Emirates Golf Club Receives Sustainability Award for Efficient Use of Resources at Prestigious IAGTO Awards Ceremony
(Dubai, UAE – October 30, 2014) – Emirates Golf Club, the annual host of the European Tour sanctioned Omega Dubai Desert Classic has been presented with the Efficient Use of Resources Award at the prestigious International Association of Golf Tour Operator (IAGTO) Awards held in Lake Como, Italy.
Based in Dubai, Emirates Golf Club remains an icon for golf in the United Arab Emirates. The Club boasts world-class golfing facilities combined with casual and fine-dining restaurants, along with swimming, fitness and tennis facilities making it a renowned all-encompassing leisure hub.
As part of their partnership with Golf Environment Organization (www.golfenvironment.org), IAGTO recognised environmental and social excellence at the 15th annual awards ceremony. The sustainability awards have rewarded and raised awareness of the tremendous work being done by many of IAGTO’s 800 golf courses and golf resorts around the world.
Emirates Golf Club was presented with the award for a highly focused and sustained approach to irrigation water technology in a region where pressure on the vital resource is enormous.
The Club has invested in a state-of-the-art irrigation system alongside other key initiatives which have resulted in significant benefits to the environment, including a reduction in irrigation consumption by 34%. As part of the long-term strategy, Emirates Golf Club changed the water supply to treated sewage effluent water – 100% recycled water that would otherwise maintain a high environmental cost to dispose of. To help this succeed, the turf grass was also transitioned to a variety far better adapted to lower quality water. The club also initiated a turfgrass reduction programme to minimise areas requiring high maintenance, including fertility, mowing and irrigation providing numerous environmental benefits.
Craig Haldane, Director of Golf Course Maintenance at Emirates Golf Club, said: “The installation of the irrigation system took 208 days and over 150,000 man hours to complete. This project is a major milestone that has allowed us to maintain the course to the exacting standards that our members and guests have been accustomed to enjoying, ensuring that Emirates Golf Club remains the premier club in the region for many years to come.
“Technology has moved on considerably since the previous irrigation system was installed in 1988. The new system, using over 8,800 metres of mainline piping and 33,500 metres of lateral piping, makes use of the latest technology and delivers water savings by ensuring increased distribution efficiency throughout the golf course.”
As part of the upgrade, a new state-of-the-art pump station that allows up to 6,500 gallons of treated sewage effluent (TSE) water per minute to travel through the network, was installed. Because of this added pump capacity, watering time has been significantly shortened, essential from an agronomic perspective.
One of the key considerations for upgrading the system was to make it environmentally sound by improving the distribution of the golf club’s most valuable resource, water, and minimising all waste where possible.
Christopher May, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Golf, said: “The installation of the irrigation system is a significant event in the history of the Majlis course. The investment has been made in accordance with our wider environmental strategy focused on providing measurable benefits to the environment, our members and our visitors.”
The award was presented during the 2015 IAGTO Awards Gala Dinner, which took place at Villa Erba, Lake Como, Italy, on the final night of the International Golf Travel Market, the golf tourism industry’s annual global trade show.
For further information about Dubai Golf and its golf and leisure operations, visit www.dubaigolf.com.
