste reduction practices
30% use four or more, such as composting tree trimmings, leaves, grass clippings, and food waste, plus golf ball recycling.
Texas golf serves as a model for community engagement and sustainability, ensuring broad access to the game while driving conservation and environmental responsibility.
Texas Golf Industry Environmental Impact Alignment to SDGs