Top Club Award Winner 2022/2023:
South Africa’s Top Club Award For Good Governance & Environmental Compliance.
John Collier Golf awards the annual John Collier Top Club Award on World Environment Day in June each year. This award is made to the club that leads the way in applying the principles of people, profit and planet into the club’s value system, embracing environmental compliance, good governance and transparency.
AWARD WINNERS 2022/2023
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June each year and its intention is to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action. This day is the United Nation’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.
In addition to marking WED, it is also appropriate to celebrate with BLAIR ATHOLL GOLF AND EQUESTRIAN ESTATE on its achievement of winning the 2023 John Collier TOP CLUB Award for good governance and environmental compliance for South African golf courses and a Special Mention Award to Elements Private Reserve.
What BLAIR ATHOLL did so well in its survey was to emphasise not only the physical, tangible aspects of good governance and environmental compliance, which is underpinned by its ethos of environmental stewardship of the land, water, river, fauna and flora. There is clear evidence of responsible use and protection of the natural environment, through conservation and sustainable practices, by conserving natural resources, combating pollution and protecting biodiversity.
Furthermore, BLAIR ATHOLL demonstrated a determined and consistent effort, not only to protect and manage the environment in general but also in protecting the beautiful natural landscape, around the estate.
BLAIR ATHOLL’S commitment to its environmental stewardship role sets a benchmark that many clubs in South Africa should want to emulate.
Notwithstanding BLAIR ATHOL’s award, special mention must also be made of the Elements Private Reserve, and their efforts towards environmental sustainability.
Winning a TOP CLUB AWARD is only achieved with the support of committed and passionate people, who wholly embrace the benefits of good governance and environmental compliance. Therefore, special congratulations must go to the BLAIR ATHOLL’s Chairperson Cindy Page, its governing body, members and residents, the Club Captain Roelf Odendaal, the General Manager Steve van Greunen, The Golf Director Paul Marks, and Golf Course Superintendent Jan-Hendrik Duvenage, and their respective teams.
HOW DOES MY CLUB BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR THE TOP CLUB AWARD?
Eligibility & to qualify to be judged in this category, is based simply upon ‘signing-on’, as a participating club in the John Collier Survey.
Once your club has ‘entered’ the programme, at the end of each year the data collected is analysed by John Collier Survey, & each club is assigned a level of certification – Bronze, Silver or Gold – based on the results of this data.
All certified clubs have shown a sustained level of commitment, but naturally, only the Gold Level certified clubs will be in the running to receive the Top Club Award each year.
With the addition of the Top Province Award, every club now has a role to play in supporting its provinces’ chances of winning this new, & prestigious accolade.
The reason why each club’s individual activities are important is that the winner of the Top Province Award is determined by the aggregated contributions made by each province’s member club.
HOW DO I ENTER THE AWARDS?
All Gold Level certified clubs are automatically ‘in the running’ to win the John Collier Survey’s Top Club Award each year.
Every club, which has received any level of certification, has shown a sustained level of commitment to their responsibility to be good corporate citizens and to safeguard the environment, but naturally only the Gold Level certified clubs will qualify to receive the Top Club Award each year.
SELECTED PREVIOUS TOP CLUB AWARD WINNERS
Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate
2022/2023
Sabi River Sun Resort Golf Club
2021/2022
St Francis Links Golf Club
2020/2021
Umhlali Country Club
2019/2020