Buying a Home Near a Golf Course? You May Be Exposed to Toxic Agrochemicals
22 May 2025, New Delhi: The perfectly manicured lawns of golf courses have long symbolized elite leisure, suburban sophistication, and aspirational living. But beneath the emerald surface lies an unsettling truth. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has uncovered a compelling link between the use of agrochemicals on golf courses and a significantly elevated risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) among nearby residents.
Led by Dr. Brittany Krzyzanowski and a team of researchers from Barrow Neurological Institute, the Mayo Clinic, and other institutions, the study examined over two decades of data and concluded that those living close to golf courses—especially within one to three miles—face markedly higher odds of developing PD. The central culprits? Agrochemicals such as paraquat, rotenone, 2,4-D, and chlorpyrifos, long used to maintain the cosmetic perfection of these green expanses.
A Groundbreaking Study Backed by Decades of Concern
Using detailed records from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, the study analyzed 419 cases of incident Parkinson’s disease alongside 5,113 matched controls in a 27-county region spanning southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The analysis focused not only on physical proximity to 139 mapped golf courses but also on the characteristics of municipal water systems and groundwater vulnerability.
The findings were striking. Residents living within one mile of a golf course were found to have a 126% higher chance of developing Parkinson’s compared to those living over six miles away. Even more concerning was the risk among those receiving water from groundwater systems serving golf course communities, where the odds of developing PD nearly doubled. The study also revealed that individuals in areas with vulnerable groundwater—characterized by coarse soils, shallow bedrock, or karst geology—were at even higher risk.
This research is the first of its kind to assess the intersection of pesticide runoff, groundwater contamination, and Parkinson’s risk with such geographic precision.
The Usual Suspects: Agrochemicals Tied to Neurological Harm
Although the study did not directly measure pesticide levels in individuals, it builds on a rich base of scientific literature implicating several agrochemicals commonly used on golf courses in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Chief among them is paraquat, a widely applied herbicide still used across many U.S. states despite being banned in over 30 countries. Known to trigger oxidative stress and dopaminergic neuron death in animal models, paraquat is considered by many experts to be among the most dangerous legal herbicides in use today.
Other agrochemicals spotlighted in the literature include rotenone, another compound known to cause Parkinson-like symptoms in lab settings; 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and methylchlorophenoxypropionic acid (MCPP), both of which are found in herbicide formulations applied to turfgrass; chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate banned for food crops but still permitted for ornamental and turf applications; and maneb, a fungicide also linked to neurotoxicity.
Evidence from previous environmental studies shows that pesticides like chlorpyrifos and 2,4-D have been detected in groundwater beneath golf courses, sometimes at concentrations hundreds of times above safe health thresholds.
When Beauty Becomes a Biohazard
The modern golf course demands aesthetic perfection—lush fairways, spotless greens, and weed-free roughs. Achieving that visual ideal requires heavy chemical maintenance. In the U.S., pesticide use on golf courses is among the highest in the world, with application rates far exceeding those in many European countries.
These chemicals do not remain confined to the turf. They seep into the soil, leach into the aquifers, and in some cases drift through the air into surrounding neighborhoods. Municipal water systems serving these areas become the distribution channels for invisible threats. The Krzyzanowski study found that more than 86% of Parkinson’s patients lived in groundwater-supplied areas, often drawing from the very aquifers that lie beneath or adjacent to golf courses.
This geographic vulnerability means that people may unknowingly be exposed to neurotoxins not through farming or occupational exposure, but simply by living next to luxury.
Rethinking Affluent Development
Golf-course communities have long been marketed as the epitome of refined living. But with the growing body of evidence connecting these developments to health hazards, particularly through pesticide exposure, there is an urgent need to reassess this image.
The Krzyzanowski study demonstrates that the public health consequences of such proximity are not theoretical. Individuals living in vulnerable groundwater zones with golf course exposure had nearly twice the odds of developing PD compared to those in non-vulnerable areas. Alarmingly, these effects were even more pronounced in urban and suburban zones, where population density and limited airflow may amplify airborne chemical exposure.
What emerges is a stark warning: the more you pay for golf course proximity, the higher your risk of neurological harm may be.
The Role of Water: A Shared Resource, A Shared Risk
Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of the study is the way it ties Parkinson’s risk to community water infrastructure. In many regions, a shared municipal water source supplies hundreds or thousands of households, often drawing from shallow wells located on or near golf courses. Once contamination enters this system, it doesn’t matter whether a home is steps from the green or miles away within the same water service area—everyone is at risk.
This underscores the importance of water quality monitoring, not only for pathogens and heavy metals but also for persistent organic pollutants like herbicides and pesticides. The current lack of routine testing for such substances in municipal systems leaves communities blind to their presence until health impacts become measurable—as they now have.
What Affluent Homebuyers Need to Know
For decades, the assumption has been that living in a golf-course community provides a healthier, more serene lifestyle. But as this new study makes clear, those assumptions may no longer be valid. In fact, higher-income households may unwittingly be placing themselves at greater risk by purchasing homes in areas where pesticide use is routine, unregulated, and often hidden behind manicured facades.
While public policy will need to catch up—potentially regulating pesticide use more stringently in residential zones—consumers also have power. By demanding pesticide transparency, avoiding developments with high agrochemical use, and funding independent environmental testing, affluent homebuyers can drive change both in the market and in municipal governance.
This is not just an individual health concern; it’s a collective one. The water table does not respect property lines, and neither does airborne drift.
The Call for Policy and Precaution
The authors of the study, including Dr. E. Ray Dorsey and Dr. Rodolfo Savica, emphasize the urgent need for public health intervention. Reducing pesticide use on golf courses, implementing buffer zones between golf courses and residential areas, and investing in pesticide-free landscaping alternatives are all part of a necessary rethink.
Moreover, national health agencies must begin treating environmental neurotoxins as a frontline issue in Parkinson’s prevention. The disease already affects over 10 million people globally, and its incidence is on the rise. If environmental exposures are indeed fueling that rise—as the Krzyzanowski study suggests—then the stakes for reform couldn’t be higher.
A Final Word: Beyond the Green
Parkinson’s disease has a long latency period, often taking years or decades to manifest after initial exposure. This makes prevention particularly urgent. As we build the next generation of communities, we must factor in the hidden cost of agrochemicals—not just on farmland, but in golf courses, parks, and manicured neighborhoods that appear clean but may be chemically saturated.
The Krzyzanowski study offers more than a warning—it offers direction. And for homeowners, developers, and city planners alike, the path forward starts with asking the hard question: Is the view worth the risk?
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