European Golf Design has renewed its partnership with the Golf Environment Organisation for another three years.

The design firm, owned jointly by the European Tour and IMG, has been a supporter of GEO for three years already. EGD’s support for GEO has enabled considerable progress in enhancing golf’s social and environmental role around the world. Patron support fuels core initiatives and projects such as GEO Certification, an innovative on-line programme that helps golf clubs improve their performance, profile and profitability: www.golfenvironment.org

GEO chief executive Jonathan Smith said: “To have the backing of one of the world’s premier golf design companies is important to us. It reinforces the fact that GEO’s approach is credible, comprehensive, and very relevant to developers, club owners, managers and greenkeepers as well as golf’s governing bodies. Being engaged with the EGD team helps to ensure that our work continues to push the boundaries, providing cutting-edge, effective solutions. EGD has recognised the fundamental business value in designing courses and supporting masterplans which generate valued social, economic and environmental outcomes”.

Jeremy Slessor, EGD’s managing director added: “We have already established an environmental policy for the practice, and have begun to footprint and offset our unavoidable carbon emissions.  We have been screening projects for their environmental sustainability and training staff in advanced technical disciplines to enable them to make the most informed design decisions.  

“We share GEO’s belief that golf development can be creatively planned and designed to bring socio-economic and environmental value to both shareholders and wider stakeholders. EGD wants to be at the heart of the new era of golf development – integrating the latest sustainability thinking with cutting edge design to create memorable golf courses that are resource efficient, ecologically rich and set in stunning landscapes.”