Page 18 - GBC ENGLISH spring 2024

18
Golf Business Canada
Golf Canada’s collaboration with GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation focuses on the two national tournaments – the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR and the CPKC Women’s Open on the LPGA Tour. Both events are on a journey to become credible and meaningful flagships in sustainable sport and events in Canada.
OAKDALE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, TORONTO, ON
Host Venue for the 2023 RBC Canadian Open
Toronto’s Oakdale Golf & Country Club hosted its first PGA Tour event in 2023. The course proved a worthy test, setting up a dramatic finale for home winner Nick Taylor. Among the sustainability actions, Golf Canada put a significant focus on how to minimize the negative impact of temporary structures with construction during the winter months, minimising potential damage as work is completed during the portion of the year when the ground is at its firmest, versus spring work when the ground has begun to thaw. Golf Canada also made significant investments in ground mats to build temporary roads protecting the course.
During the event, to reduce the impact of spectator travel, fans were provided with free shuttles from public transit hubs and provided with an on-site bike valet service. Free water stations saved 50,000 plastic bottles. New Sustainable Procurement Guidelines encouraged suppliers and sponsors to embed sustainable actions throughout all their operations, services and goods to the tournament. The Green Event Ninjas provided an efficient waste collection and sorting process while also maximizing recycling with 90% diverted from landfill.
Join OnCourse®
A core component of the joint NGCOA Canada and CGSA initiative includes the FREE provision of the OnCourse® Canada program for sustainable golf facility and course management.
OnCourse® Canada is an easy-to-use sustainability and climate action program developed just for golf, tailored for Canadian Clubs and is available English and French languages, making it practical and quick to use each year.
Inputting the information can take as little as a few hours, and certainly a good project during the winter months when courses are closed. It is a practical and credible way for facilities of all sizes to check and track their sustainability practices, calculate and reduce carbon, and get world-leading recognition.
Access to annual Sustainable Golf Scorecards and Carbon Footprints
Sustainability is a continual journey and along the way, tracking key data within a practical framework can help prioritise and plan areas for improvement. Measuring baselines and progress can also identify areas to celebrate and share.
Based on the data and information inputted into the OnCourse® app, reports are prepared annually with feedback to help identify trends, make improve- ments going forward, and engage productively with decision-makers, golfers and the community.
These track year-on-year progress of key sustain- able golf metrics and recognize variables like climate, course type and size to provide observations on possible areas for improvement and areas that are on track or worthy of communication.
Included within these reports are comprehensive carbon footprint calculations and recommendations - specifically designed for golf courses and clubhouses.