By Alistair Collier | The Business of Golf Magazine
Dear Club Manager, Director of Golf, Course Superintendent,
Do golf clubs and the governing bodies of South African Golf have the appropriate and transparent data to manage situations that have recently arisen in the USA, Europe and EU?
Recent events have brought into to sharp focus the reality that golf has become a popular target for environmental protests, as highlighted in an article by Jason Deegan in the Golf Pass Newsletter.
In the USA, five activists from Extinction Rebellion stormed the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship by marking the green with a paint-like, powdery substance, with their message: “No Golf on a Dead Planet.” The same group protested outside the gates of the DP World Tour’s KLM Open in the Netherlands, delaying the final round by two hours. The group, Just Stop Oil, targeted both The Open at Royal Liverpool and the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath in 2023.
In terms of the Travelers Championship the protest actions by the demonstrators raises many questions especially the balancing of rights of people to participate in peaceful protest on the one hand, and on the other, the health and safety of spectators and professional golfers at golf tournaments.
Notwithstanding the balancing of rights, the message from Extinction Rebellion is however relevant by them stating that “Golf courses have long paid lip service to the need to reduce the game’s grave environmental costs, which include profligate use of water and carbon-intensive fertilizers, as well as wanton destruction of forestlands.”
Evidence published by the United States Golf Association and R&A indicate that courses are using less water and fertilizer than ever before thanks to improvements in grasses and incentives to reduce turf in out-of-play areas.
This has done more to help environmental causes over the past 10 years than many protesters realise.
The question is whether this positive narrative can be illustrated in South Africa.
Recent third party independent published research into golf in South Africa indicates that the ESG compliance level of South African golf clubs sits at a lowly 29% with only 12% clubs achieving GOLD ESG compliance status and 23% achieving SILVER ESG compliance status. Furthermore, almost every week golf tournaments are played at golf courses in South Africa which are sanctioned by the Professional Golfers Association of South Africa and or GOLFRSA. With these tournaments involving the public, certain sections of Safety at Sports and Recreation Events Act require compliance, together with access to information.
Without reliable data it is difficult to categorically state that South African golf industry is doing its part to build a positive narrative. In this regard, it would be important that golf clubs and national governing bodies support the application of, for example Principles 5 and 13 of the King IV Code of Good Governance.
If you have any queries, why not contact the John Collier Golf through our website or via email ajcollier@telkomsa.net?
Yours in Sustainable Golf
JOHN COLLIER
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email ajcollier@telkomsa.net or visit the John Collier Golf website at www.johncolliergolf.com