Greenkeeping Team Rewarded: The greenkeeping team at Golf At Goodwood has realised its ambition of gaining the coveted Golf Environment Organisation certification for its commitment to sustainability across both the Park and Downs courses.

GEO Certified® is the symbol of great golf environments worldwide, showing a facility has met a credible standard in sustainability across six areas.

To be eligible, the greenkeeping team had to submit an extensive application that evidenced work in nature, water, energy, supply chain, pollution control and community.

The team, led by sports turf and grounds general manager Phil Helmn, set out to achieve GEO certification knowing it would safeguard the environmental future of the courses and be of benefit to members, customers and the local community.

Independent verification led to the GEO concluding Golf At Goodwood should receive certification because of its “outstanding work to minimise impact on the environment through introduction of biomass heating, solar panels and enhanced monitoring on water consumption.

”It said: “The club has also undertaken numerous natural environment projects providing enhancements to habitat in line with the surveys and advice commissioned by the facility.”

The application took 12 months and involved the greenkeeping team working with different departments across the Goodwood Estate.

Russell Carr, deputy head greenkeeper on the Park course, was credited by Helmn as being the man to pull together the resources and information to submit the application to the GEO.

He said: “We’ve introduced a sustainability ethos into our thinking with regular team meetings and it has been great seeing each team member embrace it.”

Helmn was proud of the work his team had put in and said: “Work towards this certification started four and a half years ago.”