The Lancashire Golf Union has given its full backing to GreenClub’s drive to make the golf industry more sustainable and is offering a £500 grant to any member golf clubs partnering with the sustainability specialists this month.
The county’s ruling body, one of the biggest golf unions in England with 139 golf clubs, has agreed to provide half the costs for any member venue signing up to the innovative GreenClub Lite service before May 1.
Mark Bardsley, county secretary of the Lancashire Golf Union, moved swiftly to act after Mike Gray, GreenClub’s business manager, outlined the importance of clubs and venues adopting an improved long-term approach to sustainability and carbon neutrality in the wake of the growing energy crisis at a recent presentation.
And golf clubs in north-west England have been quick to take advantage of the county’s incentive with Formby Golf Club, a regular host of leading national and international events, among the first venues to sign up to GreenClub Lite.
Bardsley said: “The ever-increasing cost of energy is at the top of the agenda of many of our clubs, and it’s important that we do whatever we can to support them in the present climate. After listening to Mike and reviewing what GreenClub has to offer, we were impressed with their expertise and it made perfect sense for us to partner with them. We would encourage as many of our members as possible to take us up on our grant proposal.”
Stuart Leech, general manager/secretary at Formby Golf Club, said: “Formby is delighted to be working with GreenClub. We are passionate about doing all we can to be as sustainable as possible, and they can provide a clear roadmap, with good, impartial advice, on best ways to do this.
“To have access to solutions for everything from recycling to sustainable energy provision and capacity, in one place, is ideal, and we are grateful for them helping us create a roadmap for all our activities, on a number of fronts, leading to our 2030 objectives.”
Complementing GreenClub’s premium service and designed to offer a summary of the improvements that are possible, GreenClub Lite was launched earlier this year and delivers a cost-effective solution to clubs seeking to adopt a greener approach and embark on the path to ultimately becoming a ‘Net Zero’, carbon-neutral venue.
In addition to providing an environmental policy statement, a comprehensive online business overview of a club’s operations and an entire estate review to identify opportunities to generate their own renewable energy sources, each venue will receive official GreenClub Lite accreditation, a report outlining key findings and recommendations for the next steps and regular updates and newsletters as part of the GreenClub Lite community.
Gray said: “We’re thrilled to have joined forces with the Lancashire Golf Union with the initiative, and the partnership is a big step in the right direction of raising awareness for how golf clubs can meet the many environmental challenges that the industry is facing.
“All golf clubs and venues are different, and the beauty of GreenClub Lite is that it is a simple and easy way to providing a summary of what improvements could be possible so that clubs can make informed and considered decisions about the best next steps to take.”
A partner of the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, GreenClub works with the non-profit international organisation to promote sustainability across a range of different platforms and markets in the UK and Europe, while Portmarnock Golf Club, London Golf Club and Frilford Heath Golf Club are among the high-profile venues to have engaged its services to help achieve their long-term goals of becoming carbon neutral.
As well as providing consultation services to assess current and future needs of any business as they seek to reduce their carbon emissions, venues can also become generators of their own green renewable energy by utilising renewable energy options to ensure venues have greater independence from traditional and ever-more expensive energy supply.
For further information, call 0800 999 1904, email info@greenclub.energy or visit www.greenclub.energy