The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service has awarded the environmentally friendly Kenwick Park Golf Club, a £10,000 ($18,780) grant from their sustainable development fund. As a result of this grant, the club is now able to recycle both grass cuttings and autumn leaf fall into tons of rich organic compost.
The grant provided a substantial contribution towards the £29,000 ($54,462) invested by the Club in the project to date. The remaining funds came from fund-raising events organised by the environmental panel, prize money from two recent environmental awards and investment by the Club.
As the funds were raised, a composting area with a hardcore base was created. This was followed by the purchase of a Sam 5 Bio-Chopper-Mixer in November last year. This machine is specifically designed to process and pulverise organic products. Recently it was put to good use recycling Christmas trees from the members.
"Environmental considerations mean that all green waste on the course must be conveyed to a central point for composting," Martyn Gardiner, chairman of the panel says. "Grass cuttings from the greens, fairways and the rough added to the autumn leaf fall, amount to many tons."
In the coming months, the environmental panel in conjunction with the course manager, Geoff Henderson, will be undertaking trials to establish the best "mix" to provide a rich organic medium to spread on the golf course.
Although only 13 years old, Kenwick Park Golf Club is set in historic parkland in the Lincolnshire Wolds area of outstanding natural beauty. In 1999 a group of interested members, backed by the board, formed the environmental panel and devised an environmental policy and management plan. These members started off with no funds, a few ideas and lots of enthusiasm. Working in harmony with the professional expertise of the greenkeeping staff, they ensure the course now provides a wonderful haven for both the flora and fauna.
Their efforts were recognised in 2003 when the club was awarded first prize in the national British and International Greenkeepers Association Golf Environmental Competition and then in 2004 with the Lincolnshire Environmental Award.