We hope to be collaborative at two levels.
Firstly, with the greatest respect, golf clubs tend to be insular institutions, concerned primarily about their survival, and preoccupied by issues to do with membership, staffing and finance. Collaboration with other clubs, other than to arrange the fixture list, is rare. Other clubs are, essentially, rivals.
One of our aspirations is to challenge this mindset, at least with respect to environmental issues. We hope to encourage and enable clubs to share ideas, problems and solutions, to work together for the common good of a healthier planet.
Secondly, we certainly hope to collaborate with a wide range of golfing and environmental agencies. There is a great deal happening at the moment in the world of ‘sustainable’ golf. If you are reading this, you probably do not need us to attempt a summary.
Not least is the fact that ENGLAND GOLF have appointed two full-time sustainability officers in 2022 to work to encourage clubs in this direction. Their recently-published (June 2022) Sustainability Plan is excellent. We hope our website will support that plan by providing practical examples of what has been tried: what has worked, and what has failed, and why.
County-based structures, such as Leicestershire and Rutland, are the way golf is organised across England. The Greenergolf Group in Leicestershire and Rutland is entirely independent, and run by volunteers, but we do have the support of the Leicestershire and Rutland Golf Union (LRGU). It was natural also that we should work closely with an environment agency with similar county-based structures: the wildlife trusts. For several years, golf clubs in our area have worked closely with staff from the local (Leicestershire and Rutland) wildlife trust, and they have become close ‘partners’ as we support them with their 30 x 30 goals (See the link on our site).
We have a close relationship with the Hawk and Owl Trust, and will continue to look for other opportunities for collaboration.
