After more than 50 years, the Tahuna Golf Club in New Zealand has decided to stop using sheep to maintain its fairways.
Located roughly 120 kilometers south of Auckland in the Waikato region, the club cited rising costs as a key factor, with this year’s replacement of 125 ewes costing NZ$25,000.
Club life member Frank Hopper explained that the decision also aims to appeal to younger players, who might find navigating sheep droppings while preparing their shots unappealing.
“There’s been a growing preference for a fully groomed course instead of one shared with sheep,” Hopper told the New Zealand Herald. He added, “A groomed course is cleaner, with no animal waste, making it easier to maintain equipment and shoes after a game.”
Using sheep to maintain golf courses began as a practical and cost-effective solution for rural clubs to care for their grounds.
Common in agricultural areas like New Zealand and parts of Europe, sheep provided a natural alternative to mechanical mowing.
Over time, however, rising costs, modern course standards, and changing player preferences have led many clubs to transition to conventional groundskeeping methods.
