Links Commits To International Environmental Accreditation St Andrews Links has become one of the first golf
venues committed to achieving GEO Certification, the internationally
recognised accreditation from the Golf Environment Organisation (GEO).
St Andrews Links, which comprises seven public
golf courses including the Old Course, enjoys an
excellent reputation for its environmental
practices. The Links has been recognised on
several occasions in recent years including
receiving the Overall Award at the Golf Course
Environment Awards run by the Sports Turf
Research Institute in October 2009.
The new accreditation programme aims to
become the hallmark for sustainable golf and
measures all aspects of a golf venue's operations
from the courses to clubhouses and
greenkeeping facilities. It was launched by the
Golf Environment Organisation, a non-
governmental organisation, at the BMW PGA
Championship last May.
The Old Course will be one of the first Links courses
put forward for the programme and it is hoped that the accreditation will
be in place by the time of the 28th staging of the Open Championship at the
Home of Golf in July.
Gordon Moir, director of greenkeeping at St Andrews
Links, said, "We place a great deal of emphasis on managing the courses and
facilities in as sustainable a fashion as possible. There is a long
tradition of sensitive and sustainable management at the Links and, as the
Home of Golf, we have a responsibility to take a lead in encouraging the
golf industry to take these practices on board. This accreditation
programme is an excellent way of ensuring golf courses adopt this approach
in a structured way and we look forward to working with the Golf
Environment Organisation."
There are several major environmental projects
currently being undertaken at the Links.
A reedbed washdown area was recently established on
the 17th hole of the Jubilee Course which enables water that has been used
for washing machinery to be fed through two gravel beds which have been
planted with common reed. The reeds filter out the impurities, allowing
clean water to be discharged to a soakaway.
Other recent projects at the Links include dune
reinstatement work, an extensive grassland management programme and soft
engineering work for coastal protection of the Jubilee Course.
Jonathan Smith, chief executive of the Golf
Environment Organisation, added, "Decades of strong leadership and
responsible, balanced decision-making has positioned St Andrews Links at
the forefront of sustainable golf. They have been walking the walk in both
the management and development of the courses, clubhouses and maintenance
facilities."
The On Course™ Reports for St Andrews Links can be
read on GEO's website at www.golfenvironemnt.org.
About St Andrews Links Trust St Andrews Links Trust is a charitable organisation
responsible for the management and maintenance of the Links courses at St
Andrews, including the famous Old Course, host of the 2010 Open
Championship. The Trust was established in 1974. It employs more than 300
permanent staff and seasonal workers during the high season. It manages a
number of additional facilities including three clubhouses, a golf practice
centre and four shops.
Around 200,000 rounds are played over six public
courses, which feature two additional championship courses (the New and the
Jubilee), two 18-hole courses (the Eden and the Strathtyrum) and a
nine-hole course (the Balgove).
A seventh course, The Castle Course, opened for play
in 2008 on a site to the south-east of St Andrews and has already won
several international awards including being named by Travel & Leisure Golf
magazine in America as the New Course of the Year and International
Development of the Year by Golf Inc magazine in America. The course was
also included in the prestigious Golf Digest Top 100 Courses in its first
year.
About the Golf Environment Organisation The Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) is an
international non-governmental organisation working to enhance the
economic, social and environmental benefits of golf.
Committed to partnering throughout the global golf
community to raise standards, provide productive solutions and objectively
appraise and recognise performance, the Golf Environment Organisation is
supported by a global network of partners, patrons, scientists, thought
leaders, industry representatives and major organisations including The
European Tour, European Golf Association, WWF, UNEP, and the Golf Club
Managers Associations of Europe and America.
