The recently expanded and refurbished function room at Aldwickbury Park Golf Club has opened the door for even greater community value, one of the areas evaluated before the Harpenden venue was recently awarded the prestigious international sustainability ecolabel, GEO Certified®.
Viewed as the global mark of sustainability for golf businesses, GEO Certified® is administered by the Golf Environment Organization (GEO) according to strict codes set by ISEAL, the global leader in defining credibility in sustainability standards.
In order to achieve the certification, Aldwickbury Park – part of BGL Golf, the UK’s leading course owner and operator – used an online tool funded by the golf industry to evaluate their operations, make improvements, and then complete a detailed account of how it comprehensively fulfills the requirements in six certification criteria: Nature, Water, Energy, Supply Chain, Pollution Control and Community.
Notably, a £750,000 investment in early 2014 to significantly redevelop the venue’s events space, doubling its capacity to comfortably accommodate more than 200 guests has enabled Aldwickbury Park to regularly host community organisations such as the Rotary Club, Probus and Harpenden Lions.
The clubhouse extension is specifically highlighted in the evaluation report – available online here drafted by the GEO accredited third-party Verifier, Tony Hanson.
He said: “The refurbished clubhouse at Aldwickbury Park has provided a hub for businesses across the region for meetings and conferences, as well as providing a popular venue for weddings and private parties for people in the district.
“A range of modern technologies, integrated into the design and construction, benefits the club by ensuring the ongoing operational efficiency of the new and saves natural resources as well.”
Andrew Shewbridge, General Manager at Aldwickbury Park, said: “Community engagement is at the core of everything we do and our PGA professionals offer coaching in nearby schools, we have helped raise money for charities such as the Herts Air Ambulance, and we regularly host a wide variety of events from private dinners and weddings to business conferences and community group meetings.”
The Hertfordshire club has become the seventh BGL Golf venue to earn the GEO Certified® ecolabel and the group is on track to become the first multi-site owner and operator in the world to achieve the distinction at each of its venues.
Aldwickbury Park Golf Club www.aldwickburyparkgolfclub.co.uk
Golf Environment Organization https://www.golfenvironment.org/