Living next to golf courses may increase chance for Parkinson's, study says
PHOENIX - A controversial new report from Arizona researchers finds living near a golf course may increase your chances of getting Parkinson's disease.
FOX 10's Steve Nielsen learned, however, that the research wasn’t done in Arizona, so the findings may not affect us as much.
There was a lot of concern when this report was released. Let’s be honest, we all live within close range of a golf course in Arizona, right?
Thankfully, because of our weather and how courses operate, we’re better off than other regions.
What they're saying:
Golfer Lincoln Beauregard is practicing some swings at Desert Links Indoor Golf.
"Taking lessons this year and wanted a place I could practice and test my skills without being out in the heat," he said. "It’s super fun. You’re obviously not traveling, but it makes you feel like you’re doing something special, so it’s a good time."
He says golfing inside has a lot of benefits, but there may be another one he wasn’t even aware of.
"We found that living within one mile of the golf course is associated with more than double the odds of Parkinson’s disease compared to living six miles away or further," Dr. Brittany Krzyzanowski of Barrow Neurological Institute said.
She made major waves in the golf community this month thanks to her brand-new research on Parkinson’s. She looked at available data in Minnesota and the upper Midwest to find a 125% increase in the risk of Parkinson’s by living near a golf course.
They weren’t able to determine an exact cause, but theorize pesticides may have a role if pesticides leach into the groundwater.
"We might not expect to see the same results in Phoenix," Dr. Krzyzanowski said.
Because of a lack of humidity in Arizona, pesticides aren’t used in the same quantities here as they are in other parts of the country.
"In the desert southwest, for example, we apply less pesticides to the golf courses compared to Minnesota and Wisconsin, where they have hot, humid summers, and they need to apply more pesticides to kind of keep the aesthetic of a course," Dr. Krzyzanowski explained.
For Beauregard, he appreciates the information, but he’s still going to play golf, whether it’s inside or outside.
"I wouldn’t personally not golf because there’s a study that says that, but I mean, you know, it didn’t influence my decisions," Beauregard said.
We may have more answers soon. Barrow is taking what it learned from this research and putting together data on a national level now.
FOX 10 reached out to several local golf courses, but none wanted to comment on this study.