青岛国际高尔夫俱乐部 Qingdao International Golf Club

Notable Observations

• Naturalised Roughs and Woodland Management Large rough areas and shaded woodland slopes have been naturalised, with crushed branches and pine bark spread over bare ground to stabilise slopes and reduce maintenance. This limits inputs and supports habitat diversity.
• Replacement of Kentucky Bluegrass with Zoysiagrass In 2020, Kentucky bluegrass on primary roughs was replaced with zoysiagrass, which has strong drought, heat, and disease resistance. This change reduced maintenance and improved turf resilience in Qingdao’s marine climate.
• Manual Weeding Initiative Employees and caddies are encouraged to hand-pull weeds on fairways during spare time. This reduces chemical use while strengthening team involvement in course care.
• Efficient, Locally Sourced Irrigation Water The course’s irrigation system draws water from on-site lakes that collect rainfall and surface runoff. Only greens, fairways, tees, and semi-rough are irrigated, with schedules adjusted by soil moisture readings and weather forecasts.
• Solar-Heated Dormitories and LED Lighting Solar energy is used for heating shower systems in staff dormitories, while LED lights are installed in the clubhouse and offices to improve energy efficiency.
• Recycling and Waste Separation Recycling bins are placed throughout the course and buildings to separate waste streams. Contracts with licensed waste collection companies ensure proper handling and disposal under local regulations.
• Laoshan Charity Foundation The club established the Laoshan Charity Foundation in 2023 to support families in poverty and children with illness. So far, it has organised 15 public volunteering events and raised over 142,500 RMB.
• Youth Golf Training Network Qingdao International has built a golf training network with over ten youth colleges, providing structured golf programmes for students and developing young talent in the region.

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“During my onsite visit, the following sustainable practices carried out by the club give me a deep impression of sustainability and climate action: keeping basic maintained turf area for playing, reserving large areas of natural vegetation without maintenance on far roughs, covering crushed branches from the woodland of the course on the shaded bare slopes of roughs, replacing Kentucky bluegrass on primary roughs with zoysiagrass with strong resistance to drought, barren, and disease, increasing mowing height in summer, as well as having golf training programmes at different levels on the driving range, using the sod nursery as the venue for wedding ceremonies, and raising funds for poverty family alleviation through various golf matches. As a result, the club has established a good social reputation. Looking ahead to the future, with the implementation of ecological survey, habitat conservation measures and more sustainable maintenance practices, Qingdao International Golf Course will provide more ecological, social and economic value to the city of Qingdao and the community.”

Juming Zhang (GEO accredited independent verifier)