RECOGNITION OF LEADERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Dear Club Managers, Directors of Golf, Course Superintendents, and golf enthusiasts, RECOGNITION OF LEADERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE AHEAD OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY OF THE JOHN COLLIER TOP CLUB AWARD As the John Collier Annual Survey has done over the past number of years, once we have collated all the data from the John Collier Surveys received from clubs and through desktop research and interviews with people knowledgeable of golf courses throughout South Africa (caddies, green keepers and staff and members), and published the John Collier Annual Survey in March, we then re-visit the data on the golf clubs to ascertain which club has the most comprehensive report. Notwithstanding a 42% response rate from golf clubs throughout South Africa and a 30% national compliance level, there are always those clubs that stand out as being exceptional. In this regard, we acknowledge those clubs in each Golf Union Province as leaders in environmental compliance and good governance. BOLAND GOLF UNION Pearl Valley Review Comment: – “An excellent example of a club where attention to detail is everything, even to the smallest issue. The Club is part of a national project monitoring river water quality thereby building up a picture of water quality within the aquatic system and noting the different water quality tolerance levels for insects and larvae.” BORDER GOLF UNION East London Golf Club Review Comment: – “It is refreshing to see a club with its golf course data at its fingertips. It is a delicate balance of managing the fauna and flora on the course as well as having cognisance of the weather and how the sea influences day-to-day planning.” EASTERN CAPE GOLF UNION St Francis Links Review Comment: – “A previous John Collier TOP CLUB WINNER and continually maintaining high quality and exceptional standards. But it is not only managing the footprint of the facility but also reaching out to the a community such as assisting with the St Francis Bay Community Garden by making the garden an ideal spot to walkthrough and relax in the peaceful surroundings that the club rally makes an impression.” EKHURHULENI GOLF UNION State Mines Country Club Review Comment: – “A fundamental of any successful club is the quality of the management data available to assist in decision-making. This can be seen through the immaculate condition of the course and greens, friendly staff and quality food.”

World Environment Day – Celebrating South Africa’s best

World Environment Day (WED), is celebrated on the 5th of June each year, and stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public action. This day is the UN’s most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness, and since its inception in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries. Above all, WED is the “people’s day” for doing something to take care of the Earth. That ‘something’ can have a local, national or global focus.Each WED is organised around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. This year the campaign slogan is “Only One Earth”, with a focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”. The winner for 2021/22 is the SABI RIVER SUN GOLF CLUB in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa, while Special Mention Awards go to Umhlali Country Club in Kwa Zulu Natal, and George Golf Club in the Southern Cape. The SABI RIVER SUN GOLF CLUB has recorded outstanding levels of detail and standards in terms of good governance and environmental compliance, and it is tting that on WED the club should be appropriately recognised. Winning this award cannot be achieved without the passion and commitment of many people who embrace the management benets of sustainability, underpinned by good governance, environmental compliance, and who recognise and acknowledge the threats of climate change, and realise the need for a focus on living sustainably and in harmony with nature. Therefore, in making this award to SABI RIVER SUN GOLF CLUB, we also oer special congratulations to the club’s Chairman Tony Ridle, fellow board member Ray Jaray, the golf club’s Captain Ryan McCain, the Sabi River Sun GM Malcolm Bone, Southern Sun and the course superintendent Mark Pain, and their respective teams.