The Rose Ladies Open, hosted by Kate and Justin Rose, will step forward with a new sustainability drive when the event returns to Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire from September 7-9.
Following the success of the inaugural event in 2022, the Roses and host venue Brocket Hall are committed to building a more sustainable tournament and delivering positive impacts across the venue and staging while also helping to raise awareness and inspire others.
As a leading event on the LET Access Series, with the largest prize fund of the season of €70,000, the sustainability programme is fully aligned with the LET Celebrating the Green presented by Dow initiative and supported by GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf.
Kate Rose said: “The Rose Ladies Open is all about growing the ladies professional game and driving change. Embracing and accelerating sustainability will further deliver on this, extending the positive impact of the tournament and enabling us to play a part in addressing some of the defining issues of our time. We are excited to be embarking on this journey with the team at Brocket Hall and all our event partners.”
Justin added: “The world is facing many social and environmental challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss, and we all need to do what we can to live, work and play more sustainably. Through the Rose Ladies Open we have an opportunity to showcase the positive role golf can play and help to drive change so future generations can continue to enjoy the game we love.”
Some of the key actions at the Rose Ladies Open include:-
- TREES for Birdies – on the 13th hole, we will plant a tree at Brocket Hall for each birdie on the 13th during the tournament rounds.
- A water fountain on course for all players and fans to use with their refillable water bottles.
- All the players will be given bamboo tees to use at the tournament from our partners GolfOne8.
- Catering units will offer local, sustainably sourced catering and a selection of vegan and vegetarian foods.
- Recycling bins will be available across the course to support efforts in reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.
- There are a number of local wildlife and important habitats at the venue. Walkways, roping and signs guide spectators around the course to avoid and help protect these areas.
- Fans are also being encouraged walk, cycle, use public transport or car share to the Tournament.
Brocket Hall is not only host to the Rose Ladies Open, but host to an incredible array of plant species and wildlife and works hard throughout the year with a focus on sustainability and conservation. Just some of the activities they are committed to include:
- The club have a sustainability group that has been working towards improvement of environmental standards across the club, including adopting the GEO Foundation’s OnCourse programme as a pathway for GEO Certification
- Woodland areas are managed by selective thinning to increase light and encourage new growth, with dead trees retained in out of play areas to create additional habitats for small mammals, nesting birds and perches for birds of prey.
- The club have introduced bird boxes across the estate to provide a habitat for birds seen on the estate such as; robins, starlings, tawny owls and tree creepers.
- Further nesting boxes have been introduced to support bat populations. All nesting boxes have been made onsite and made from larch recovered from the estate.
- New sustainable fencing has been installed throughout the estate using coppiced horse chestnut.
- Brocket Hall estate abstracts all its water through an onsite borehole. It is treated at our filtering plant for all water consumed for estate use. Water required for irrigation usage is diverted into a holding reservoir for course use.