Burhill Golf Club collects environmental award
Burhill Golf Club's continued commitment to the environment has been recognised having walked away from the prestigious Golf Course Environment Awards with a regional prize.
Burhill Golf Club, part of Burhill Golf & Leisure, the UK's leading golf course owner and operator, scooped the Southern England Regional honour at the awards, organised by the Sports Turf Research Institute.
The club will receive a half-day course walk plus advisory report from an STRI Ecological Consultant, as a prize.
Over the past year Burhill Golf Club has implemented an environmental policy, which has seen the club make a number of changes covering all aspects of on and off-course operations and set out clear guidelines on the management of water, habitat and waste.
Burhill, traditionally a parkland and heathland course, has seen its heather dwindle over the years, but the club has recently nurtured areas to reintroduce the heathland and restore Burhill to its classic design.
STRI representative Richard Stuttard, who visited the club as part of the awards' assessment, praised the work Burhill has done to restore the heathland.
His report said: "The gradual heather regeneration project has begun to reap significant rewards. The club has managed to develop a successful heather regeneration technique for the course and I commend the club for this initiative."
The report went on to say: "The course at Burhill offers a strategically challenging and aesthetically interesting round of golf that is complemented by the wide diversity of habitats that have been managed in a manner that maximises their ecological worth."
Rob Surgey, Burhill's Golf Course Manager, said: "Winning this award is testament to the hard work and dedication shown by everyone at Burhill to create and maintain the golf course and its surrounding habitat to such a high standard."
Colin Mayes, chief executive of Burhill Golf & Leisure, added: "It is a tremendous achievement to pick up this award. Congratulations to Rob and his team, and everyone at Burhill Golf Club for their hard work."