The Natural Geographic Factors of Golf Tourism and Their Impacts

Abstract

The study aims to introduce golf tourism and its environmental impacts. The authors focus on Hungary, where golf is not a well-known and popular sport. Therefore, it is a niche tourism product. Golf tourism does not belong to the mainstream of the travellers and locals' motivation to visit the country and its golf facilities. The study's methodology is based on qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews of golf experts (golf course developers, golf club managers and greenkeepers). The authors interviewed 10 golf club managers and 3-3 golf course developers and greenkeepers to get a better overview of the environmental impacts of golf tourism on its environment. The results of the study conclude that although both the public and academia know about the negative impacts of such developments (mostly the overusing of natural resources), the picture is not that dark overall. Recent technologies can significantly reduce the consumption of these resources, making them more environmentally friendly. The managerial implementation can be for developers to understand the environmental and social expectations and fears of building another golf course using the same resources locals do and for academic implementation to enlarge those arguments that developers, club managers and mostly greenkeepers raised and the prejudice towards golf the sociate has.