The Toro Company has reinforced its commitment to helping advance sustainability in and through golf by extending its ten-year strategic global partnership with the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation.
For many years The Toro Company has been a leader in golf’s sustainability movement – targeting research and development into new knowledge, ideas and product innovation – particularly in the advancement of water stewardship, hybrid and electric technology, lower emissions, and fuel efficiency.
In parallel, The Toro Company’s sustainability efforts extend to golf courses and organisations, and through The Toro Company Foundation Giving Program, The Toro Company has contributed consistently to sustainable golf advocacy, industry engagement, and development of knowledge, programs and tools.
Kelli Jerome, Executive Director of GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, said: “The combination of The Toro Company’s leadership, support and influence has been fundamental to helping accelerate sustainability across the professional and amateur sides of golf. Add in how The Toro Company has built sustainability into many wider partnerships and sponsorships, plus investments in innovation and technology, and we can see that the company has made a hugely significant and globally relevant contribution to golf’s progress in conserving nature and resources, delivering value to communities around the world, and helping address issues such as climate change, water pressures and energy costs.”
Marnie Wells, President of The Toro Company Foundation, said: “As a company with a century-long tradition of providing evolving solutions and support to the global golf sector, The Toro Company has sought to deliver genuinely cutting-edge equipment and wider knowledge to golf course managers.
“Our goal is to extend our values and clear responsibility to the environment and communities into solutions that lead to tangible impacts in carbon reduction, water stewardship, noise and air pollution in golf greenspaces worldwide. Working with partners like GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, with such a clearly aligned mission and purpose, is another way we can contribute to making golf the most sustainable of all sports.”
The Toro Company’s support for GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation over the past decade has, alongside other partners and supporters, delivered an accelerating range of tangible outcomes, including:
– A dedicated, accredited and endorsed system for sustainable golf comprising standards; online programs; verification; certification and data-driven reporting and claims.
– A highly accessible, easy and productive pathway for grassroots clubs to engage in – from the Sustainable Golf Pledge, to OnCourse program, to Annual Sustainable Golf Scorecards, to third party certification and promotion.
– A Sustainable Golf Highlights knowledge sharing hub, already with over 2000 tried and tested examples of sustainable golf in action.
– A suite of custom-built carbon calculators for golf facilities; tournaments and organisations.
– A special ‘Sustainable Golf Champion’ program for professional golfers.
At the close of 2023, sustainable golf strategies, programs and tools, certification and impact reporting were being utilised in over 70 countries – involving associations; facilities; new developments; tournaments; companies. Over 600,000 Sustainable Golf Indicators are being tracked in the Sustainable Golf Database, stewarded with and for golf bodies.
Looking forward, The Toro Company and GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation will be continuing to develop and provide these non-profit programs, tools and guidance to the sport, plus will pull through more case studies and examples of how The Toro Company solutions are driving a more efficient, popular and sustainable future for facilities.