Monarchs in the Rough is an environmental initiative led by Audubon International, focused on protecting and restoring important habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The program connects and supports superintendents and other golf course staff as they plan, install, and manage habitat projects for the monarch butterfly on their courses. We are currently only offering seed, signage, and guidance to courses who have not previously enrolled, or are looking to expand their Monarch plot, to certified Audubon International members.
In 2025, through support from our FairWays Foundation Grant, we were able to welcome golf courses not previously enrolled in this important environmental initiative—both Audubon International members and non-members alike. At the start of the year, we set an ambitious goal of enrolling 125 new courses in Monarchs in the Rough, and we were thrilled to reach that milestone in early December 2025.
This achievement represents 125+ new acres of monarch habitat created or in progress, adding to the efforts of our 800+ existing Monarchs in the Rough participants. Altogether, this brings us to approximately 1,000 acres of monarch habitat established on golf courses across the United States and Canada.
As participants in the Monarchs in the Rough program, courses receive an official Monarchs in the Rough sign and regionally appropriate milkweed seed—enough to establish one acre of high-quality monarch habitat when paired with wildflowers provided by the course. These efforts play a vital role in supporting monarch populations, enhancing pollinator diversity, and strengthening ecological resilience on managed landscapes. Technical guidance is also provided to golf course managers as they install and manage habitat, and as they communicate with course members about their effort to save the monarch.
