Drastically reduced water consumption on desert golf course

Sometimes, just before dawn, you can see the gazelles running across the fairways, which seems strange here on the fully built coast of Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Many golfers know the facility: Der Gary Player Place on Saadiyat Island on the coastal strip of the same name is the centerpiece of a tourism development that includes first-class hotels in the immediate vicinity.
Now the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club has been certified as a ” Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary “. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf certification program is one of the two largest in golf and is primarily located in the USA, North and South America. It is offered by the Audubon Society, which is one of America’s largest non-profit environmental organizations. More than 900 courses worldwide have now received the award, which now also applies to the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.
One of the main aspects with which the club collected plus points was the use of water as a resource. In the past three years, the golf course’s water consumption has been reduced by more than 30 percent , partly through cooperation with the municipality, which ensures that recycled water is made available.
Those who take a closer look at the many rough and coastal areas of the waterfront course over the course of a round will also notice that the golf course has now become an essential habitat for numerous bird and animal species within the development. More than 150 bird species have settled here, and the gazelle population is growing steadily. Corey Finn, senior assistant superintendent responsible for the program, sees room for improvement in the future. In his opinion, there is still room for maneuver, especially when it comes to saving water as a resource.