A TOUR-wide mission

In the game of golf, there is no brighter stage than a PGA TOUR tournament and sustainability has become a more integral part of TOUR events in the past decade. Beginning with Council for Responsible Sport Certification (CRS) at the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open and the 2014 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, tournaments have taken a comprehensive look at how materials are disposed of, concession and operation items are purchased and fans are engaged. Since those two inaugural tournaments made their commitment to decreasing their environmental footprint, the Shell Houston Open (2015), RBC Heritage (2017), and the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (LPGA - 2019) have certified with the international framework for golf sustainability formerly known as CRS and presently Golf Environment Organization (GEO).

Most tournament operations want to save money, open up new revenue streams, and most importantly, find a new way to engage with fans. There are not many ventures left that combine all three of these aspects and a tournament sustainability program is one. Often regarded as the standard for tournament sustainability, the Waste Management Phoenix Open does a tremendous job of fan and stakeholder engagement to comprise a strong sustainability program. However, a tournament does not need a waste management company as a title sponsor to have a successful environmental program. In fact, a grassroots program of engaging community resources and partners, involving non-profits, and educating staff breed flourishing programs like the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which Blue Strike Environmental has supported as the sustainability partners for nearly a decade. 

Upon entering the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, fans are introduced to tournament sustainability initiatives and how they themselves can contribute to lessening the tournament’s environmental impact.

With the help of Blue Strike, the past five AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Ams have:

• Diverted 88% of waste (GHG equivalent of removing 67 cars from the road for one year)

• Contributed over $125,000 to local community non-profits through participation in the Community Green Team program

• Donated over 50 tons of food and building materials to Monterey County

This type of partnership helps tournaments connect with sustainability and social inclusion programs within their market through the GEO Certifications six pillars of sustainability: Planning and Communications, Site Protection, Procurement, Resource Management (waste, water, and energy), Access & Equity, and Community Legacy.

Utilizing the six pillars of sustainability, here are a few quick checks that allow for new tournament partners to critically think about their environmental and social impact:

• Planning & Communication - 

  • What on-course communication strategy is being used to separate recyclable materials from waste?

• Site Protection - 

  • What does the host course already do to mitigate environmental impacts like reusing water, restricting heavy machinery, or limiting pesticide use in ecologically sensitive areas?

• Procurement - 

  • How many vendors are local or minority-owned?

• Resource Management - 

  • Are leftover building materials and concession items donated?

• Access & Equity - 

  • How are youth and community groups of diverse backgrounds included in the tournament and how is the game of golf introduced to them?

• Community Legacy - 

  • Do the tournament’s charities and beneficiaries have environmental or social impact missions?

Starting points for clients to pinpoint easy and actionable changes that initiate the critical thinking and awareness-building process include:

• Where do materials go when they are disposed of?

• Are there alternatives to the landfill, like community outlets and building reuse organizations that receive leftover building materials? 

• What are the sources of waste, water, and energy consumption?

• Are you utilizing digital marketing assets (social media and website) to build awareness of the tournament’s sustainability and social impact success stories?  

After all, sustainability should be another tool in the toolbelt for operations. As the foundation is constructed for a program, dots should start to connect that your organization is not alone in wanting to lessen your environmental footprint - your sponsors and partners all have Corporate Social Responsibility departments dedicated to this very work. So if you feel like your messaging does not stand on its own, take a look around at the pioneers on the PGA TOUR and click around on sponsor websites - odds are, sustainability is easier to tackle when efforts are joined.