Environmental sustainability and carbon footprint reduction are issues at the forefront of many developers and owners minds these days. Multiple clubs around the world have been ramping up their efforts to reduce their impact on the environment.
Here are three shining examples:
- Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore has its sights set on becoming the first golf club in the world to achieve true carbon neutrality by 2022. The club made the announcement in April of this year and committed to using contributions from rounds played in the next 12 months to purchase certified carbon offsets. Sentosa has already been employing carbon mitigation measures over the last few years, including achieving Singapore’s Green Mark (Platinum) certification by enhancing the energy efficiency of the clubhouse, using lithium-battery golf carts, and deploying 1,200 water-saving sprinklers throughout its irrigation system.
- The brand-new PGA National Czech Republic at Oaks Prague is another vanguard of the carbon neutral trend. The course has added almost 60 acres of natural habitat in the last year, as well as prioritizing using local turfgrasses, both of which reduce the amount of irrigation, fertilizers, chemicals, and overall maintenance needed to sustain the land. Another goal has been to avoid creating landfill waste by not using single-use plastics such as water bottles, straws or cups, which has allowed the course to recycle 100% of plastic, 90% of metal and 90% of paper and cardboard, as well as sending 100% of their grass clippings to compost.
- Designed by Gary Player, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates achieved Audubon Certification in 2020 due to its role as a sanctuary for 160 bird species, including the extremely rare Steppe Whimbrel. It also houses some 250 mountain gazelles and helps with Saadiyat Island’s Hawksbill Turtle Conservation Program, which provides a home to several hawksbill turtle nests along the five-and-a-half mile Saadiyat Beach. The club sits on 345 acres of land, almost 300 of which is irrigated with 100% treated effluent irrigation water.
Read more about conservation practices in the Summer issue of Golf Inc. magazine.