In partnership with Visit Scotland, the Genesis Scottish Open once again proved itself as a leader of sustainable activations.
In 2022, VisitScotland became a strategic partner with GEO Foundation, the first nation to do so, to connect with and support the advancement of their non-profit mission to help accelerate sustainability in and through golf. Since then, they have established connection and alignment between VisitScotland’s responsible tourism goals, and the sustainability activities being carried out through this year’s leading golf tournaments in Scotland including the Genesis Scottish Open.
This week, in partnership with the DP World Tour and their Golf for Good initiative, those activations have been highlighted in a variety of ways across the site at The Renaissance Club. Golf for Good is the DP World Tour’s commitment to being environmentally and socially sustainable, ensuring we have a positive long-term impact on the courses, countries and the communities we visit. Its key projects are the Green Drive sustainability programme, operating the G4D (golf for the disabled) Tour, and running the Golf Futures programme which encourages a new generation to work in golf.
Earlier in the week, DP World Tour and PGA TOUR players Dan Bradbury and Stewart Cink participated in a beach clean with local volunteers at North Berwick beach in conjunction with GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf and Scottish Seabird Conservation Society.
The players were joined by Executive Director of the GEO Foundation Jonathan Smith, Course Manager of North Berwick Golf Club Kyle Cruickshank and the PGA TOUR’s Director of Sustainability Brazos Barber.
In addition to shedding light on the damage coastal erosion has done to North Berwick Golf Club over the past year and the ways in which they are trying to combat that, the key focus was to highlight the ways in which golf organisations – including the GEO Foundation and DP World Tour – are doing their bit to actively target sustainability initiatives around their tournaments.
The beach clean, along with further initiatives at the Genesis Scottish Open, form part of the DP World’s Green Drive, which is a programme to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040 and become a respected sustainability showcase that can deliver net positive impacts on the courses, countries and communities we visit each season.
The tournament also supported local charity initiatives. During Wednesday’s pro-am, Scott Stewart’s powerful story highlighted the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which is one of the local charities that benefits from the money raised by The Renaissance Club Charity Foundation. The Foundation, which is responsible for the fundraising endeavours of the club alongside the Genesis Scottish Open, has raised over £700,000 in the five years that the tournament has been held at The Renaissance Club, with the aim of breaking the £1m barrier this year.
A range of Green Drive sustainability initiatives were rolled out in Scotland. Across all 18 holes of the golf course and in the spectator village, water refill stations were accessible to all fans on site to remove single use plastic, while all catering was provided with food that was locally sourced within 50 miles in order to reduce hauling and freight emissions.
Food sourced locally has been a focal point throughout the Genesis Scottish Open, with Tom Kitchin preparing local dishes for guests on site. Welch’s Fishmongers, a family-run business spanning three generations, supplied some of the finest seafood from across Scotland.
In a continued commitment to zero waste to landfill, surplus food was also donated throughout the tournament to East Lothian Food Bank, to support people who need help with their food shop.
Fans were encouraged to help play their part by using a new tool that allows them to calculate and offset their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when travelling to and from the tournament, while an all-electric Genesis car fleet was also on site.
For those wanting to learn and engage about golf, lessons for fans of all ages took place in the Fan Zone from the Stephen Gallacher Foundation.
Elsewhere, a panel hosted by Visit Scotland took place in the Championship Pavilion, educating the public on sustainable practices that are made possible by a team Scotland approach.
A key focus was also placed on nurturing the future generation of golfers in Scotland, which included a behind-the-scenes tour exploring career opportunities in golf, trialling the game through Golf Sixes, and improving skills in onsite clinics.
In addition, Genesis’ ongoing commitment to local Scottish golf saw talented junior golfers Jodie Graham and Ruby Watt surprised with a truly special day that included a spot in the Pro-Am alongside Justin Rose, while also meeting an array of other DP World Tour and PGA TOUR stars.
