Introduction
The summer tourist season in Northern Michigan provides a vital boost to the local economy with golf courses providing a major market in itself (McCool 2006). Northern Michigan has a sizable golf community with over 200 courses in the region alone; however, this popularity does not come without a cost (Tucker 2007). Golf courses, with their emphasis on flawless fairways and handsome natural settings, often pair heavily fertilized grass in close proximity to Michigan’s most abundant natural resource, fresh water (Dillon and Winter 2005). Many designers attempt to improve the aesthetic qualities of a golf course by locating it next to a river or lake, often resulting in detrimental runoff from the fertilizers or pesticides used on the grass (Haines‐Young and Potschin 2002).