How the Triple Bottom Line took root in golf

In the management of golf courses today, we use the term sustainability frequently. It’s hard to believe the word “sustainability” was not part of golf course vernacular until the 1990s. And what is the “Triple Bottom Line?”

In 1990, the USGA worked with Ron Dodson, who introduced the concept of sustainable golf course management. He was president of the New York Audubon and later founded Audubon International. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program was started to help golf get more sustainable.

Dodson preached, “The elements most often associated with sustainability include ecology, economy and society. In other words … there must be a balance between these three ‘legs of the stool,’ or the stool will fall over.”

This concept was first formulated in 1987, in “Our Common Future,” published by the World Commission on Environment and Development.

While the WCED didn’t use the three “legs of the stool,” it introduced the integrated framework combining economic growth, environmental protection and social equity.

Also in 1987, John Elkington and Julia Hailes co-founded SustainAbility Ltd. In 1994, through their consulting efforts, the phrase “People, Planet, Profit,” was coined, better known as the Triple Bottom Line. Their efforts challenged conventional business thinking by arguing that true success couldn’t be measured solely by financial profit.

In Elkington’s 1997 book, “Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business,” he elaborated on the framework:

1. People – promoting social equity, fairness and community well-being.
2. Planet – protecting the environment through responsible resource use and conservation.
3. Profit – maintaining economic health and viability to sustain progress over time.

By the 2000s, the Triple Bottom Line was embraced by corporations, not-for-profit organizations and governments worldwide. The golf industry was no exception.

USGA Green Section leaders, including Jim Snow, Jim Moore and Kimberly Erusha, Ph.D., embraced the ‘three Ps’ of sustainability in official publications and websites. The earliest clear usage appears in the USGA Water Summit proceedings, dated Nov. 6, 2012, and in subsequent BMP (Best Management Practices) documents and sustainability webpages. 

At the 2013 BirdLife International Congress in Ottawa, Canada, The R&A and the USGA highlighted golf’s growing role in biodiversity conservation and sustainability. The Congress, with participants from more than 120 countries, explored how environmental health underpins human well-being and showcased industries addressing global ecological challenges.

Representing the USGA, Erusha discussed how many of the world’s 33,000 golf courses integrate sustainability through ecological stewardship and resource efficiency. She encouraged the golf industry to advance biodiversity, water conservation and social value as fundamental to the game’s long-term reputation.

Role of playability

While playability is a recurring concept throughout USGA Green Section literature, it did not appear as a formal addition to the Triple Bottom Line. In other words, for years, the USGA has treated playability as an outcome or operational goal rather than a “Fourth P.”

However, the framework officially added ‘Playability’ in the International Turfgrass Research Initiative, a collaboration between the USGA, The R&A and the Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environment Research Foundation. In 2022, the initiative was launched following the 14th International Turfgrass Research Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, and aims to fund and facilitate research that supports sustainable golf course management.

Variations such as “People, Planet, Profit and Playability” captured how environmental care, community engagement and sound economics can coexist with the enjoyment and quality of the game.