Saunton Golf Club nominated for national 'Going Green Award'

Saunton Golf Club has been shortlisted for the 'Going Green Award' at the Community Sport and Recreation Awards 2023, a nationally-recognised awards programme organised by the Sport and Recreation Alliance.

Saunton have been nominated for their work on 'going green' during the past year and are one of the organisations on a three-strong shortlist for the 'Going Green Award'.

The work undertaken includes a five-year Ecological Plan for the site, which has the following designations: SSSI, SAC, AONB and UNESCO Biosphere

Saunton entered a Higher Level Stewardship agreement with Natural England, which will involve scrub clearance, creation of sand scrapes and dune slacks to enhance habitat for ground-nesting birds and reptiles.

The club reduced emissions by moving to naturalised fairway bunkers, which makes them more sustainable by reducing the need for revetment turf to be transported in, as well as setting up their own turf nursery in a neighbouring field.

Saunton was chosen as a venue by the R&A for their research project on ecological management, due to the exemplary management of the site (the research project looked at the positive impact golf clubs have on their surrounding environment).

Other steps taken to reduce emissions include solar panels on-site and more to follow, use of hybrid mowers with the plan to go fully-electric in the future, recycling, GEO certification, electric car charging points installed last year and steps taken to be more precise with irrigation water, such as the use of POGO moisture sensors.

The winner will be crowned at an awards ceremony on Friday, March 17 at Twickenham Stadium, the home of English Rugby. The awards will be presented by the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s President, HRH The Earl of Wessex, and the winners will also each receive £1000.

On being named a finalist, Saunton GC General Manager Jon Sutherland said: "We are delighted to have been nominated for the Going Green Award, which shows that we have been recognised for our efforts in how we manage our beautiful site and specifically the various ecological designations which it holds.

“We are always conscious of doing the best for the biodiversity on our site and are focused on how we can have a positive impact on the local and wider environment too."

The Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Community Sport and Recreation Awards have been running for over 25 years, and are an annual celebration of grassroots clubs, organisations and individuals.

The awards celebrate the full breadth of sport and recreation, with previous winners including Panathlon Challenge, Brighton Table Tennis Club, Nottingham Croquet Club, Newcastle United Foundation, and Billingham Boxing Academy.