In recent years the golf industry has been showing tremendous leadership in the field of environmental responsibility when it comes to course management and development.
Whether it's utilising the natural beauty of wild flowers or encouraging the proliferation of bees, golf has been at the, pardon the pun, forefront of admirable environmental stewardship.
And now this has taken another step further as the industry has come together on a voluntary sustainability standard for golf developments.
A new Sustainable Golf Development standard, developed through close collaboration both within and outside the golf industry, has been introduced as part of the industry's efforts to become a leader in sustainable sport, land-use and development.
After 18 months of open consultation and dedicated work by an International Expert Working Group, facilitated by the Golf Environment Organization (GEO), what's described as 'a credible, accessible and relevant' voluntary sustainability standard for golf development has been established. The standard document provides a framework which guides the process of delivering new golf developments and renovations, from site selection through to opening day; maximising positive social and environmental value throughout.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A has said of the development, "There is more and more evidence that sustainability is key to the growth and vitality of the sport around the world which is why The R&A is investing in the long-term solutions the industry needs. Voluntary sustainability standards have an important role to play and we are delighted to see this significant milestone being achieved. We would encourage people involved in golf development to utilise this resource as they create the profitable facilities of the future, serving golfers and wider society and enhancing the image and reputation of the sport as they do so."
Of course producing a document is one thing, having the industry fully take it up it's recommendations is quite another. This though is something which the GEO recognise.
Richard Holland, interim Director of Markets at WWF, a global conservation charity, and member of the International Expert Working Group congratulated all those involved in achieving the milestone but points out, "..the next step is to make sure it is used in practice - by developers, by investors and governments, and their agencies, as a framework to ensure the best possible outcomes from projects in their jurisdiction".
The GEO certainly went the right way about getting to this stage though. Their credability and rigour cannot be faulted as during this process they achieved the ISEAL Alliance’s code of good practice for standard setting. GEO earned full ISEAL membership status in 2015 and followed the codes throughout the development of this standard document. These same codes of good practice are followed by other well-known sustainability bodies including Fairtrade, The Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Amy Jackson, ISEAL’s Senior Manager for Learning & Membership stressed how golf is the only sport to have representation, via GEO, in ISEAL. She said, "Following our Standard-Setting Code shows a commitment to transparency, multi-stakeholder balanced input and, along with our impacts and assurance codes, helps to ensure that this standard will produce positive and measurable environmental and social impacts."
Let's hope so. You can view the document and further explanations here
