Carbon Footprint is calculated in several Finnish Golf Courses
Click the image in carouselle and find more information about the golf course.
Carbon Neutral – Certified Courses
Listed courses have their Carbon Footprint calculated and they are committed to work for better environment. New calculation will be done every or every other year.
MERI-TEIJO GOLF
The pilot course and the first to be calculated and certified.
MESSILÄ GOLF
Carbon Footprint calculation was a part of Messiläs long-term plan for environmental issues.
MASTER GOLF
36 hole golf course in Southern Finland.
LAUKAAN PEURUNKAGOLF
One on the most beautiful courses in the middle of Finland.
TAHKO GOLF
A very popular golf resort in the best part of Finland.
HELSINGIN GOLFKLUBI – TALI GOLF
The oldest golf club in Finland is located in the city of Helsinki. Environmental issues are extreme important in this area.
PICKALA GOLF
The largest golf center in Nordic Countries. 54 holes in the sea side in Southern Finland.
NURMIJÄRVI GOLF
18 hole course near city Nurmijärvi in Southern Finland. Great example of an active club in nice environment.
HARTOLA GOLF
The birdiest golf course in Finland located near the center point of the country. Committed to save the nature for the future players.
TUUSULA GOLF
Located in the area having a lot of habitants makes the responsibility of environmental issues even more important.
The Carbon Neutral Golf Course project
received an environmental award
The Golf Gala event, held by Suomen Golfliitto (the Finnish Golf Union), handed out awards for success in the field in 2019. The recent leading project of Golf Course Association Finland, the Carbon Neutral Golf Course project, received the environmental award for 2019. The carbon footprint measurement of golf courses, which started as a pilot project at Meri-Teijo Golf, has been well received by the industry.
Text: Jukka Rimpiläinen. Photo: Juha Hakulinen
A calculation method specifically tailored for golf courses measures the courses’ carbon footprint and creates a proposal on how to reduce it. The measurement is based on the global warming effect caused by golf courses, utilizing life cycle assessment methodology and international calculation standards. The measurement results of different golf courses will also be compared with each other, allowing any deviations to be addressed immediately.
The project inspires people
Tommy Skogster, Chairman of the Board at Meri-Teijo Golf, who accepted the award at the Golf Gala, looked back on the moment the project was born in his thank you-speech.
– Five years ago, I was playing golf at Meri-Teijo with Jouni Keronen, Executive Director of CLC (Climate Leadership Coalition), and the conversation turned to Jouni’s expertise in environmental issues, said Skogster at the start of his speech.
– We strongly agreed that golf courses could act as pioneers in the issue. The Lappeenranta University of Technology implemented the calculation method used for the pilot project at Meri-Teijo Golf, he adds.
After receiving the results from Meri-Teijo Golf, Skogster decided to present the project to the Board of GCAF, of which he was a member. The GCAF Board took a closer look at the project and saw that it would fit in perfectly with the association’s strategy – the desire to increase the vitality of the courses.
An international project
Dozens of Finnish golf courses were involved in the project very quickly, so people started looking into the international potential of the project. In February 2020, the calculation model was presented at a conference of the Golf Course Association Europe to 150 European golf influencers.
The GCAF also hosts an annual golf climate seminar, which has been attended by leading experts from various fields.
Golf courses have several ongoing environmental programs around the world, but the Carbon Neutral Golf Course project provides a clear number that can be easily calculated. And, as the saying goes, if you can measure it, you can improve it! We already know that using renewable biofuels in the diesel-powered maintenance equipment of golf courses reduces their carbon footprint by more than 80 %.
Let’s save the planet – one golf course at a time!
Carbon Neutral Golf Course
Golf Course Association Finland (SGK) launched a project in 2017 to measure the carbon footprint of golf courses with Meri-Teijo Golf as the pilot course of the project. The project received substantial backing from Chairman Jouni Keronen from Climate Leadership Coalition and the 50 member courses of our association. Following seminar speeches underlining the importance of the topic, already about twenty Finnish golf courses have initiated measures to calculate their carbon footprint.
The presentation by Jouni Keronen, expert in climate change, in the autumn seminar 2017 opened the eyes of many to see what climate change is all about. The impact of greenhouse gases on, for instance, rising seawater temperatures is already causing extreme weather conditions around the world. Each of us is responsible for the environmental friendliness of our own actions, and golf courses can lead the way in this process. Carbon footprint measurements provide golf courses with a tool for developing their activities towards the aim of becoming carbon neutral golf courses.
Aiming for an Environmentally Friendly, Carbon Neutral Golf Course
Measuring the carbon footprint of golf courses was kicked off on a larger scale in spring 2019. The ambitious goal was to measure the footprints of 20 Finnish courses, which would produce an interesting set of data for comparing the courses with each other. Ten or so courses had already signed an agreement with SGK in March 2019, and the same number of interested courses were waiting in line, which shows how the field wishes to take a leading role in this crucial matter. The announcement of the Finnish Golf Union (6 March 2019) about establishing a climate fund supports the goals of a carbon neutral line of business.
Strategic Tool for a Golf Course Board
The carbon footprint is calculated by measuring the global warming impact of a golf course using the life cycle assessment method and international accounting standards. The calculation is based on a measurement according to the GHG Protocol, where the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the activities of the golf course are divided into the following: 1: GHG emissions, which are a result of own activities, 2: GHG emissions that come from the production of purchased energy, and 3: GHG emissions, which are an indirect result of the company’s activities, but which the company cannot directly control.
Process that Fuels Results
The carbon footprint of a golf course is calculated as easily and clearly as possible from the customer’s point of view. Our experts take care of the data collection on golf courses in cooperation with the customer, measuring the carbon footprint of the golf course in its current state. In addition to the current state, a separate reference result is also calculated for the course, which takes into account the impact of potential development measures on the overall carbon footprint. The calculation criteria and results are delivered to the customer in the form of a carbon footprint report. Due to the standards and restrictions, the measurement results of different golf courses are mutually comparable.
How to Get Involved
Carbon Neutral Golf Course is a key project of Golf Course Association Finland, and you can get involved in this important environmental work by contacting us. As part of the project, we will organize high-level regional environmental seminars together with public authorities, cities, municipalities and influencers in the golf industry.
The project has also sparked interest abroad and will be presented in the seminar of SGK’s parent association, Golf Course Association Europe, in Cascais in February 2020.
More information about the project is available from:
Golf Course Association Finland
Tel. +358 (0) 400 484 027
Climate change threatens the future of golf
This video was filmed at the end of March and the tempereture in Finland was 13 ° celcius. Some golf courses where all ready open for players. Sounds good, but is it? What does global warming mean to golf? Listen what Jouni Keronen, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Leadership Coalition, has to say.