Golf Industry Central Autumn 2013 Part Deux | Page 9

Industry News
Some examples of the
sustainability work underway at
The National include:
• Investment in irrigation and
turfgrass management leading to
35% reduction in water use.
• Recycled wastewater transferred
to on-site storage for back up
irrigation water.
• Dedicated bush management
team and native plant nursery
using seed collected on site.
• Increased vegetation cover
of more than 15 hectares with
indigenous grasses and scrub.
• Archaeology surveys guide the
management of historically and
culturally important sites.
• Replacement LED low wattage
bulbs reduced clubhouse lighting
consumption by over 90%.
• Investment in facilities and
training to minimise
risks associated with hazardous
substances.
Paul Mogford, the GEO accredited
independent verifier who performed
the on site evaluation, said:
‘As one of the premier and largest
golf facilities in the country, it is
fitting that The National Golf Club
becomes Australia’s first GEO

Certified™ club. The club performs
well, and in a number of areas
excels across golf’s sustainability
agenda, and their commitment to
continual improvement is clearly
part of the club’s core management
approach.
‘Like many Australian clubs, their
management of water is highly
advanced, with technology,
sustainable turfgrass practices
and golfer education combining to
reduce water use by 35% over the
last three years’.
The National Golf Club achieved GEO
Certified™ by signing into the free,
on-line OnCourse™ sustainable golf
support program (golfenvironment.
org/oncourse). Based on the
program content, they recorded and
refined their management practices
across golf’s six key sustainability
action areas – water, nature,
energy, supply chain, communities,
and pollution control. The club’s
performance and forward planning
were then evaluated against the
GEO certification criteria during a
site-visit from an accredited 3rdparty verifier, who also provided
the club practical ideas for further
improvement during the three-years
before re-certification.

Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt
said: “I congratulate The National
Golf Club on this award which
recognises their ongoing work in
sustainability.”
Peter Frewin, General
Manager of the AGCSA said:
“Congratulations to Jon, Leigh
and all the staff at The National
for this great achievement. The
GEO program is a great tool
which assists all in promoting
the environmental credentials
and benefits of golf”.
Jonathan Smith, Chief Executive
of GEO commented: ‘We are
delighted to welcome The
National Golf Club into the
expanding global community of
GEO Certified™ clubs. These
clubs are demonstrating what
golf can do, and so often does
for sustainability – contributing
way beyond legal compliance;
and voluntarily integrating
ecology, resource efficiency and
community engagement across
their business decisions.
‘We’d like to invite all types of
golf club in Australia to follow
this lead, to realise the full
range of business benefits that
lie in sustainability, and to help
golf represent it’ ́ͽ