Living Near Golf Courses: What the Science Shows and Why Pregnancy Deserves Special Attention
A new study from Minnesota made headlines this year. Researchers looked at where people lived in relation to golf courses and their risk of Parkinson’s disease. The results were striking: those who lived within a mile of a golf course had more than double the odds of developing Parkinson’s compared with those farther away. The risks were highest in places where golf courses shared water systems with homes and where the groundwater was more vulnerable to contamination.
That paper was about Parkinson’s, not pregnancy. But the pathway is the same: golf courses use large amounts of herbicides and pesticides to keep turf looking green and uniform. These chemicals don’t just stay on the grass. They can move into groundwater, drift into the air, and cling to soil. If exposures are strong enough to affect the nervous system later in life, it is reasonable to worry about what they may do during pregnancy, when development is at its most fragile.
What We Know About Pregnancy and Pesticides
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already warned about several turf herbicides. In 2024, they found that DCPA (sold as Dacthal) can cause serious and permanent harm to developing fetuses. Other chemicals like 2,4-D and dicamba are also widely used on lawns, fields, and golf courses. These have been detected in the urine of nearly every pregnant woman tested in recent U.S. studies.
Why does that matter? Pregnancy is a time when the developing baby’s organs and brain are forming. Even small exposures to harmful chemicals can have outsized effects. Research links prenatal pesticide exposure to increased risk of preterm birth, small size at birth, developmental delays, and in some studies, autism spectrum disorder.
It is important to be clear: not every pregnant patient living near a golf course will have problems. But the science points to a pattern of risk that should not be ignored. We cannot assume that “green space” is always safe space. Parks and natural forests are different from pesticide-managed turf.
How Exposure Happens
The Minnesota study highlights two main routes:
Water – Chemicals sprayed on turf seep into groundwater. If the golf course shares a municipal water source with homes, that water can carry residues into household taps.
Drift – Sprays applied to grass can travel through the air, especially on windy days. They can settle on homes, patios, cars, and playgrounds.
Pregnant women may also encounter these exposures by walking or exercising on golf courses and athletic fields after they have been sprayed. EPA has noted that the risk is not limited to the day of spraying—residues can remain on the turf for weeks.
What Can Pregnant Women Do?
The good news is that there are practical steps women can take to lower exposure during pregnancy.
1. Water Safety
Bottled water: Using bottled water for drinking and cooking is the simplest option, though it can be expensive and creates plastic waste. If chosen, look for brands that publish independent water testing results.
Point-of-use filtration: A more sustainable solution is installing a reverse osmosis (RO) filter or a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter at home. Both are effective in reducing pesticide residues.
RO filters force water through a fine membrane that removes contaminants, including many herbicides.
GAC filters use carbon to trap chemicals. They need regular cartridge changes to stay effective.
Whole-house filtration can be considered if local water is known to be highly contaminated, but for most families, focusing on drinking and cooking water is the priority.
2. Showers and Bathing
Many women ask: if pesticides get into the water, is showering dangerous? The answer is reassuring.
Pesticides do not evaporate into steam in the same way that chlorine does. That means inhalation risk during showering is far lower.
Skin contact is possible, but brief exposure to diluted water in a shower is not thought to be a major risk compared with drinking the water.
Still, if the water supply is heavily contaminated, whole-house filters can add an extra layer of protection.
3. Outdoor Activity
Avoid walking or sitting on golf courses or sprayed athletic fields—especially in the days right after application.
Respect posted signs about spraying, and if no signs are visible, assume treatment may have occurred if the grass looks perfectly green and weed-free.
4. Advocacy and Awareness
Pregnant women should not carry the full burden of avoiding pesticide exposure. Communities can demand transparency about when and how golf courses and parks apply chemicals. Public water systems should monitor for turf herbicides and publish results. Physicians should be aware of these risks and provide clear counseling.
Why This Matters
Pregnancy is already a time of careful choices—what to eat, what medicines to take, how to stay healthy. Most women would never imagine that living near a golf course might be a hidden exposure. The new Parkinson’s study doesn’t prove harm in pregnancy, but it adds weight to the concern. When research, government warnings, and biological plausibility all point in the same direction, the ethical response is prevention.
Pregnant women deserve safe water, safe air, and honest information. That means not only personal steps like filtration and bottled water, but also a broader push for better pesticide regulation and greener alternatives in turf management.
Closing
Golf courses may look beautiful, but they come at a cost. The same chemicals that keep the greens smooth may be drifting into our water and homes. For pregnant women, the safest course is caution: filter your water, be mindful of where you spend time outdoors, and push for stronger protections in your community.
Silence is not neutrality. Protecting pregnant patients and their babies requires speaking up—whether in the clinic, at the town hall, or on the golf course fence line.
#MaternalHealth; #PregnancySafety; #EnvironmentalHealth; #PublicHealth; #PerinatalCare; #MedicalEthics; #PreventiveMedicine