Fife Golf Trust - Driving The Green Across Public Golf Courses

Following in the footsteps of the world’s most famous public course - St.Andrews Links, the Fife Golf Trust has stepped up its commitment to environmental and social performance. The trust enrolled all seven of its public golf facilities in the GEO OnCourse™ programme, to work toward the international ecolabel for sustainable golf, GEO Certified™.

Confirming the commitment at a seminar on green golf held in St. Andrews, Paul Murphy, the new head of golf course management for the Fife Golf Trust said:
“The seven courses we oversee across the Kingdom of Fife are fantastic recreational resources, very well used by local people of all ages and backgrounds. Our vision is to make them even better by deepening the positive impact in their communities, for golfers and non-golfers; to make them as ecologically rich as we can; and to be even more efficient in our use of resources such as water, energy, fertilisers and pesticides.

We considered a number of ways to achieve our vision, and quickly agreed that the GEO On Course™ programme is far and away the best means to help us plan and coordinate the effort, encouraging and making it easier for Greenkeepers and other staff to make improvements that bring practical results. And for us, overseeing several courses, the “management group” tools are a good way for other managers and me to track and support the work going on at each site. 

Fife Council's policies on sustainability - covering biodiversity, waste, climate change, pollution prevention and social inclusion are very strong and our golf facilities are well placed to meet them.

We'll be working hard to be the first municipality in the world to have all our clubs and courses GEO Certified™ in the year ahead”.

Kelli Jerome, GEO Director of Programme Management said:

"Municipal golf courses are vital for good quality, affordable and accessible golf in local communities. We’re pleased that the OnCourse™ programme has been selected to help Paul and his team reduce operational costs and improve the golfing and ecological quality of the courses. 

Everything the GEO Certified™ ecolabel stands for matches well with government policies in climate change, biodiversity, waste, social inclusion, health, youth recreation and environmental quality. It will be great to see more municipal golf courses following the example Fife Golf Trust is setting.” 

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About GEO

GEO is a stakeholder-funded, not-for-profit organization, dedicated to helping the global golf community establish leadership in environmental enhancement and corporate responsibility. GEO Certified™ is the world's most constructive and credible ecolabel for golf course and club management.

GEO works with golf, government and environmental organizations worldwide, including The European Tour, United Nations Environment Programme, The R&A and the Club Managers Association of America. For more information, please see: www.golfenvironment.org

Media Enquiries: Kelli Jerome, GEO Director of Programme Management
T: +44 1620 895100E: kelli@golfenvironment.org

5 Sustainability Q’s for the Trade Show Floor

Golf course sustainability does not start on the course, it begins with the supply-chain. All of your efforts to green your golf course operations can be undermined or enhanced by choosing products or services that may or may not be aligned with your own sustainability goals.

I’ve prepared 5 questions (and a few talking points) to help you make informed decisions, and transform your operations from an old linear style, towards a sustainable system.

Note: Although I’ve mostly covered the environmental aspect of the supply-chain, it’s important to remember that social and economic demands, together with the environment, make up the three pillars of sustainability and that all three should be considered within your procurement policies. I’ve put a * beside the questions I feel would be relevant to most superintendents. Also, when asking these questions try to be specific about one particular type of product or service to help frame the conversation.

image courtesy of Out on a Limb

Reinventing Palm Springs

The golf and real-estate market is in a major shift right now, across the world these planned communities appeal primarily to a disappearing demographic - the baby boomer golfer and second home buyer/vacationer. Palm Springs California makes a great case study for the uncertain future of golf communities, luxury resorts and the trickle-down-effect on local retailers, daily fee courses and total economic impact. 

Little boxes on the hill side...

In the recent Desert Sun article (found on mydesert.com) Mike Perrault reviews the situation in Palm Springs and offers some insight from developers, operators and patrons in the region. 

From the article: 

"The recession exposed the vulnerability of the business model that created an unbreakable linkage between golf and real estate. We're entering a new normal; we're in a recasting era,” said Pete Halter, chairman of The Halter Companies, an Atlanta firm that advises developers. “We can't think that this will be over soon. Things have changed for good.”

