Sanibel golf courses graded on water quality efforts

The city wants to make sure the clubs are following the fertilizer rules to protect our water.

SANIBEL — As golfers on Sanibel fill out scorecards, the island's courses are getting graded on report cards.

The city is working with golf courses in the community to improve our water quality. They want to make sure the clubs are reducing fertilizer use and taking other measures to prevent harmful nutrients from getting into the Gulf.

"We grade them 1-5 so they can see how well they’re complying with our recommendations," said Dana Dettmar, with the city's natural resources department.

The recommendations come from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The courses are graded based on four categories: education, lake management, fertilizer management and irrigation and fertilization.