GEO OnCourse™ Evaluation Criteria

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GEO Certified™ ecolabel requirements for sustainable golf course and club management. The GEO OnCourse™ Evaluation Criteria is a working document that supports:

  1. Applicants for the GEO Certified™ ecolabel as they seek to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of their golf course / club management.
  2. Accredited Verifiers from the GEOSA Network as they evaluate the performance of GEO Certified™ applicants.
  3. Governments & Stakeholders seeking to understand the GEO Certified™ sustainability assurance.

All criteria are weighted. The ‘must’ requirements are mandatory, and applicants are expected to demonstrate credible activity across ‘should’ criteria. Across all management areas, legal compliance with applicable national or international regulations is mandatory. Checklists are included in the PDF criteria document.

GEO OnCourse Evaluation Criteria
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1.0 Landscape & Ecosystems

    As large green spaces that often feature diverse habitats, all golf facilities should contribute to ecosystem protection and enhancement, and the maintenance of healthy, functioning landscapes.

    1.1 Consultation & Surveys

    • Golf facility must demonstrate a sound understanding of the ecology, ecosystem and aesthetic (landscape) value of the site. This should be recorded / represented through: descriptions and plans of habitats/vegetation types on the site; a list of key species found, including rare or declining species, or specially protected species.
    • Golf facility should monitor the status of key species as a measure of environmental quality.
    • Golf facility should have an established schedule for extending and updating ecological surveys.
    • Golf facility should receive targeted advice from ecosystem, biodiversity and landscape experts.

    1.2 Designations & Habitats

    • Golf facility must be aware of any conservation designations for protected sites, habitats, species or landscapes, and explain how these influence the management of the golf course.

    1.3 Turfgrass

    • Golf facility must be able to explain why the grass species maintained provide an optimal balance between playing condition requirements, the efficient use of resources, and minimal reliance on chemical pest control.
    • Golf facility should be managing the playing quality expectations of members and visitors.
    • Golf facility should demonstrate ongoing refinements to grassing plan, and measures to minimize the area of managed turfgrass.

    1.4 Conservation & Enhancement

    • Golf facility should undertake practical activities to enhance the landscape character of the site in a way that is harmonious with surroundings.
    • Golf facility should demonstrate significant efforts towards maximizing the ecological value of the site, in ways that are appropriate to the ecological potential of the site.
    • Golf facility should demonstrate practical measures to enhance biodiversity through species conservation measures.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate patch enlargement, improved connectivity, and the creation of corridors and links between habitats.

2.0 Water

    Water is typically among the most critical management issues for golf facilities. Even in areas of high rainfall and cool climate, it is important to demonstrate a responsible approach to water management, both in terms of quantities used and the quality of water leaving the site.

    2.1 Sources & Consumption

    • Golf facility must provide baseline figures for total annual water consumption, split into different management areas if possible (clubhouse, golf course, maintenance facility, other).
    • Golf facility must be able to state sources of water used.
    • Golf facility should demonstrate efforts to diversify water sources, and move away from the use of high-quality and potable sources: e.g. migration to treated waste water, harvested rainwater, etc.

    2.2 Irrigation & Efficiency

    • Golf facility should demonstrate ongoing measures to reduce irrigated areas.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate irrigation system maintenance, servicing and upgrading, if applicable.
    • Golf facility should undertake activities to maximize irrigation efficiency.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate measures for minimizing water consumption in clubhouses, maintenance facilities and other golf operations buildings.

3.0 Energy & Resources

    Against the context of rising oil prices, carbon taxes and concern over energy security, all golf facilities need to demonstrate that energy diversification and efficiency are on their agenda, that current consumption levels are understood, and that efficiencies have already been made or planned.

    3.1 Sources & Consumption

    • Golf facility must state total energy and fuel consumption per annum, broken down by renewables and non-renewables.
    • Golf facility should have undertaken an energy audit (formal or informal), detailing opportunities for energy efficiency and diversification.

    3.2 Energy Efficiency

    • Golf facility should have undertaken practical actions to diversify energy and fuel supply.
    • Golf facility should have undertaken practical actions to reduce energy consumption.