"Fewer people play golf, and baby boomers don't have the time, money or interest in the game their parents did. The number of golfers in the U.S. has fallen by 13percent in the past five years."

"A glut of club memberships. There are at least 12,000 openings in the Coachella Valley. Nationally, golf memberships have dropped by a million since the early 1990s."

"The housing bust. Nearly 25percent of homes for sale in the Desert Multiple Listing Service are on golf courses."

10 Golf Questions Video Series

Got some time to burn? Sure we all do right now. When you do find time for some Golf and Environment related background noise check out the "10 Questions" video series produced by BunkerShot.com and GolfTV. Here's a few that Turfhugger readers will likely enjoy.

Greg Lyman, GCSAA Director of Environmental Programs

Noble Hendrix & Bill Crispin of The Golfpreserves

Dave Aardsma from Waste Management, the title sponsors of the 2010 Phoenix Open.

Mark Woodward, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

UPS & GEO Awards Spotlight Leadership in Sustainable Golf

The sustainability efforts and achievements of three pioneering organizations and individuals were recognized at the presentation of Environmental Innovation Awards from the Golf Environment Organization (GEO) and its partner, global logistics company UPS, on May 28, 2011.

The Dutch Golf Federation (NGF), the Scandinavian Turf and Research Foundation (STERF) and Stig Persson, the General Manager of Ljunghusens Golf Club in Sweden have all demonstrated outstanding commitment and leadership, in very different ways, in the promotion and delivery of environmental and social responsibility across the golf industry.

Follow this link to read the whole article: UPS & GEO Awards Spotlight Leadership in Sustainable Golf

TWIGG - April 11-18

This week in green golf companies are getting rev'd up for Earth Day on the 22nd

Club Car - MAYBE THE MOST significant contribution to sustainability has been in the area of waste. By encouraging our suppliers to ship more of their parts in returnable containers, we've reduced waste -- mainly cardboard, Styrofoam and bubble wrap -- leaving the plant by 28 percent per vehicle produced. At the same time, we've increased our own waste recycling by 39 percent.



Speaking on The Environmental Benefits of Golf Courses
It is always a pleasure for me to speak to groups or classes about the environmental benefits that can be achieved on golf courses. Last Wednesday I had the privilege of speaking to the Hamilton Place Rotary Club. Mr. Robin Boyer, the PGA golf professional at The Bear Trace invited me to speak to this group of community professionals. The title of the talk was "The Environmental Benefits of Golf Courses" in which I tried to convey the changes that we have implemented at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay to lessen out impact on the environment and improve the habitat for the wildlife on the golf course.

Country club is finalist for environmental award
Newton The Newton Country Club was selected amongst multiple entries as a finalist to receive the Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA) Arthur P. Weber EnvironmentalLeaders in Golf Award.

Golf Environment Organisation takes over Iceland

Bjork Celebrates the news by playing
a round of golf, here she is searching
 for a lost ball in the woods.
(This is not from GEO Press Release)

Here at Turfhugger, we've discussed the success of GEO many times before, following their certification program from initial release to now 209 participants world wide. Recently Icleand golf courses have made what seems to be the biggest commitment towards supporting the GEO and possibly the most significant statement in support of sustainable golf in general, from the GEO Press Release:

Reykjavík, Iceland - Sustainable golf leadership was demonstrated on an unprecedented scale today as every one of Iceland's sixty-two golf clubs pledged to achieve the GEO Certified™ award. 

The move has been driven by the Icelandic Golf Union - the country’s administrator of the amateur game; member of the European Golf Association and affiliate to The R&A. Full endorsement has also been pledged by the Icelandic Greenkeeper Association.

At receptions in Reykjavik, attended by both the Icelandic President, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, and the Minister for Environment, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, the efforts of Icelandic Golf and GEO were recognised. President Grímsson said:

“The Icelandic people are close to, and proud of, the quality of their environment. As a healthy outdoor sport, played by men, women and children from all walks of life, and with such an intimate relationship with our diverse landscapes, we are delighted that golf is using its unique position to reinforce deep rooted Icelandic values - locally and across the global golf community”.