Quinta do Lago Resort near Faro, Portugal, has launched a new strategy to improve sustainability on its golf courses.
Working closely with GEO Foundation and following its OnCourse environmental stewardship programme, the Algarve resort has introduced a plan with three key aims: to foster nature, conserve resources and support the community.
“Our aim is for Quinta do Lago to become an inspirational, community-engaged and high-profile champion of sustainability,” said Sean Moriarty, CEO at Quinta do Lago.
“Golf can be a leader in so many ways; from ecosystem services, conservation of wildlife and health and wellbeing for all ages to creating jobs and adding value to the economy through local supply chains.”
The club was established in 1972 and now has three courses. The South, designed by American architect William Mitchell opened in 1974 and has hosted the Portuguese Open numerous times. The Larajal course was added in 2008, a Jorge Santana da Silva design in the grounds of an orange grove. And Beau Welling collaborated with Paul McGinley for the North course, which opened in 2014.
To help conserve resources, the club has improved irrigation, introduced native plants in and around the golf courses to control and remove invasive exotic species, and a new fleet of electric golf buggies has been brought in.
Golf course superintendent Mark Tupling said: “Quinta do Lago is stunning and I believe the programme that we’ve announced will help to enhance the natural surroundings of the resort and the location even further.
“As a trained agronomist, I am an advocate for environmentally-responsible approaches to life and this is something I also aspire to uphold in the way I manage golf courses. Quinta do Lago is blessed to border the Ria Formosa – one of the world’s largest nature reserves – and working with environmental organisations is a key focus of mine in promoting the benefits that golf courses offer in nature.”
Quinta do Lago will also adopt an enhanced approach to conservation across other business sectors of the resort including at its sports hub, The Campus.