Carnoustie Wins Climate Action Award at the 2021 IAGTO Sustainability Awards

On Tuesday 30th November 2021, the eighth annual IAGTO Sustainability Award winners were announced.

Carnoustie Golf Links are extremely proud to receive the very first Climate Action Award.  

As part of their ongoing commitment to sustainability, IAGTO and the GEO Foundation introduced this new award to recognise a facility that has made a strategic commitment to taking climate action, with practical steps to reduce emissions and manage their landscape to maximize carbon sequestration.

Michael Wells, Chief Executive of Carnoustie Golf Links said “Being awarded this Climate Action Award means a great deal to us. As an organisation, we are, and have for some time, been very conscious of our environmental impact on the planet. Being sustainable is one of our core values and we encourage every one of our team to make decisions with that value in mind. We have invested in more sustainable practices both on and off the course, and we are on a continued journey of improvement. Our Links Superintendent, Craig Boath, is an inaugural GEO Sustainable Golf Champion for his leadership in this area and he has been instrumental in helping us on this journey.

As a company, we are known for leading the way within the sport and our sustainable practices are another example of how we intend to influence and drive change. To be the first organisation to win this award is real honour and privilege.”

Craig Boath, Links Superintendent of Carnoustie Golf Links said “We are delighted that IAGTO and the GEO Foundation are supporting such an important cause and highlighting the excellent work that’s being carried out in the industry. We are pleased that our efforts have been recognised by way of this award. We have such diverse eco-system of plants and wildlife here at Carnoustie and we will continue to protect it, and if possible enhance it, whilst still providing the exceptional test of golf that everyone expects from Carnoustie.”

The Open Championship venue have made sustainability an integral part of their vision and have been GEO Certified on three occasions in – 2013, 2016 and 2019 (and are preparing for a fourth). They were also named ‘Environmental Golf Course of the Year’ at the STRI Environmental Awards in 2018.