Ecology expert to speak at Continue to Learn

Renowned golf course ecologist Bob Taylor will be presenting at Continue to Learn 2025 on the topic of heather and heathland management. We caught up with Bob for a chat about his career and why he is looking forward to BTME.

How did you get involved in the crossover between golf and ecology?

I’ve been a passionate and enthused naturalist from an early age. I joined STRI back in 1989 and was given the opportunity to develop an ecological service specifically for golf.

At that time golf was being castigated as a negative land use, where chemicals, water and fertilisers were overused, but on visiting golf courses I quickly realised they could be rich nature reserves and could contribute in the fight against our declining habitats and the dwindling of many species. This brought about the need for proactive management and awareness, and I’ve worked tirelessly over 35 years to enlighten golf clubs as to what they have and how to manage it.

How far has the golf industry come regarding ecology and conservation?

I think today, many golf clubs have moved from seeing ecological management as a luxury, something to aspire to if resources and weather conditions allow, to something that has become an integral component of their routine maintenance and management operations. That has been further heightened following Covid as we now recognise more than ever the mental and physical health benefits that result from just being out in beautiful surroundings in nature.

Do environmental considerations mean compromising on the quality of playing conditions?

Golf and ecological management are not mutually exclusive in any way, and in fact they both run hand in hand. The timing of when you would do ecological management and the practices involved don’t clash with maintenance programmes, and there is no need to see the former as being in competition with the latter.

Even on our most protected sites here, you’re working to a directed management plan, and with consent and agreement you can bring about real ecological benefits without compromising on playing conditions. Golf courses are now regarded as having a positive ecological impact because they’re golf courses not despite that fact.

How well equipped are golf clubs to deal with the challenges posed by climate change?

I think golf doesn’t yet fully understand the implication. People do need to become more aware of the problems and how to overcome them, because I think some things will be quite unexpected. In Jersey, for example, there’s a South African grass coming in called sporobolus that’s extremely aggressive. We’re also seeing different invasive species coming in that pose a threat.

We are seeing a shift in heather – something that is an integral part of so many of our Surrey heathland and West Sussex and Suffolk golf courses – because it’s becoming more difficult to manage with climate change. Another thing is atmospheric nitrogen falling from the sky at a rate of 15 kilogrammes per hectare per year, and that’s thickening the rough and leading to more lost golf balls!

We need to start thinking about managing to thin the grasslands down in a way that still maintains conservation interest. There are many areas where we need to be diligent about how we’re managing things and all the while making sure golfers aren’t getting frustrated and leaving golf clubs.

How important is an event like BTME for sharing those messages?

BTME and Continue to Learn are vital because they provide a platform for the sharing of knowledge and the exchange of ideas. Sharing thoughts and opinions, listening to other people speak, hearing a different point of view – that’s how we learn.

A big thing for me has always been trying to raise awareness, and I’ve been doing that for many years. That awareness also has to go beyond the people at BTME and beyond golf to reach those who think golf is for the privileged few and don’t realise how good golf courses can be for the environment.

For example, our last lady’s slipper orchid is at Silverdale, in Lancashire. All the rest have been picked. A total of 98 per cent of the lizard orchid population is at Royal St George’s. These are the things people don’t realise and we need to show them, we need to change that narrative and educate people on all the positive aspects of golf courses. GI

If you would like to book onto Bob Taylor's 'Heather and Heathland Management' class at Continue to Learn or any other of the education opportunities, please go to https://www.btme.org.uk/continue-to-learn.html