TYLER ANNAN, SUSTAINABLE GOLF DEVELOPMENT AND RENOVATION, GEO FOUNDATION
14 Nov 2024
TYLER ANNAN, SUSTAINABLE GOLF DEVELOPMENT AND RENOVATION, GEO FOUNDATION
Developing Community Connections
Golf has always been a game with community at its heart. In its very early days, the golf course was a place near towns for people to meet and spend time together. Since then, it is fair to say that some aspects of golf have been less open and accessible compared to the origins of the game. However, in recent years, with the resurgence in the game’s popularity, community is once again central to golf.
When considering sustainability and creating sustainable golf courses, the community aspect can be easily be overlooked in favour of other priorities. However, community (or society) is one of the three pillars of sustainable development, alongside economy and environment. In the long term, it seems to be human nature that a benefit to society is something that will help ensure longevity and success.
Golf course developments have a major role to play in both strengthening and supporting communities. A new golf venue has the opportunity to shape how the property can and will serve the community once it is open and operating. These connections often go beyond providing outdoor space for people to be together. Modern golf course developments increasingly aim to integrate themselves into the local area and become a valued part of the community, providing careers, opportunities, enterprise, education, services, and space.
Community value comes in many types and scales. Recently, Golf It! in Glasgow reimagined a quiet municipal course into a key member of the community. Community impact was the major driving force behind this development which is evident throughout the facility. The club established partnerships with local food charities, operating planting schemes which provide fresh vegetables for the local community. They also work closely with local social enterprise groups, hosting projects and helping to train hundreds of people a year in workplace skills through a volunteer apprenticeship programme. Golf It! is a fantastic example of how golf can provide more than just a game.
La Réserve Golf Links at the Heritage Resort in Mauritius has also worked hard through their design and construction to create long term value for the local community. The southwest of the island had no municipal recycling facilities. Working with a local social enterprise, Heritage provided land for the construction of a glass recycling facility. They commissioned the community-run project to collect and process all the waste glass from the golf course and the resort. This gave the recycling entity an income stream and work opportunities that would not have been possible without the golf course.
Another long-term community benefit was provided by the Rio Olympic Golf Course in Brazil. The project was determined from the start to build in a meaningful legacy – post Olympics – to use the open space as a place to bring children and adults from different backgrounds, and with different physical abilities to experience safe time outside. The management continues today runs a range of initiatives from getting into sports, to environmental education, fitness and even skills training for people to have an opportunity to learn and grow into a new career. It stands as a powerful public golf example in Rio de Janeiro of safe, biodiverse rich, open space that can be used and enjoyed by a diverse range of people and activities beyond golf.
While innovative projects and partnerships will become increasingly prevalent and important considerations for golf course development and renovation, the basics will still matter. Perhaps the most common way that a golf course contributes to communities is by providing a place for people to recreate together and spend time outside in nature. Looking back to the origins of the sport again, golf courses were traditionally a public space where people could walk even if they weren’t golfing. This is still the case in many places. In Scotland’s seaside town of North Berwick, it is not uncommon to pause your second shot to let a dog walker or surfer cross the fairway to the beach. At Ombria Resort in Portugal, over 5,000 meters of public footpaths were created around the golf course, providing a way for non-golfers to enjoy the space and benefit from the facility.
Golf can impact communities in so many positive ways, directly through the game, land and course themselves or through the actions of clubs, members and owners. Over recent years it has been hugely encouraging to see more and more developments pay significant attention to the ensuring their design and facilities strengthen and support communities as much as they can.
To find out more about how projects are servicing their communities click here.
“Community initiatives are integral to the design process we share with developments and renovations, as essential as water and biodiversity concerns. They have truly become key to building lasting relationships with the people and places the golf projects connect to. Ecosystem services now clearly show how communities can benefit from the environments created, guiding decisions to maximise these benefits for a broader group of people. Bringing this approach to new projects and collaborations is one of the Foundation’s central purposes and it is energising to be able to inspire and support the continued innovation in this space.”
