Annual Survey 2024 to 2025 Discussion | Part 1

By Alistair Collier | The Business of Golf Magazine

On the front cover of this month’s issue, we refer to the ‘tale of the tape’, which is a boxing reference, by which combatants were ‘measured up’ for a fight.

The analogy is quite apt, given that many observers believe that we have ‘declared war’ on, and or are ‘in combat’ with the environment. Histrionics aside, even the most vociferous denialists, in terms of the effects that mankind’s activities are having on the environment, are becoming increasingly muted, as records in terms of a host of natural weather phenomena are broken with increasingly frequent regularity.

As we look forward to the rest of 2025, it has been very illuminating to look at the John Collier Survey’s research, which has been compiled over the past year.

With 210 plus clubs in South Africa now participating, the ‘depth’ of the intel continues to increase, which can be seen in the recently published eighteenth John Collier Annual Survey on environmental compliance, social responsibility, and good governance (ESG) for South African golf courses.

The survey has already been shared with all of South Africa’s golf clubs, and this year’s edition, which was sent out to clubs electronically in its digital format, contains many interesting benchmarking pointers, and recommendations for clubs.

Our discussion is with Alistair Collier (AC), who is the founder and chief ‘mover’, as far as the sustainability survey is concerned. BG: In the broader sense, and outside of the narrower confines of golf industry, are we ‘at war’ with the environment, as some would have us believe, or can we still (even at this late stage, and notwithstanding some very high-level reversals in terms of previous environmental commitments, by one country in particular) at least slow down the process?

If we are losing the environmental ‘war’, how are you seeing the effects of this manifest itself at clubs throughout the region?

AC: Notwithstanding recent developments on the climate change front internationally, a good reference point for South Africa must be the statement by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Dr Dion George after the COP29 Conference. In this statement, the minister welcomed the outcomes of the conference, which included for example agreement on the Baku Climate Unity Pact, climate finance, and the Global Goal Adaption Work Programme.

So, although we may have seen some push back on the climate change front, in respect of sustainability from a governance perspective, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), which assumed responsibility for the SASB Standards in August 2022, has issued the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards—IFRS S1 and IFRS S2.

These standards, much like the financial reporting standards, provide guidance for comprehensive sustainability-related disclosure, which requires entities to identify sustainability-related risks and opportunities, and disclose related information.

However, I agree there is a narrative that suggests that golf courses may be “at war” with the environment. This stems largely from concerns relating to, as examples, the use of land, water, fertilisers, pesticides and chemicals. However, if one looks at the findings in the John Collier Annual Survey, the reality is that this narrative could not be further from the truth.

The reality is that golf club management, and in particular course superintendents / greenkeepers, tend to work with their golf course environment rather than wanting to dominate or crush it, if one continues the war analogy.

The evidence of this, as reported in the 18th John Collier Annual Survey, is the increasing trend within the industry to adopt the three pillars of sustainable practices – environmental compliance, social responsibility and governance and finance (ESG).

BG: You indicate there is an increasing trend within the industry, to adopt sustainability principles into management strategies. What do you see are the areas that are helping this increasing trend?

AC: We deal with the reasons for improvement, in sustainability compliance, in the John Collier Survey in more detail.

From an international perspective, there is a move to sustainability reporting in terms of the IFRS Sustainability Standards. Notwithstanding the international influence, in the South African golf industry there are also some six areas of importance, and they are;

the leadership and direction through the Board of GolfRSA, under the chairpersonship of Mr. Johann Rupert
the leadership role by GolfRSA through its CEO, Grant Hepburn, its COO, Anne Vermaak and the management team
the role played by the presidents of SAGA and Women’s Golf South Africa (WGSA), their executive teams, and the 14 provincial golf unions
the role of CMASA through its CEO, Roxanne Reeves
the fact that some 214 golf clubs throughout South Africa participate in the John Collier ESG Survey, indicating an acceptance that data collection, reporting and transparency on ESG issues is an important business driver of a sustainable club, and the fundamental value of a third-party review
last, but not least, is the TGMA and CMASA collaboration, through which CMASA will be able to seamlessly share upcoming education, training and compliance information through TGMA to the turf managers

BG: You mention the issue of third-party review. Could you elaborate on this point?

AC: In this day and age, more and more clubs are accepting the principle that they are part and parcel of the surrounding community, and are tending to broaden out their inward-looking focus, to also look “outside the main gate” as well.

There is a realisation that golf clubs are no longer small, isolated islands focussing on the course and members, but that they are coming under greater scrutiny from the outside.

An example of this, are questions being raised regarding land stewardship.

With this type of pressure building, clubs are accepting the necessity for external third-party review, and the benefits it brings, by providing an objective review of how a club is really performing. It also validates a club’s social responsibility obligations, and acknowledges one of the principles of good governance – transparency.

Third party review also adds value, and real substance, to a club’s assertion that it has its “social license to operate”.

BG: Since its inception, the survey has grown in terms of the number of participating clubs, and evolved in how the awards are ‘distributed’ – the most recent of these changes, has been in seeing the structure become even more inclusive, by the introduction of a ‘best of’ award in a provincial context.
At a club level, do you feel that the growth is a knee-jerk reaction to the need to be seen to be doing something, or a real desire to be in the vanguard, as far as our responsibilities to the game and how it is run and its impact, in both societal and environmental terms, or perhaps a mix of both?

AC: I do not see participation by clubs in the John Collier Survey as a knee jerk reaction to the external pressures, which I mentioned earlier, but rather as evidence of a realisation of the importance of participating, which then develops into a symbiotic relationship with the survey, which is built on transparency and trust.
Clubs share their data on a confidential basis, and this data is then distilled and analysed from a national perspective, to extract trends that are developing within the industry.

All golf clubs are individually on their own sustainability journeys, and this is dependent on each club’s particular circumstances.

However, as clubs move along their ‘personal’ sustainability (ESG) journey’s pathways, we see the survey as being organic, and therefore able to move, or evolve with the times.

In saying that, we are seeing another growth area, which is hidden from view, as far as the ‘public’ is concerned (as the data is confidential), and that is in the increasing quality, and depth of the sustainability report questionnaires that are being returned by clubs.

Given that sustainability (ESG) measurement is an ever-evolving process, guided to an extent by the IFRS Sustainability standards, the John Collier sustainability methodology starts in June of each year, when the golf club sustainability reports are evaluated.

On World Environment Day, which is on 5 June each year, the NATIONAL TOP CLUB AWARD, and the Special Mention Awards are announced.

This is followed by recognising the best club from each provincial golf union, and recognising the best provincial golf union (based on the totality of the sustainability reports from clubs within each provincial union), and finally recognising each club’s sustainability level, as being GOLD, SILVER or BRONZE.

Once this award process is complete, clubs are then informed of their sustainability level.

Invitations are then sent out to clubs, requesting that they update their sustainability report by November each year.

During November, December and January, the sustainability reports are evaluated, which forms the basis of the John Collier annual sustainability survey for South African golf clubs.

This sustainability survey is published in late February or early March.

To be continued…

Yours in Sustainable Golf
JOHN COLLIER