Guidance

Facility Management

A five-step programme to achieving excellence in environmental management

Environmental management is an incredibly creative and rewarding process that can increase business efficiency and profitability, enhance your golf course product and foster understanding and pride amongst your members and visitors.

GEO's EMS for Golf

  1. Making a Commitment
    1. Build a working group
    2. Establish policy
  2. Assessing Performance
    1. Audit current performance
    2. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses
  3. Producing a Plan
    1. Act to improve performance
    2. Monitor progress
  4. Continual Improvement
    1. Review performance
    2. Set targets for improvement
  5. Communicating Success
    1. Connect with key audiences

One of the greatest challenges is the sheer number and range of issues that are relevant. This means environmental management can seem daunting, and it can be hard to know where to start. However, with a carefully considered, logical and planned approach, all golf facilities can cut out wasteful practices, realise the full potential of their course, and make sure they are recognised and respected - both locally and internationally.

There are some increasingly powerful drivers: rising costs for energy, water and other resources; ever tightening regulation; and heightened public expectation are all combining to motivate successful businesses to be proactive and get on top of their environmental performance. 

#This illustration demonstrates how environmental management planning brings clarity and structure to a great deal of information, driving performance and facilitating positive communications. With a management plan it is easy to become orientated and have a clear sense of purpose for delivering best practice.

The key to environmental management is a long term perspective - based on understanding; driven by good planning; and supported by clear communications. The following pages provide further insight into GEO's 'Environmental Management Systems' approach.

Simply getting started and working to improve your performance is the first step. With the right attitude you'll be able to build an increasingly sophisticated environmental management programme that helps maximise the potential of your golf facility.

Step One - Making a Commitment »

Straight Talking

GEO likes to cut through environmental smoke and mirrors. We recognise the value of an 'Environmental Management System' (EMS) approach but prefer to talk in straightforward terms. That's why our guidance has been streamlined into five simple but practical steps towards better environmental management.

This process, presented as an overlay of the standard EMS (see box left), will help you deliver real world improvements in performance. Building a management plan that sits at the heart of your efforts will ensure you continually improve.

 

GEO Certification

A fundamental but often ignored aspect of environmental management is credible communication.

Registering with the GEO Certification programme - 100% free of charge - enables any golf facility, anywhere to make an effective and transparent commitment to improved performance. Using this platform to drive on and achieve full GEO Certified status will result in public affirmation of true environmental excellence.

Communicate From Day One

Once you have convened your Working Group and established an Environmental Policy, you should promote that commitment to your members, customers and the general public by registering here. 

Announcing yourself on the global stage of committed golf facilities has never been easier, and registering with the GEO Certification programme is 100% FREE.