Dubai Creek Celebrates Commitment to the environment by becoming GEO Certified
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club joins Emirates Golf Club in becoming only the second club in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region to become GEO Certified®. As the most established golf clubs in the region, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club, under the management of Dubai Golf are leading the way in environmental practices in a region where natural resources are under significant pressure.
GEO (The Golf Environment Organisation) was founded in 2006 to support golf, helping the sport deliver the greatest possible 'positive impact' in the communities and environments it touches, now and in the future. GEO Certified® is golf's international ecolabel. Administered by GEO and independently assessed GEO Certified® is awarded based on the club demonstrating a commitment to continual improvement across the core pillars of sustainable golf, nature protection, resource efficiency and community value.
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club joins some of the most famous golf courses in the world in becoming GEO Certified®, courses that have previously hosted Ryder Cups, Open Championships and European Tour events, including St Andrews, Turnberry, Gleneagles and Le Golf National, host venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Since opening in 1993, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club has become one of the most iconic destinations in the United Arab Emirates. The club incorporates an 18 hole championship golf course, a nine hole Par 3 course, award winning golf academy, nine hole putting course, seven restaurants, recreation facilities including a gymnasium and resort style swimming pool, plus 92 residential executive villas and a 121 berth marina.
Christopher May, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Golf said, "We are delighted that Dubai Creek has joined Emirates Golf Club in becoming GEO Certified®. Achieving GEO Certified® is a significant achievement for the club and a major milestone in our long term environmental strategy. We will continue to innovate and introduce new sustainable practices to reinforce our environmental focus on protecting our natural resources. The Club provides a meeting place for the local community to come together and the club house is internationally recognised, we have welcomed golfers from all over the world to Dubai Creek since opening, helping to build Dubai's growing reputation as a true golfing destination."
Matthew Perry, Golf Course Superintendent at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club said, "Becoming GEO Certified® further underlines the focus that we have at Dubai Golf on making efficient use of our resources to protect the environment. A focus on sustainability is even more important in a geographical region where natural resources, especially water are in limited supply. We have a superb team of colleagues at Dubai Creek and we work together to focus on continuous efficiency improvements. This accolade is a testament to the hard work and commitment that the team demonstrate every single day."
Highlights from the GEO Certified® verification report of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club include the following:
- Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club plays an extraordinary role in the conservation of the Creek natural heritage
- The Clubhouse represents stunningly a dhow, an Islamic icon, and it's acknowledged worldwide
- The golf course is less than three miles away from Ras Al Khor ("at the Cape of the Creek") Wildlife Sanctuary, representing an extension of this wetland reserve and providing an open space among the city buildings & traffic
- The Club is committed with environmental sustainability by enhancing native habitats, with their wildlife & vegetation. A reduction of maintained turf areas is gradually taking place, switching the original sward into autochthonous species such as the firegrasses
- The Club is a meeting place which offers not only golf but a yacht club, the marina with its popular outdoor restaurants, venues, boardwalk etc. and a residential development. It enhances social life, attracts tourism and provides leisure, thus developing an important community mission
Jonathan Smith, GEO Chief Executive said, "In becoming GEO Certified® Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht club have shown a strong and continuing commitment to protect local nature, conserve their resource use and provided increased community value. The club has many impressive initiatives in place and plays an important role in the Dubai community. We congratulate them on their certification and in leading sustainable golf in the region, and we look forward to seeing further achievements and success as they continue to work for sustainable golf".
The certification follows Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Clubs, sister club, Emirates Golf Club becoming Geo Certified® in 2015 and the presentation of the Efficient Use of Resources Award to Dubai Golf at the prestigious 2014 International Association of Golf Tour Operator (IAGTO) Awards. The award was presented for a highly focused and sustained approach to irrigation water technology in a region where pressure on the vital resource is enormous.
For further information about Dubai Golf and its golf and leisure operations, visit www.dubaigolf.com and the clubs full GEO Certified® verification report can be found at www.golfenvironment.org