A number of additional award / accreditation schemes are open to golf clubs, should they wish to take advantage of a wider range of opportunities to promote their environmental achievements. These range from golf specific annual competitions, through to government led initiatives bridging a wide variety of business sectors.

BIGGA Environment Competition
The aim of the Competition is to:

• Develop greenkeeper and club awareness of the need and benefits of environmental and turfgrass management.
• Demonstrate to the general public and conservation bodies the level of support for environmental issues that exist within the golf industry.
• Generate awareness of environmental achievements of the golf industry.
• Educate the general public and conservation bodies about the positive role of golf in the environment through promotional articles in the press, on television and on radio.

Judging
BIGGA will distribute invitations to enter the Competition, to all golf clubs in Great Britain, during late March/early April.

All golf clubs wishing to enter the Competition will be sent application forms during April/May.

The STRI will consider each entry and select ten clubs to be visited by an STRI Agronomist, comprising two from each judging area i.e. (Scotland, N. England, Wales, SE. England and SW. England). Additionally, three clubs will be selected from across all five areas for each of the Best Newcomer and the Best Overall Initiative Awards. Thus 16 clubs will be visited in total.

Each of the clubs will be assessed on two main criteria (nature conservation and turfgrass management) plus five additional criteria (landscape and cultural heritage, water resource management, pest management, communications, and education/training). For those clubs assessed in the Best Overall Initiative category, there will be particular emphasis on assessing the initiative itself.

Benefits to Golf Clubs

Every club entering the Competition will receive an information package from BIGGA, the STRI and the sponsors.

Clubs not visited, as part of the judging process, will receive a short report from the STRI on the content of their application with general recommendations on how to progress further in the Competition in future years.

All Clubs visited, as part of the judging process will be given advice, where necessary, by an STRI ecologist.

Prizes will be awarded according to the prize scheme set out below.

Clubs that are of a high standard yet do not achieve Regional or National winner status will receive a Highly Commended Certificate.

Prizes
The National Winner will receive a Scotts Weather Master weather station worth £2,500, a cheque for £2,000, the BIGGA Golf Environment Competition Trophy to hold for 12 months and a plaque to display in the Clubhouse.
Each of the other four Area Winners will receive a cheque for £500 and a plaque to display in the Clubhouse.
The Runner up in the Winner’s judging area will receive a cheque for £500 and a plaque to display in the Clubhouse.
The Most Impressive Newcomer will receive a cheque for £500 and a plaque to display in the Clubhouse.
The Best Overall Environmental Initiative will receive a cheque for £500 and a plaque to display in the Clubhouse.

Green Tourism Business Scheme
A quality assurance scheme aimed at bringing business and environmental benefits to the Scottish tourism industry, managed by the Scottish Tourist Board and developed with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and Shetland Environmental Agency Ltd.
Currently the scheme is open to serviced and self-catering accommodation members of the STB's QA scheme.
Businesses nominate a number of environmental measures they are doing or have done from a total list of nearly 100 measures included in the scheme. There is a minimum number for each level. The measures are divided into 10 sections and businesses have to select at least one, two or three items from each section depending on the level they are applying for. Additional measures which the business may want to be taken into consideration can be included under the Bonus section.

Once they have applied, the business is inspected by an environmental auditor who scores the measures. The pass rate for all the levels is 80%. After the inspection a short report is produced highlighting good practice and making recommendations for improvement.

If you want more assistance on the technical aspects of the Green Tourism Business Scheme, or information about how to join the scheme please
contact SEA Ltd

Eco – Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) / ISO 14001
EMAS is an important EC initiative for stimulating improved standards of environmental performance. Under the scheme, companies gain a competitive advantage from the recognition of the continuous improvement of environmental performance at their sites. This is achieved by their use of effective management systems and the publication of independently verified environmental statements. ISO 14001, the environmental management standard, has been adopted as one of the management systems suitable for EMAS application.