{"id":53028,"date":"2025-08-07T22:08:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T22:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/53028\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T22:08:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T22:08:08","slug":"indigenous-owned-golf-courses-are-leading-the-charge-on-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/53028\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous-owned golf courses are leading the charge on sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

At Caughnawaga Golf Club in Kahnawake, Quebec, sustainability is a key factor when owners Andrew, Carrie, and James Patton are making decisions about day-to-day operations, from what type of fertilizer to use to irrigation processes.SUPPLIED<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing James Patton knows, it\u2019s golf. Growing up in Kahnawake, Quebec, on the Mohawk Reservation, the now 61-year-old first started working on his family\u2019s golf course, Caughnawaga Golf Club, when he was seven. To say he was a jack-of-all-trades is an understatement. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve worked in every aspect of this course,\u201d Mr. Patton says. \u201cOn the grounds, tending bar, serving banquets, in the kitchen, running the snack bar, doing golf operations; there\u2019s not a position here I don\u2019t think that I worked at one point or another.\u201d <\/p>\n

Working alongside his father Angus Patton day-to-day, some of the younger Patton\u2019s most formative memories take place in the unique locales of the course, one in particular is the course\u2019s original clubhouse \u2014 a farmhouse on the land that was renovated in 2020. <\/p>\n

In many ways it makes sense that some of Mr. Patton\u2019s earliest memories around Caughnawaga Golf Club would include the wonders of nature, because the environment, and most importantly appreciation and preservation of it, have been at the core of his family\u2019s values since the course was first built in 1967. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were brought up here connected to the land,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re part of the land, do not abuse the land, take care of it.\u201d <\/p>\n

For Mr. Patton and his team, that means always considering what they put on and into the course itself. For example, they use fertilizers with low levels of nitrogen and phosphates, since traditional formulas can lead to water pollution and eutrophication. The latter is a process where bodies of water become enriched with too many nutrients, leading to overgrowth of algae and other aquatic plants\u2014and potentially even dead zones where aquatic animals can\u2019t live because of low oxygen levels. <\/p>\n

And they\u2019re not alone. Across the country, Indigenous-owned golf courses are leading the charge when it comes to sustainability. Guided by cultural teachings, these courses are choosing more environmentally friendly practices, a decision that not only benefits the environment and local communities, but also offers a new angle on tourism. (Data shows sustainability is front of mind for many Canadian travellers who may considering playing a round or two on their next vacation. According to Booking.com\u2019s 2024 Sustainable Travel Report:, 76 per cent of travellers are looking to travel more sustainably<\/a> and 83 per cent considering sustainable travel important<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

This is something the owners of Dakota Dunes Golf Links<\/a> tapped into well ahead of the curve. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan course is primarily owned by Whitecap Dakota First Nations. Prior to its 2005 opening, the First Nation employed golf architects Graham Cooke and Wayne Carleton<\/a> to design and build the 18-hole course in the most sustainable way possible \u2014 a stark difference from the way most courses were designed at the time.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

When golf architect Wayne Carleton was tasked with designing Saskatoon\u2019s Dakota Dunes Golf Links, which is primarily owned by Whitecap Dakota, First Nations, the ask was to create the most sustainable course possible.SUPPLIED<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time I was working on Dakota, most courses being developed in Canada were more traditional in design, required earth to be moved, trees to be cleared and were driven by housing developments and nothing like Dakota Dunes,\u201d Mr. Carleton says. <\/p>\n

Conversely, at Dakota Dunes, Mr. Carleton and his team were asked to preserve the natural environment and move as little earth and vegetation as possible, in order to help preserve the native habitats and biodiversity of the site. <\/p>\n

The team didn\u2019t import any exterior materials, choosing to use existing sand on the site instead. In addition, as a water-saving measure, they chose drought tolerant and low fertility grasses, and designed an irrigation system that didn\u2019t affect the natural environment adjacent to the holes, meaning the site itself directly dictated the design. (The system also limited water use.) While it may sound like a lot of work, the result was not only a more environmentally sustainable course, but a unique design direction. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe golf holes were there to be discovered and I needed to find a routing that worked best with the land,\u201d Mr. Carleton says. \u201cWe created a number of options and settled on the routing that we felt captured the essence of the land and would be environmentally sustainable for the long term.\u201d <\/p>\n

The golf world agreed; the course received the Best New Golf Course in Canada Design Award from Golf Digest in its first year of operation. And 20 years later, Carleton still works with Dakota Dunes on course restoration projects to preserve the course\u2019s natural character.<\/p>\n

For Mr. Patton and the team at Caughnawaga Golf Club, an evolution of ownership has meant an evolution of practices, too. While his family has always had an appreciation for the land, since Patton and his siblings formally took over the course from their dad in 2015 they\u2019re making very intentional decisions when it comes to their day-to-day operations and its impact on the environment \u2014 which is something other golf courses should take note of. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow more than ever is sustainability one of the highest priorities when designing, renovating, restoring and building golf courses,\u201d Mr. Carleton says. \u201cIt is the responsibility of the designers and owners to preserve the natural environment, protect wildlife habitats and benefit the surrounding ecosystems we have the privilege to work with. This starts early on in the design process and the most successful courses are the ones that are an integral part of the environment and act as green space for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

One in a regular series of stories. To read more, visit our\u202fIndigenous Enterprises<\/a>\u202fsection. If you have suggestions for future stories, reach out to\u202fIE@globeandmail.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: At Caughnawaga Golf Club in Kahnawake, Quebec, sustainability is a key factor when…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1401,1397,49,48,35832,35833,295,622,18371,32918,35834,35830,35831,66,4935,20819],"class_list":{"0":"post-53028","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-adveditorial","9":"tag-appwebview","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-caughnawaga-golf-club","13":"tag-dakota-dunes-golf-links","14":"tag-environment","15":"tag-golf","16":"tag-golf-courses","17":"tag-indigenous","18":"tag-indigenous-business","19":"tag-indigenousenterprises","20":"tag-ordid3737321246te","21":"tag-science","22":"tag-sustainability","23":"tag-sustainable"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}