Caddie's Role:With the recent bout of spring weather it is hard not to contemplate just what is happening with the world's climate. I played on my home links course last week, wearing shorts and a T-shirt and a liberal coating of sun-block. Last time I played in spring I seem to remember wearing my thermal underwear and a woolly hat. I also found myself in some thick rough on numerous occasions normally associated with summer conditions. Equally, some of the lies I got around the greens were bare enough to cause my knees to collapse under the strain of a delicate chip where the slightest contact with the ground before the ball would be disastrous.

I watched some of the coverage from the much delayed Spanish Open played in Madrid last week. The players, when they eventually got out on the rain-sodden course, were wearing sweaters and rain gear. In Augusta Georgia earlier in the month, the temperatures dropped low enough for morning frost on the weekend of the Masters tournament. Meanwhile, back home the nation was enjoying warm walks on the beach.

Of course golf in Ireland did not contribute greatly to global warming in years past. We were almost totally unexposed to the gas-cart of the 1970s and 1980s which dominated American golf and which has now been replaced with the environmentally friendly electric cart.

Today there tends to be a huge maintenance budget using a lot of machinery and chemicals to enhance the visual aesthetics of the modern golf course. I remember going to tournaments in Germany in the late 1980s and hearing from green keepers about the difficulty they had in presenting a manicured course because of the active green lobby. We are slowly catching up with our more progressive European partners in all matters concerning the environment. My own club has got to wait until the change of season before it can continue work on the flood protection bank it is building down the north side of the links on the Bull Island, given its importance as a bird sanctuary.

There are plenty of complications entailed with the ecological system of a golf course in today's climate which challenge the acumen of course superintendents. I paid a visit to the Cariglas estate in Longford during the week to see the course which is being designed by Jeff Howes, with my player Retief Goosen helping as signature designer. The mild spring has helped the development of the course. It has also got the superintendent thinking about what kind of grass he should plant for the fairways and greens.

There is now an abundance of choice available to those with a relatively generous budget. They are getting advice and suggestions from the leaders in agronomy in the United States. Despite the Irish climate being of a similar nature to parts of America there are of course still some contrasting extremes which still make it a guessing game for those wishing to use a suitable new grass for a new course in this country. Having seen how quickly greens can deteriorate for a variety of unforeseen reasons I do not envy the decision maker in Longford trying to balance progress with practicality.

The recent trend is to create courses that provide positive environmental effects. Another course that my player has a consultancy involvement with in South Africa has been delayed greatly by the environmentalists in the Eastern Cape who are concerned about the water supply in the area of the proposed 36-hole development.

Golf courses can be places where environmental science and recreation co-exist; one hundred acres of turf produces enough oxygen for a family of four for four years. Ponds with shallow slopes create an environment for flora and fauna. Shoreline greases stabilise banks and prevent erosion. Using partially treated waste water conserves drinking water. You can recycle grass clippings, wood debris, water, petroleum products and scrap metal. Organic products can replace synthetic fertilisers, water additives and soil supplements.

At the rate that temperatures are increasing and sea-levels rising, there is a chance we will not have to worry too much about the plethora of courses built close to sea level, such as in Florida, as they are gradually reclaimed by the sea.

There are huge efforts going into eco-friendly golf, including the use of bio-degradable tees and electric lawn mowers. I still do not see too many Toyota Prius dual battery and fuel operated cars sitting in the members car parks of most clubs no matter how environmentally conscious their committees may be.