They're even listening to several of the small organic farmers who grow much of the produce used in local fine-dining restaurants. Robin Nelson, Rodney Wright and Neil Haworth, the only golf course architects based in Hawaii, have been leaders in the eco-golf movement. At their new Sandalwood course at Waikapu, Maui, they planted hundreds of sandalwood trees. It was the first substantial planting of sandalwood, a native Hawaiian species, since it was harvested nearly to extinction by 1825, the fragrant wood sold by the monarchy to China. They also preserved ancient Hawaiian fishing shelters on the first hole.
Golf courses have another benefit for even non-golfers.
Royal Kaanapali North on Maui, has done studies that show a golf course lowers the ambient temperature of an area by five degrees. Which means that residents of the area use less electricity for fans and air-conditioning. All of this will probably come as a major surprise to people who drive past a golf course and see not open green space that contributes to bird and animal habitat while also fighting global warming, but a glorified chemical dump that steals land from the poor for the recreation of the rich. In fact, the platform of the Hawaii Green Party, which fielded 17 candidates in Hawaii's November 1992 elections and received enough votes to put it on the ballot in upcoming elections, included a plank that called for a moratorium on construction of new golf courses. When we build a course, it makes the land better for birds and animals than it was before.