North Berwick, Scotland: Last week’s Sustainable Golf Week explored how golf can represent its service and support for communities, alongside its important efforts in fostering nature and taking climate action – addressing a fundamental pillar of sustainability, social equity. 

Facilitated annually by the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, this year’s week aimed to help raise awareness; celebrate successes; and inspire people and organisations across golf to drive further.

Alan Grant, the Foundation’s Director of Partnerships, said: “It has been wonderful to help uncover and share some of the great initiatives and projects coming from so many different parts of golf and in so many local landscapes and countries.

“Thanks and congratulations to all those who engaged. Of course, every week is, and needs to be, a sustainable golf week, so we’d love to see on-going sharing of commitments and real-world examples.  

“The Sustainable Golf Highlights Hub is an easy place to start to add your own stories into a growing community, and you can find out about other ways to get involved and access support at sustainable.golf, where some of the SGW content is also pulled together.”

Notable outputs throughout the week came from across the amateur and professional game, as well as other sub-sectors such as tourism and the manufacturing and supply side. Core perspective pieces were also produced by the Foundation.

Contributions were shared and promoted by a number of international and national golf bodies including, but not limited to: DP World Tour; Ladies European Tour; PGA Tour; The R&A; European Golf Association; European Institute of Golf Course Architects; Confederation of Professional Golf; Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation; New Zealand Golf; Swiss Golf; Canadian Golf Course Owners and Superintendents Association; and the national associations in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.

Toro, Syngenta, Galvin Green, E-Z-GO, Women & Golf, Faldo Design, International Golf Travel Market and Reed Exhibitions were among the companies who contributed content and supported the week. 

An ever growing range of golf industry media showed their support playing an important part in helping to spread the word, including: Golf Business News; Golf Course Architecture; Boardroom Magazine; Golf Club Managers Association Magazine; Golf Course Industry; The Scotsman; Asian Golf Industry Federation; Irish Golfer Magazine; Golf Business Technology; Golf Business Monitor; Golf Sustainability podcast and Syngenta’s Growing Golf podcast; Today’s Golfer; Golf Retailing, and many local-language publications in countries and regions from Switzerland to Quebec.  

Finally, as is with so much of what is done around sustainable golf, the grass roots facilities are at the heart and many, many clubs put out content and engaged their golfers – nine-hole courses to five-star resorts.  

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director of GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, said: “Looking towards next year, we are already thinking about how the key sustainable golf themes of nature, climate and communities come together for the biggest expression yet of golf’s positive impact on people and planet.

“A driving force for good in villages, towns and cities around the world. In a world increasing driven by sustainability, it is vital that golf gets the message out that it cares and is contributing.”

*Toro, Syngenta, Faldo Design and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation are all members of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.