This week’s Big Green Egg Open is being played at Rosendaelsche Golf Club, a venue which has put sustainability at the forefront of their mission.
Last year the LET launched its sustainability initiative – Celebrating the Green, presented by Dow – which aims to champion environment, climate, and community action across women’s golf.
Rosendaelsche, which has been GEO Certified since 2012, is a pioneer in environmental action and is committed to looking after the natural habitat especially the heather and the woodlands.
The venue has been reducing waste and reducing water using irrigation by investing in new technologies, while staff are encouraged to buy bicycles to reduce their car use.
Koert Donkers, Agronomist – Royal Netherlands Golf Federation, said: “Next to this being a sustainable golf course, it is also being more and more a sustainable tournament. We are using almost no paper and almost no plastic bottles here. We are taking everything a step further to a more sustainable future, which is great, with sport and sustainability coming together.”
Marta Martin, who is an LET Player, graduated from Purdue University in 2018 with a Major in Turf Management and Science.
She said: “I’m very impressed because the golf course conditions are really good. They have been doing a really good job and I hope they keep it up. The fact they are not using chemicals is helping the environment, it is helping pollinators which is a really important aspect, and it is helping the health of golfers.”
While Marco Mooren, who is Head greenkeeper at Rosendaelsche Golf Club, explained how the golf course is managed.
He said: “It is a mixture of nature and golf. It has always been like that. The rough is getting high, we don’t maintain that. Once a year we cut the high rough. Normally we have 40 sheep on the course, and we put them on the thick rough. We don’t use any pesticides and haven’t for three years now. The greens are getting better and better.”
