Win with the Golf Course Environment Awards
The new Golf Course Environment Awards, organised by STRI and sponsored by Syngenta, will give green keepers and golf course managers their due recognition for outstanding achievements in environmental management on the course, as well as the incredible opportunity to win a study tour to the US.
Automatically download the application form and a Guide to the Golf Course Environment Awards at the links below.
This year, the winners of the Environmental Achievement Award and the Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year will be get to visit some of the most famous and best managed golf courses in the world, and learn from the experiences of the course managers - including Pine Valley, the National Golf links of America, Shinnecock Hills, Sebonack and Bethpage Black, home of the 2009 US Open Championships.
Competition organisor, Lee Penrose of STRI (right), highlights the winners will get a once in a lifetime experience, with the opportunity to further enhance their skills and management expertise to use on their courses at home. "But we are also looking to recognise, reward and encourage the environmental initiatives and projects being implemented daily by green keepers and golf course managers across the UK.
"The Golf Course Environment Awards now focus purely on the golf course and maintenance facility, giving the course manager complete control over their success within the program."
The Awards welcome applicants from any golf facility however big or small. Facilities are independently judged, not on scale of financial investments but on accomplishments and benefits for the environment. There is no cost involved with the whole process and every applicant will receive free ecological and environmental advice from the STRI.
"With 14 individual prizes on offer there is every chance that your golf club and staff will directly benefit from submitting an application," says Lee Penrose.
Syngenta Turf Business Manager, Simon Elsworth, added: "The focus of green keepers is clearly on producing the best possible turf quality and playing surface. But the environment in which the game is played is a key factor in the overall enjoyment of participants - and a major influence on attracting people to the course.
"The Golf Course Environment Awards is testament to the fact that courses can be managed to an incredibly high playing standard, whilst still protecting and enhancing the environment."
For more detailed information and an on-line application form, visit the web site www.golfenvironmentawards.com. The deadline for entries is JUNE 19th 2009.
The Golf Course Environmental Awards are sponsored by Syngenta, Scotts, Ransomes Jacobson and Golf Monthly.
Bearwood Lakes in Berkshire won a previous Golf Course Environment Award for the special attention given to one of the major water features on the course. Previously, the feature suffered elevated nutrient levels with leaves falling from overhanging trees, resulting in massive algal blooms each summer. The green keeping team took action to remove and cut back some of the trees, to prevent further nutrient enrichment and also to improve light and air movement at the lake surface. The result has seen the lake providing a valuable habitat for dragonflies and damselflies, along with becoming an attractive addition to the course.
Click on the images below to download the Application Form or view the Guide to Application for the Golf Course Environmental Awards.
