A CRANBOURNE South golf course is set to take part in what is believed to be a world-first pilot project to become environmentally sustainable.
Settlers Run Golf and Country Club is to become an environmentally sustainable golf course, offering carbon offsets.
Toon Golf, which manages Settlers Run, is reversing common perceptions that golf courses have a negative impact on the environment. The course has also been earmarked as a possible carbon sink.
This would allow the course’s operators to earn and on-sell carbon credits under the federal emissions trading scheme set to be introduced in 2015.
Troon Golf’s director of agronomy David Lunardelli said the Settlers Run course would act as a global pilot for golf course sustainability.
“For far too long, golf courses have been seen as environmental vandals,” he said.
“At Troon, we want to change that perception by designing courses that exist in harmony with their natural surroundings,” Mr Lunardelli said.
“Many of the sustainability measures currently being tested at Settlers Run will be rolled out across more than 190 Troon courses in 25 countries around the globe.” Our ultimate goal is sustainability at all our courses.
Mr Lunardelli said Troon Golf was also exploring the possibility of utilising the course as a carbon sink, through the natural sequestration of carbon by the trees and turf on the course.
Some of the sustainability measures currently employed or under consideration at the Settlers Run course include soil auditing, reduction of chemical and pesticide use, use of effluent water and carbon offsetting for travel to the course.
