STRI, the world’s leading sports turf consultancy, has announced that the 2016 STRI Golf Environment Awards (GEA) are now open for entry.
The prestigious awards have been running for 18 years and attract entrants from golf clubs across the whole of the UK. Each entry is independently judged, not on the size of project or financial investment, but on what a golf course has achieved and how it has benefited the environment.
The awards continue to be supported by Justin Rose, the US Open Championship 2013 winner, recent second place in the US Masters 2015, winning Ryder Cup team member and official ambassador of the Golf Environment Awards, alongside a group of sponsors committed to promoting proven sustainable projects; Tillers Turf, Wiedenmann, Ransomes Jacobsen, Farmura, Syngenta, Greenkeeping, Golf Monthly, Operation Pollinator and BIGGA, who are all taking an active role in achieving environmental change for the better.
The individual category winners for 2015 were announced in January at the Golf Environment Awards Ceremony Dinner in Harrogate:
- Environmental Golf Course of the Year – Royal St David’s Golf Club, Harlech in North Wales
- Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year – John Kelly, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport in Lancashire
- Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year – Hockley Golf Club, Twyford in Hampshire
The three winners each received the trip of a lifetime to Portugal in March and visited some of the world’s leading golf facilities and sites of specific ecological interest.
John Kelly, from Royal Birkdale Golf Club, commented on the trip: “To say the awards trip is a trip of a lifetime is an understatement! I felt totally overwhelmed by the hospitality at all the clubs and was very humbled by the whole experience. Fantastic wildlife, fantastic golf courses and fantastic people! I believe that every club should get involved because even if you don’t win think of the good you are doing trying!”
Bob Taylor, STRI’s Senior Consultant for Environment and Ecology, said “Golf has an exceptionally significant role to play in sustaining and improving local environments and these awards give us the opportunity to highlight the most effective environmental projects and solutions from all across the UK. The awards have now gained both recognition and momentum within the golf industry with more entries received each year and we encourage golf clubs to enter to show the real contribution golf is making to the environment.”
Entry to the 2016 STRI Golf Environment Awards is now open and the closing date for entries is 31 July 2015. Entry is free and details can be found on the website www.golfenvironmentawards.com
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