Golf Working With The Environment

A criticism often levelled at golf and golf courses is that in order to maintain their pristine condition and perfect putting greens, they are not good partners with the environment and wildlife.

If that were ever true, modern and forward thinking golf clubs in the UK appreciate the benefits of both people and wildlife of working with the natural environment.

The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association runs an annual Golf Environment Competition. In the South-east, the regional award went for two consecutive years to the Thorpeness Golf Club in Suffolk. Being located on the beautiful Suffolk Heritage Coast, in one of the most picturesque areas of the country, the course is surrounded by a wealth of wildlife. Made an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) in 1999, the hotel and golf club has a strong commitment to environmental issues.

Thorpeness boasts rare species of orchids and mushrooms and taking a walk over the footpaths covering the course offer an ideal opportunity to spot the resident hedgehogs, adders, rabbits and bats, plus the Whitetail Fish Eagle and Marsh Harrier have all been known to visit!

Ian Willett, Course Manager at Thorpeness and his team of Greenkeepers work closely with the Suffolk Sandlings Project, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and English Nature to ensure that they work with rather than against the local environment.

"Golf clubs in general get a bad press when it comes to environmental matters, and we are determined here to make that old news", Ian commented. "Golf courses do little damage to wildlife; in fact they are an oasis for wildlife within urban areas. At Thorpeness we currently have areas specifically for the rejuvenation of heathers and gorse and offer the perfect habitat for the Nightjar and Woodlark species. We have a large recycling facility which is open too, to the residents of Thorpeness Village and are determined to continue ensuring our golf course is a haven for wildlife".

The golf club has recently installed a water recycling system, and have also erected a variety of nesting boxes for birds and bats.

Local environmentalist and member at Thorpeness, Dr Ray Harding, has been keeping a diary of the wildlife activities on the golf course over the past few years, and will be monitoring the boxes closely as the new Thorpeness residents take advantage of the new accommodation.

Kris Smith has been living and writing about Suffolk for several years. For more details of Thorpeness Hotel and Golf Club, and the environmental work it is undertaking, go to http://www.thorpeness.co.uk & http://www.suffolkcoastgolf.co.uk or Telephone 01728 452176.