Jumeirah Golf Estates – the annual host of the European Tour’s ‘Race to Dubai’ finale, the DP World Tour Championship – has been recognised for its dedication to sustainable practices and efforts to drive community engagement in the annual IAGTO Sustainability Awards.

Forming part of the prestigious IAGTO Awards that celebrate the best in the global golf tourism industry, the Sustainability Awards are staged by global golf tourism industry organisation IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) in conjunction with golf sustainability body GEO Foundation and recognise environmental and social excellence in golf.

The IAGTO Sustainability Award for Community Value was presented to Jumeirah Golf Estates at the IAGTO Awards gala dinner in front of 1,200 golf tourism industry delegates in Marrakech, Morocco at the end of the International Golf Travel Market.

The honour comes hot on the heels of Jumeirah Golf Estates gaining GEO Certified® status.

GEO Certified® is golf's internationally accredited ecolabel which is awarded based on the club demonstrating a commitment to continual improvement in six main areas of sustainability; water, nature, energy, supply chain, pollution control and community.

Efforts undertaken by Jumeirah Golf Estates to positively and actively engage with the wider community include:

• Enhancing the community trails of the grounds to promote a healthier lifestyle of various stakeholders to encourage walking, jogging and cycling.
• Introducing electric car ports within the club’s car park.
• Hosting complimentary fitness activities around the ‘Dubai Fitness Challenge’ including mass participation Yoga events and colleague sports days. 
• Launched a plastic-free agenda with the aim to remove plastic straws and bottles from the service chain in order to encourage the members, guests and the wider community to seek more ecologically-conscious options.

In becoming GEO Certified®, Jumeirah Golf Estates joins some of the most famous golf courses in the world 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.

Based in Dubai, Jumeirah Golf Estates (now in its 11th year of operation) has established itself as an iconic golfing venue in the United Arab Emirates.

The two Greg Norman-designed courses, Earth and Fire, were opened in 2009 and today boasts world-class golfing and premium practice facilities at the Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. The club is also home to a host of casual and fine-dining restaurants, swimming, fitness and tennis facilities making it a renowned all-encompassing leisure hub.

Christopher May, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Golf said: "We are delighted that Jumeirah Golf Estates is the latest golf club in the Dubai Golf portfolio to become GEO Certified®.  The drive to become GEO Certified® has been a key milestone in Dubai Golf’s long term environmental strategy focused on protecting our natural resources. It is an incredible achievement for Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Jumeirah Golf Estates to hold this accolade, and I am personally very proud of the tireless efforts of the agronomy teams across Dubai Golf for their continual efforts.”

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director of GEO Foundation, said: “Jumeirah Golf Estates, UAE, takes first place in the community category for 2020. The facility engages with non-golfing locals in a variety of ways from the UAE National Sports Day and environmental awareness training for employees through to creating walking trails for residents and an annual mass participation yoga event on the 18th fairway. Jumeirah Golf Estates also provides its members and guests with stainless steel reusable water bottles free of charge to help cut plastic that could end up in landfill or the ocean.”

Additional highlights from the OnCourse report of Jumeirah Golf Estates have included the following:

• 20% reduction in irrigation consumption over the past 3 years through auditing and best practices.
• State of the art TORO irrigation system, able to control each individual sprinkler to maximise efficiency.
• Use of treated effluent water from the adjacent communities as irrigation which uses the golf course turf as a method of recycling and cleaning the water as it flows through the water cycle into ground water aquifers.
• Recycled water used for cleaning of workshop facilities and golf course maintenance equipment.
• Commitment to environmental sustainability by enhancing the conservation and protection of desert habitats, with their wildlife and vegetation.
• Creation of habitats for migratory and native bird species who seek food, shelter and sanctuary.
• Community engagement programmes through various sporting initiatives; mass participation walks, yoga, sports days, cycling races.
• Use of locally sourced materials from native sand used in bunkers and locally recycled plastic used for the production of water towers.
• Committed to land stewardship though the use of organic and organic derived fertilisers for improved soil health and reduce reliance on carbon rich synthetic Nitrogen sources.
• Commitment to protecting native species through the use of native grass in unmaintained rough areas the planting of the native Ghaf Tree (the national tree of the UAE).
• Reduction of carbon footprint by the using carbon free/zero emission vehicles for golfers and maintenance.
• Dubai Golf encourages colleague development through our ‘Service Culture’ education and training programme. Environmental sustainability is one of the primary pillars, and through regular training and colleague engagement, we aim to limit single-use plastics across the organisation.
• Electric car charging points provided across the three Dubai Golf properties.

To find out more about Jumeirah Golf Estates, visit www.dubaigolf.com/jge

For more information about the 2018 IAGTO Sustainability Awards and to download high resolution photos and logos, please visit: www.iagto.com/awards

ENDS

About Dubai Golf
Dubai Golf, a leisure subsidiary owned by wasl Asset Management Group, manages three of the most established and internationally renowned golf clubs in the Middle East – Emirates Golf Club, Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.  The clubs boast five world-class championship golf courses, luxurious clubhouses, all-encompassing leisure facilities, award winning restaurants and golf academies, and offer some of the most spectacular locations for golf, events and entertainment in the Gulf. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com