DGV honors five clubs at Golf & Nature program

“Exemplary green” – under this motto, two Bavarian golf clubs were honoured for their commitment to environmental protection and nature conservation at the German Golf Association’s annual conference. Wittelsbacher GC Rohrenfeld and GC Altötting-Burghausen, together with GC Schloss Braunfels, GC Heilbronn-Hohenlohe and GC Spessart, were dignified by DGV President Claus Kobold and Dr. Gunther Hardt, Head of the DGV’s Biodiversity Working Group, as they achieved gold certification in the DGV’s Golf & Nature environmental program this year, in some cases repeatedly.

“The golf clubs are the spearhead of our sustainability strategy,” explained Kobold, referring to the 194 golf courses currently participating in the Golf & Nature program. These courses are constantly working to “combine optimal playing conditions with the greatest possible protection of nature.”

The Golf & Nature program is the German Golf Association’s most ambitious project regarding environmental protection, occupational safety and legal security. Unlike Lebensraum Golfplatz, Blühpakt Bayern or the Golf Biodivers research project, it is not solely tied to biodiversity. “When we launched Golf and Nature in 2005, we were a real trendsetter in the sports community,” Kobold summarised during the award ceremony for the club representatives. In the meantime, the program has established itself and underlines the efforts of golf courses to engage in environmental and quality management.