GEA – looking ahead to 2021

The Golf Environment Awards is a celebration of the positive impact every golf club provides the natural environment and our communities with each year.

There was a fantastic response to our call for submissions in 2019 and we were delighted to receive entries from a cross-section of golf clubs across the UK. This included courses ranging from 9 to 36 holes, links, parkland, moorland, municipal and private courses.

Earlier this year we celebrated the GEAs silver jubilee and the 2020 award winners were announced at a black-tie ceremony on 22nd January at The Crown Hotel, Harrogate. The ceremony was sustainably organised to produce the lowest environmental impact on the event’s surroundings. The winners are:

• Warrington Golf Club: Environmental Golf Course of the Year 2020
• Neil Sherman – Ipswich Golf Club, Purdis Heath: Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year 2020
• Dundonald Links: Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year 2020
• Banchory Golf Club: Operation Pollinator 2020
• Market Harborough Golf Club: Home Unions National Award 2020

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Currently there is much public discussion regarding the sustainable development of society, as well as the environmental responsibilities of each individual. As this trend continues to grow, the golf courses that will survive into the 21st century will be those that sustainably manage the land they inhabit, helping to preserve it for future generations.

What we have found over the last 25 years of the GEAs is that many golf courses are already doing a lot more to preserve the ecosystem and to conserve the natural environment than they think, and for the 2021 awards we would love to receive entries from every corner of the UK, if not beyond.

Don’t forget that the GEAs are open to ALL GOLF CLUBS and are FREE TO ENTER.

STRI specialist ecology and environment team will independently evaluate each golf club on its individual merit. We are looking for the clubs that have set a clear vision and are able to communicate this in a powerful and effective way.

Take a look at the videos below from some of our 2020 winners and finalists for inspiration.

Entry to the 2021 Golf Environment Awards is open now. Get in touch with Bob Taylor or Rowan Rumball if you have any questions about how to enter the awards. Alternatively, you can read our helpful guide on how to fill out the application form here.

We are indebted to GEA lead partner, The R&A, and award sponsors, Aquatrols, Jacobsen, Syngenta, Tillers Turf, Wiedenmann, GCMA, BIGGA and Operation Pollinator.

Follow the Golf Environment Awards on Twitter.