More than 70% of golf course acreage is rough and non-play area. This area includes turfgrasses, trees and water features. Grasses, flowers, shrubs, trees and water make up the secondary rough and perimeter areas. This integrated landscape can support a diverse wildlife population.

A study of golf courses and parks indicated that passerine birds (a group that includes many songbirds) benefit from golf courses. The ponds, lakes and wetlands occurring on golf courses can provide habitat for fish, reptiles, amphibians and waterfowl.

Many golf courses are managed as wildlife sanctuaries, through programs like the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses developed by the Audubon Society of New York State and the USGA. More than 1/300 courses are already part of the Sanctuary Program.

Thus, properly designed urban green areas, such as golf courses, maintain and promote plant and animal diversity. This benefit is particularly clear when the varied landscape of the golf course is compared to urban developments, residential usages, or intensive agriculture. In short, a well-managed golf course is good land use when properly designed, constructed, maintained and located.