Geolympics 5: golf course or playground for geomorphologists?

Geolympics 5: golf course or playground for geomorphologists?

20/08/2019 Perigeo 0
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This time I’m gonna speak about… golf! I’m not an expert or fan of this sport, but I do love landscapes and how they form. I must admit I enjoy more the scenery rather than swings or golfer’s technical gestures!

Since I’m not an English native speaker, I always double-check for slang. So, I just learned that obstacles in a golf course are called “hazards”. In Earth Sciences, “hazard” has a precise definition, that is an event posing a threat to humans, society, the built and natural environment… it’s funny how language can create connections!

Thinking about golf courses and landscapes in August made me wanderlust; I used Google Earth to explore the locations of 2019 Golf Major Championships… take a look!

Figure 1: Masters Tournament – Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia. One can clearly spot the difference in color between the shiny green fairways and the (less-shiny) fields outside the golf course.
Figure 2: PGA Championship, Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York. The aerial view of bunkers remembered me earthquake-triggered landslides as seen from satellite data; to the right, an example of landslides triggered by a seismic sequence in Lombok (Indonesia).
Figure 3: US Open, Pebble Beach Golf Links, California. Come on, PEBBLE is clearly a geological term! Plus wonderful location at the seaside with coves, inlets and promontories. Matter for scientists studying currents and sediments!
Figure 4: The Open Championship, Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland. I’ve been in Portrush on holiday in 2016 and I didn’t know of the golf course!

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