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BGL Golf has become the world’s first multi-site operator to achieve the international sustainability award, GEO Certified®, at each of its venues. A wide-ranging variety of innovative community engagement, nature enhancement and protection and resource efficiency measures in place across BGL’s ten courses are recognised by this prestigious award.

In 2012 BGL Golf, one of the UK’s leading golf course owners and operators, announced their ambition to become the first multi-course owners in the world to put all their courses through the OnCourse® programme and become GEO Certified®. With the accreditation of The Shropshire in late 2014 BGL Golf has succeeded in its goal. GEO Certified®, golf’s international mark of sustainability, is administered and assured by the not-for-profit Golf Environment Organization (GEO) and independently assessed. GEO Certified® recognises golf businesses that demonstrate a commitment to providing more and more value to people and nature at the facilities they manage.

Howard Craft, General Manager Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, said “Using OnCourse® to become GEO Certified® brought a great many benefits to each of our venues and our overall business. OnCourse® was easy to use, and being custom built for golf it was very relevant and productive to our real-world work. We were quickly able to assess our position, identify where and how we could improve and then widely share our sustainability efforts. OnCourse® also brought our teams together and provides a permanent, consistent and valuable record of ongoing progress across the group.”

Last month BGL Golf Course and Club Managers were brought together to mark the achievement at a dinner hosted by BGL chief executive Colin Mayes at Burhill Golf Club. The event celebrated the accomplishment and set BGL Golf’s ambition to further their sustainability commitment and results, to continue their leadership.

Mr. Mayes said “We have been delighted by the passion, commitment and innovation shown by the staff at each of our venues, and by the value it has brought to our business. We won’t be resting here, we will continue to move forward and to bring even more value to our businesses and to the environments and communities within and around each facility.”

Jonathan Smith, GEO Chief Executive, said “In achieving their pioneering aim to have all of their venues GEO Certified® BGL Golf have shown an outstanding commitment to the sustainability of the their business and the sport. It’s rewarding to hear that the tools and support we provide for the industry are in fact making it easier to get started and rapidly advance. We’re looking forward to seeing more multi-course owners follow BGL’s example.”

Some of the sustainability initiatives being undertaken at BGL Golf venues which are recognized by the GEO Certified® award include: a state of the art self-sufficient irrigation water holding reservoir at Birchwood Park; scholarships to talented local youngsters at Ramsdale Park; a programme for troubled youths at Abbey Hill Golf Centre and; improvements to river habitat quality at Redbourn Golf Club.

More details of the sustainability work achieved by the ten BGL Golf venues along with information about the GEO Certified® award can be found on www.golfenvironment.org