Ten golf clubs receive the title of blooming golf course
The balance after one year of the Flower Pact alliance between the Bavarian Golf Association and the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment is positive: “exemplary activity” in terms of increasing biodiversity, Bavaria’s Environment Minister Thorsten Gluaber certified on Tuesday the representatives of ten golf courses. At a ceremony in the GC Munich Eichenried, they received the “Blossoming Golf Course” award from Glauber. These are: GC Munich Eichenried, GC Memmingen Gut Westerhart, GC Hof, GC Würzburg, GC Munich Riedhof, Golfanlage Gerolsbach, GC Feldafing, GC Herzogenaurach, GC Schwanhof and the GC Abenberg . For Arne Malte Uhlig, President of the Bavarian Golf Association, they are the pioneers of a movement that will last a total of three years. During this period, the Bavarian golf courses can document how big their contribution to promoting biodiversity in Bavaria is.
26 golf courses in Bavaria take part in the Flower Pact Bavaria
“We were baited with you,” Glauber remarked with a smile to Tim Pischkowski from GC Munich Riedhof during the event. Until the visit to the golf course near Wolfratshausen, the representatives of the nature conservation authorities in the Ministry of the Environment were only partially convinced of cooperation with the Bavarian Golf Association. But “after the visit, they stood there and said: We’ll do that.” 26 Bavarian golf courses are now taking part in the joint project.
10,000 hectares of land
The aim of the Bavarian Bloom Pact is to stop the decline of insects and increase their habitats. Since Bavaria has around 200 golf courses covering an area of around 10,000 hectares, these offer a great deal of potential for high-quality living spaces. Any club can participate. Participation in the Golf & Nature certification program of the German Golf Association is not a requirement.
The multitude of measures on the ten award-winning golf courses range from the promotion of wild bees to the creation of nutrient-poor grassland to deadwood projects and much more.
Minimum Criteria for the “Blooming Golf Course” Award
- At least 30% of the open spaces of the golf course are designed in a natural way. In particular, this means: continuous supply of flowers from spring to autumn; different habitats of native, biennial meadow flowers, perennials, shrubs and woody plants.
- No extensive use of chemical pesticides. If pesticides are used on the playing areas, there must be no wind drift; preferably used in the morning or evening.
- Areas of flowering areas remain unmown over the winter (preservation of breeding and wintering sites for insects).
- No use of peat-containing substrates in the design and maintenance of open spaces.
- At least two structural aids (insect hotels, lying/standing deadwood, sandy areas, small bodies of water suitable for insects) are available.
- Documentation must be submitted for registration
- Plants for flowering all year round
Maintenance plan with section-by-section mowing of the near-natural areas and removal of the clippings
- Plants for flowering all year round
More information about biodiversity in Bavaria:
https://golfsustainable.com/nachhaltigkeit-spielt-wesentliche-rolle-bayerns-golfanlagen/
