Golf clubs receive seed donations for meadow improvement
“Blooming Magic” is the name of the seed mixture that is intended to ensure more biodiversity on numerous golf courses of the Schleswig-Holstein Golf Association in 2022. In 2021, the state golf association provided all 38 participants in a survey on the subject of environmental protection and nature conservation with one kilogram of the high-quality seeds. Twelve golf courses participating in the Golf & Natur certification program even received two kilograms free of charge.
For Wolfgang Hens, managing director of the association , the survey is an essential measure to substantiate the statement that the golf courses are much more interested in and committed to environmental and nature conservation than is often assumed by the public. “We would like to prove this with facts,” sums up Hens, who, like Nico Nissen, the association’s Golf & Nature representative , is very satisfied with the results of the survey.
40 percent of golf courses with nature conservation officers
More than 50 percent of the golf courses took part. It turned out, for example, that these alone account for an average of 4.2 hectares of biotopes. 40 percent have their own officer for ecology and nature conservation in the golf club, who specifically takes care of this topic. And: The cooperation with environmental protection associations, which was often viewed very skeptically in the past, is increasing more and more. 29 percent of the golf courses that took part in the survey now work with NABU, for example.
Headgreenkeeper Frank Hansen and course officer Phil Bramhall from the Förde-Golf-Club Glücksburg received two kilograms of seeds from Dr. Nico Nissen, Golf & Nature Representative of the Schleswig-Holstein Golf Association.
Regardless of whether it was the mounting of nesting boxes for birds or bat boxes or the creation of deadwood stores, the construction of insect hotels or the care of own or third-party colonies of honey bees – the survey made it clear that the golf courses of the Schleswig-Holstein State Association make a difference in numerous areas of environmental and nature conservation is now very broadly based. For example, 32 golf courses reported a total of 72,930 trees planted on their property, which corresponds to an investment of almost 700,000 euros.
Further upgrading of meadow areas
The planting of flower meadows, which was now also supported by the donation of the seed mixture, takes up a particularly large amount of space, since in addition to the classic playing areas there are numerous areas outside of the playing area and are suitable for upgrading. “Almost all the clubs I visit in Schleswig-Holstein have meadows. These are now being upgraded,” notes Nico Nissen, who also uses this opportunity to point out that the expression of biodiversity is always different depending on the soil conditions. In any case, according to his assessment of the year 2021, the willingness to continue to work on the biodiversity of the compensation areas is growing in the clubs.