    3.3 Vehicles & Transport

    • Golf facility must state total number of operational vehicles under ownership or control.
    • Golf facility should be transitioning to more fuel-efficient, low-carbon vehicles.
    • Golf facility should demonstrate practical activities aimed at reducing vehicle use among staff and customers.

    3.4 Carbon Accounting

    • Golf facility should be able to report full or partial energy consumption as carbon equivalent via carbon footprinting or other forms of ecological foot printing.

4.0 Products & Supply Chains

    All golf facilities can leverage their purchasing power to improve the sustainability of their supply chain. By expressing a preference for more sustainable materials and suppliers, positive social and environmental benefits can be widely multiplied. This is also an important element of golf’s advocacy role.

    4.1 Purchasing Policies

    • Golf facility must have an adopted ethical and environmental purchasing policy.
    • Golf facility should have evidence of purchasing policy in action and provide practical examples of sustainability in the supply chain.

    4.2 Economic Multiplier

    • Golf facility should be able to provide an overview of local to international suppliers, covering major categories of product and service.

    4.3 Turfgrass Inputs

    • Golf facility must have baseline data for fertilizer and pesticide use.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate multiple measures to minimize fertilizer, pesticide and other resource inputs to turfgrass, through the use of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach to plant health.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate actions undertaken to optimise fertilizer and pesticide use.

    4.4 Waste Management

    • Golf facility must be able to describe and demonstrate all current waste management operations.
    • Golf facility must be able to demonstrate legal compliance in waste management.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate measures undertaken to avoid waste, to continue the lifecycle of materials through reuse and recycling, and reductions made in the amounts of waste disposed to landfill or incineration.

5.0 Environmental Quality

    Golf facilities can clean and improve the quality of air, water and soils. Attention to detail in the management of waste water, hazardous materials and pollution prevention are critical elements in safeguarding and enhancing environmental quality.

    5.1 Water Analysis

    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate that water quality is at least unaffected by golf facility operations, and ideally is improved.
    • Golf facility should undertake visual, biological and chemical sampling of water quality at regular intervals.

    5.2 Waste Water

    • Golf facility must be able to identify where all waste water and runoff goes after leaving property.

    5.3 Hazardous Materials

    • Golf facility must maintain a register of all hazardous materials.
    • Golf facility must be legally compliant in the storage, handling and safe disposal of all hazardous substances.

    5.4 Pollution Prevention

    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate multiple measures undertaken to prevent pollution from the maintenance facility and clubhouse.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate multiple measures undertaken to prevent pollution from the golf course.

6.0 People & Communities

    Golf facilities are focal points for a diverse network of people and businesses within local communities as well as being an important connection between people and the planet. As a result golf facilities can multiply valuable socio-economic benefits and act as advocates for more sustainable ways to live, work and play. This is an important element of golf being recognised as a social and environmental asset.

    6.1 Education & Employment

    • Golf facility must have a register of full time and part time staff employment, including all staff roles and responsibilities.
    • Golf facility must have an environmental working group comprising key staff, volunteers and external advisors.
    • Golf facility should demonstrate multiple formal and informal environmental education of employees.

    6.2 Community Relations

    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate multiple measures to engage positively and constructively with neighbours, local community and environmental organisations.

    6.3 Land Use & Cultural Heritage

    • Golf facility must have a register of any historical, cultural or archaeological designations that apply to the site.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate multiple measures undertaken to provide appropriate levels and forms of diversified land use, access and other recreational opportunities for members of the local community.
    • Golf facility should have baseline information on historical, cultural or archaeological context and features.
    • Golf facility should have established dialogue with agencies related to historical, cultural and archaeological context and features.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate measures undertaken to conserve and / or interpret the cultural, historical and archaeological interest of the site.

    6.4 Legal Disputes

    • Golf facility must not have any legal disputes affecting the site, and must openly declare any controversy and / or community conflict pertaining to the facility and other related business activities.

    6.5 Communications

    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate multiple internal communications actions relating to environmental, community and sustainability issues.
    • Golf facility should be able to demonstrate multiple external communications and advocacy actions within the community, or at national to international level.