Driving the Green

Jack Nicklaus said that 90% of a golf shot happens before you ever swing the club. Recent news saw the equivalent of a failed setup for public golf development in South Florida… On August 19th, 2024, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced its “Great Outdoors Initiative” that included proposals to add 45 holes of golf, pickleball courts, and resort-style hotel lodging, all requiring about 1,000 acres of re-development in Jonathan Dickinson State Park – the largest state park in Southeast Florida and home to multiple protected species. Then the proposal was quickly shut down by a public outcry among hundreds of thousands locally. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 “𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲” 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧:   𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧 “𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝” 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐭) – Those involved could have identified brownfield (already developed and degraded lands) from which to create a green development with protected habitat. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 – Prior to considering development, those involved could have mapped stakeholder opinions to source community needs bottom-up. 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 360 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 – Those involved could have offered total transparency (rather than opaquely denying involvement or sliding the approval process under the rug by scheduling in a time window when parents should be picking up their kids from local schools). 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 – Nature precedes golf, so golf must develop through respectful conservation of the source from which it springs. If golf opposes nature, then it opposes its own survival as a sport. Nevertheless, this was a nuanced issue with potentially tragic results for golf's perception among the public. A win for the public voice, a loss for golf developers... but a win for nature? Read our article to explore the nuances, and sign up for our FREE monthly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eGv5u-VS #regenerativegolf #sustainablegolf #sustainability #sustainabledevelopment #nature #golf #environment #golfdesign #economicdevelopment #florida #parksandrec #publicgolf #sustainableinnovation #stateparks

See this example of thoughtful stakeholder feedback when it comes to planning and designing a golf renovation project that integrates with community needs. Sensitivities around vegetation removal in the re-routing process of Rock Creek Park stirred some community discord in Washington, D.C., but an open feedback process has decided that the net benefits of its renovation will outweigh the net costs. This project displays the choice of "progress over perfection", and will create a space that enhances public access to golf among golfers of all socioeconomic, racial, gender, and other backgrounds. The project moreover promises to create a long-term net gain in tree canopy. #sustainablegolf #sustainabledevelopment #communitydevelopment #golf #golfdesign #municipalgolf

𝐒𝐃𝐆 8: 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭: Latest data suggest that the golf industry impacts an estimated 1.9 million jobs in the US and supports $84 billion of total economic impact (direct and indirect value combined). 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡? ❖ Pay a living wage to employees and provide employee benefits like health insurance, free meals, golf course access and education reimbursement. ❖ Upgrade technology to streamline productivity and innovation. ❖ Provide meaningful labor (while automating lower engagement tasks) and engaging employees to act as leaders of sustainable community development ❖ Focus on hiring more women and people from diverse backgrounds. ❖ Model sustainable economic development in local communities through golfing developments that are sensitive to the needs of nature AND economic growth, without creating a war between them! 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: What percentage of your workforce is made up of women and minorities, and does that mirror the demographics of who plays at your facility? #sustainabledevelopment #golf #economicdevelopment #progress #livablewage #growth #realestate #diversityandinclusion #sustainablegolf #economy #economicgrowth #donuteconomics

Check out this Paris Olympics article by Katie Veasey to learn about how Le Golf National leads sustainable golf ahead of regulations and public pushback. The course achieved GEO Certification through GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf while reducing its water consumption by 40% due to improved irrigation systems. Read more and sign up for our free monthly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eGv5u-VS #sustainablegolf #olympicgolf #golf #sustainablesport #olympics #biodiversity #water #waterconsumption #irrigation #sustainabledevelopment

𝐒𝐃𝐆 17 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬): Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 Opportunity remains for the golf industry to collaborate on important issues that impact its many associations, facilities and other constituents. No universal forum or framework currently exists for the 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 collaboration of major industry associations regarding the global issues outlined by the UN's sustainable development goals. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? Golf has a unique leadership opportunity. Since our founding in 2020, Driving the Green has sought to explore and create opportunities for golf to provide net positive and regenerative impacts in the communities where the game lives. We interview experts from a variety of backgrounds across the world to identify financially feasible and sustainable solutions in which golf can invest. Fundamentally, our solution is to combine "smart" with "heart"! We're helping golf lead social equity, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability in the communities where the game lives. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭? ❖ Develop community partnerships to discover, implement and manage sustainability initiatives. ❖ Measure and report on the impact of the implemented initiatives and create community best management practices. Then, share these with industry peers! ❖ Embed golf course operations into broader scope climate action plans (city, state, provincial, national, and even international)! 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐆𝐄𝐎 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐟) Since its founding nearly two decades ago, the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf (based in North Berwick, Scotland) has worked to advance sustainable golf through credible frameworks and collaboration. GEO's free OnCourse platform is a milestone and easy-to-use framework for leading sustainability in and through the game of golf. 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞! 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞:  https://lnkd.in/eGv5u-VS #sustainablegolf #sustainablesport #sustainabledevelopment #sdgs #unitednations #climateaction #climateleadership #golf

𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐎𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 (S2.E14) 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐟 https://lnkd.in/e2APCSqT Listen to this podcast episode of Sustainable GOAT in which Driving the Green co-founders Andre Paul & Andrew Szunyog sit down with Steve Cassingham to discuss a systems-level view of golf, and why this sport is key to building a better world. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲: https://lnkd.in/eaWj2Dqi 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬: https://lnkd.in/eenrrDHH #sustainability #golf #sustainablegolf #regenerative #regenerativegolf #nature #sustainablesport

𝐒𝐃𝐆 6 (𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 & 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧): Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭: Drought and flooding conditions will become increasingly volatile as a result of continued climate change. Each drought event in the US costs the nation an estimated $10 billion. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲-𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 Laguna Phuket Golf Club, built upon a formerly abandoned tin mining facility, built on-site irrigation lagoons that treat gray water from the laundry facilities of the resort. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eYKwvGRz #drought #cleanwater #water #watermanagement #irrigation #golf #sustainablegolf #waterefficiency

𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐟'𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 Royal Troon hosts this year's 152nd Open Championship and the final "major" in 2024 professional golf. The R&A focuses on leading sustainability in its championships through its GreenLinks framework. Among other initiatives, The Open Water Initiative was enhanced through a first-ever "water wall" at The 150th Open Championship at Saint Andrews. This led to saving the equivalent of more than 370,000 plastic bottles at The Open since 2019. Meanwhile, it enhances the spectator experience! https://lnkd.in/ehCCCF6b #sustainablegolf #openchampionship #golf #sustainability #sports #sustainablesport #water #sustainabledevelopment

𝐔𝐍 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥 #2 (𝐒𝐃𝐆 2): 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 End hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 Due to a combination of factors (including exercise and lack of access to nutritional food sources), more than half of US adults are prediabetic or diabetic, while non-white groups show higher rates of metabolic disorders. (Source: JAMA Network) 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭? ❖ Transition non-playing areas into vegetable gardens and donate any food grown on property to the local community. ❖ Provide nutritious and healthy food options and source local ingredients ❖ Implement resilient agronomic/agricultural practices to maintain or even regenerate ecosystems, improving the land, soil and critical habitats (e.g., pollinators). 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 See our most recent post about Laguna Lăng Cô Golf, an edible golf operation that restored 5 hectares of rice paddy in its renovation, from which it produces and donates up to 20 tons of rice per year. While its hardly "enough" to solve world hunger, this initiative connects the golf course to local culture and surroundings while improving land use efficiency and promoting biodiversity. Many golf courses also implement beehives to promote pollinator services while producing local honey. #worldhunger #sustainablegolf #golf #ediblegolf #regenerativegolf #regenerativeagriculture #regenag #sustainabledevelopment

What are some examples of #regenerativegolf in action? This one course in Southeast Asia restored 5 hectares of rice paddy to produce over 30 tons of rice for locals each year. Laguna Lăng Cô Golf of Vietnam (built in 2013) offers a unique Southeast Asian golfing experience that combines sand dunes, streams, and jungle terrain along with a clear reverence for the local culture. It is owned by Banyan Group and was originally designed by Paul Jansen along with Sir Nick Faldo. Among many highlights, this "Top-100" golf resort demonstrates the potential for golf not only to comply with environmental standards, but to far surpass them. Laguna Lang Co leads an era of regenerative golf through the enriched experiences of its players, the support of surrounding communities, and the active creation of ecosystem services for nature. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eAEwvEiP Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eGv5u-VS #golf #sustainablegolf #sustainability #sustainabledevelopment #ediblegolf #regenerative