Revisiting the Environmentally Sensitive Areas

In accordance with the rules of golf, ESA’s are identified by an appropriate agency. In our case the agencies are DuPage County and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The county will monitor our maintenance and upkeep of the ESA’s for a period of 5 years. We continue to progress on track with expectations through the monitoring process.

ESA’s are marked with a combination of signage and traditional yellow or red stakes identifying them as either a lateral or water hazard. If a hazard stake has a green cap on it, then the area is marked as an ESA and entry is prohibited. If a player hits an errant shot into an ESA, They have the standard options available to them under the rules of golf – except that they cannot enter the area to retrieve their ball or play their shot. If the hazard stakes do not have a green cap then the area is not designated as an ESA and should be treated as a normal hazard. The signage that is used in conjunction with the ESA’s reads “Environmentally Sensitive Area- Entering This Area is prohibited.”

It is important that members understand the significance of this topic. When you bring a guest to the club, make sure that they are aware of the ESA’s. It is possible that your guest may not be familiar with how to apply the rules of golf as they relate to ESA’s (not all courses have designated environmentally sensitive areas). If you have any specific questions regarding ESA’s or how to treat an errant shot that has come to rest in an ESA, please contact the Golf Course Superintendent or Golf Shop.