The Bigger Picture

Jonathan Smith, Golf Environment Europe

The theme of this newsletter is change. We are living in changing times – and some things are changing fast.

Tangible evidence of climate change, demonstrable pressure on natural resources such as fuel and water, higher prices and food shortages – all point to the fact that environmentally driven pressures are being felt acutely by many people, both in developed and developing countries. In addition, public awareness and expectation has grown – we all now operate in a different market place. Government policy and regulation reflects both this environmental need and societal shift.

Change also applies to the way the golf sector is responding to environmental issues. There is a rapidly changing debate across the industry, with people referring to new environmental issues, talking of new pressures and challenges, and most of all... starting to identify new opportunities.

The major opportunity we all have – is to become stronger businesses as a result (and not in spite of) our environmental and social responsibility. It is now emerging as fact that being energy, water and community aware does affect your bottom line.

Achieving this means adopting a vision for the industry which goes well beyond legal compliance, and which sees golf as a positive force for environmental quality and human well-being.

What we see now across the sector are people asking ….. what should I do? "I" being greenkeepers, club managers, owners, event organisers, architects, even golfers.

Offering something that facilitates practical change is tough, but remains the ultimate focus of Golf Environment Europe, and this goal is embodied in all our flagship projects – Certification; Ryder Cup 2010; Guidelines for golf development; Web hub.

Like the industry, GEE must also evolve. Recent golf industry events and our own meetings in Edinburgh and Pisa have encouraged us to reflect on our own role. We realise that we too must show ourselves to be up to the job of delivering our mission……

This sounds ominous (and dull!), but for anyone who knows us and who has stopped to consider golf’s relationship with the environment, you will hopefully share our motivation. We will be stronger if we aim to raise our standards, we will benefit individually and collectively from achieving and promoting tangible outcomes, and it needs the willing engagement of the industry itself to achieve anything.

I believe that in European golf we have organisations and individuals that are genuinely willing to adapt, looking for better ways to do things.

Within GEE we see a need to further strengthen the way we bring together experienced leaders, the scientific community and the golf sector stakeholders – into one dynamic, exciting and positive movement for golf and environment.