RIYADH: Four golf courses in Saudi Arabia have been accredited by the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, the international nonprofit dedicated to this assessment process.
Golf Saudi announced this week the accreditation of three courses in Riyadh and Jeddah at the Aramco Team Series-Jeddah, which are the Dirab Golf & Country Club, Riyadh Golf Club and Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. The administrators of the courses have agreed to further improvements over the next three years.
In addition, the GEO Foundation also certified the Safaa Golf Club at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, which is maintained and operated by Mohawarean Specialized Golf Services, or MGS. It is the first private facility in Saudi Arabia to achieve certification.
In 2020, Golf Saudi launched its comprehensive National Golf Sustainability Strategy, which since its inception embarked on developments across several environmental, economic and social aspects of the sport. A key component of the strategy was ensuring that all golf clubs in Saudi Arabia work to improve on all levels.
“Ever since the formation of Golf Saudi, we have continued to demonstrate the strength of our collective commitment as well as our leadership in sustainability. Following news of the GEO certification across four clubs in the Kingdom shows that we are on track in our journey toward playing an active part in our sport’s contribution to prioritizing environmental and climate issues,” said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation. “This follows on last year’s news when Golf Saudi became an official signatory of the UN Sport for Climate Framework, confirming our collective mission to contribute actively to Saudi’s Vision 2030 and to be a part of the Kingdom’s low-carbon future.”
Jonathan Smith, founder and executive director of the GEO Foundation, said: “It is encouraging to see Golf Saudi making progress in the delivery of their national sustainability strategy. Two years on from the launch of this comprehensive framework, the national association continues to provide direction for all involved in golf in Saudi Arabia. And this now extends to these four facilities, which have received GEO certification in light of work to date and also commitments for continual improvement.”
Nicholas Davies, MGS’ general manager, who oversees Safaa Golf Club at KAUST, said he was delighted to work alongside Golf Saudi and to use the sustainability program from the GEO Foundation to implement the national sustainability strategy.
“(We will) work firsthand with both teams to ensure that we not only implement the highest standards but also build environmental innovation into the development and operation of our facility. Some of our key focuses are ecosystem restoration through golf here within KAUST, harnessing renewable energy, comprehensive water resource management, and building circularity into our club’s supply chain.”
All clubs will also have their carbon balances calculated, tracking all data needed for emissions and sequestration through the OnCourse digital platform provided by the GEO Foundation.
