Sustainability must be a top priority when it comes to golf course design. Here, Tom Mackenzie explains what that looks like in practice.
Golf course architect Tom Mackenzie, co-founder of golf course design business Mackenzie & Ebert, discusses what steps his firm is taking to be more sustainable and outlines the measures that are being introduced across the wider golf design community to reduce its carbon footprint.
What does the word ‘sustainability’ mean to you when talking about golf course design?
It means producing course designs which offer responsible use of the land and resources in a way that also benefits society as a whole.
What are the main challenges facing your company, and golf course designers in general, when it comes to sustainability?
The move towards carbon neutrality is obviously one, so efficiency of design to minimise volumes of material moved is vital.
Another is the use of mineral and organic resources. It is great that peat has been eliminated from new constructions across most of Europe and beyond, but another challenge is the dwindling local supplies of sand and aggregates in many areas and countries. Bringing them from further and further afield makes their use more impactful in carbon terms, so their use has to be very carefully considered and justified.
Water is the other focus of attention. Too little is available when we need it and there is often much too much when we do not. Water management is a huge challenge everywhere.
These are all real issues facing us on a day-to-day basis.
Does your company have a sustainability programme in place and what practical measures have you taken to be more sustainable?
We have a basic one, but we do need to structure it much better and update it. We offset carbon on most flights and are working on a more comprehensive approach.
The Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) has an excellent carbon calculation programme which they have launched, and we are looking closely at that. We are also increasingly using electric and hybrid vehicles.
What formal steps are being taken to educate golf course architects about the importance of placing sustainability at the forefront of course design?
The European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA) has a Sustainability Programme, which is the only education programme in sustainable golf course design in the world. I led the team which created the programme – in close cooperation with the Golf Environment Organisation – as we identified a need to elevate the standards of sustainable golf course development and showcase those members whose work leaves a positive legacy. Graduates of the programme are added to the EIGCA Sustainable Design Register, which demonstrates their industry-leading expertise and experience in sustainable golf course design.
I was one of the first to complete the programme and become a Sustainable Design Leader. It is an arduous process, but I feel well equipped to address sustainability issues as a result.
“We have to make courses that are designed to sit on the land as we find it rather than reshaping it all” — Tom Mackenzie
In what ways has technology aided your company’s path to reducing its carbon footprint as well as making building golf courses more sustainable?
During COVID, we developed the remote use of drones to approve work under construction. We programme a drone, in Canada for instance, from our office. On site, someone takes the drone off and it then does the work as programmed. Once landed, the operator transmits the findings to us and we then process it which allows us to compare what is built with what was designed. It works really well, reduces the need to travel significantly, and improves efficiency. Site visits still have real value, but their frequency is greatly reduced.
The amount of printing and posting of plans and reports that we do has also decreased dramatically through digital communication of plans.
What would you like to see the golf course design industry do to make golf more sustainable?
We have to make courses that are designed to sit on the land as we find it rather than reshaping it all. They should then be specified so that they can be maintained less intensively with less water and other inputs. We also need to start to think a lot about the 2050 goal of carbon neutrality. It is only 26 years away and will demand a different skill set.
How do you see climate change impacting on golf course design in the years ahead and what measures do you think should take place to mitigate against it?
We are already working on courses which are suffering the effects of climate change and on others which are planning for sea level rise. A common request is to work out ways to store more water when it does rain. These will be a huge part of our business in the future. It is not something that clubs and developers can ignore because the impact for some will be seismic.
