3-star label and focus on ecology and local anchoring

Sustainability pioneer

For two decades, Golf Flanders has been committed to sustainability. Through the Golf Kompas Sustainability label, it encourages member clubs to take initiatives that have a positive impact on the environment, their daily operations, the local community and the future of the sport. Of the 20 participating clubs, Golf Park Tervuren can boast of being the first club to achieve the maximum score of three stars.

Towards a concrete strategy for sustainable management

To help golf clubs put their sustainability ambitions into practice, Golf Flanders has developed the Golf Kompas Sustainability in collaboration with Route 2030. This tool provides a guiding and inspiring framework to help clubs formulate concrete goals and initiatives in their journey towards sustainability. Marc Verneirt, secretary-general of Golf Flanders: “The Compass is inspired by a European system and is built around 17 objectives, the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’. These extend beyond the framework of purely sustainable club management and also relate to corporate social responsibility in a broader sense. Each club that joins the label is awarded 1, 2 or 3 stars, depending on its concrete achievements for each objective included in the Compass.”.     

At its annual general meeting, Golf Flanders awards its stars. And among the 15 winners awarded last March, one club stands out: Golf Park Tervuren earned three stars, the maximum score.

Innovative, dynamic, environmentally friendly and socially committed

The relatively short course (PAR 32) of the young Golf Park Tervuren is located in the wooded surroundings of the Green Belt and forms a perfect extension of the Sonian Forest and Tervuren Park. Excellent maintenance and attention to detail have helped make this course a real technical challenge, consisting of PAR 3 and PAR 4 holes, as well as surrounded by numerous trees and well-maintained greens. From its inception five years ago, the club has focused on sustainable development in all its aspects. The club constantly strives to minimise its ecological impact and strengthen its local roots by supporting various charitable organisations and promoting openness and accessibility for all.

Objectives achieved

Last year, the club was therefore the first in Flanders to receive the maximum score of three stars, awarded through the Kompas Duurzaamheids van Golf Vlaanderen. To realise the ambitions, four working groups were set up: ecology, water management, biodiversity and communication. Some of the key measures included the installation of 100 solar panels on the roofs to produce its own electricity, researching a resilient water management plan for periods of drought and heavy rainfall, improving biodiversity by protecting the midwife toad and the flying deer, among others, supporting charitable organisations and so on.

Wim Lespoix, president of Golf Park Tervuren, clarifies, “We continue to step up our efforts to reduce our ecological footprint. Since a month we have been mowing the fairways electrically and we plan to install electric charging stations for our members as well. In the summer, we will replace our fuel oil boiler with a heat pump. And in terms of efficient water management, we plan to complete the implementation of our resilient water management plan in 2026, focusing not only on ‘water storage’ but also on optimised water infiltration at various locations along the course.” These are, of course, large-scale projects. But other projects are also being considered. “We are considering numerous other smaller projects. In terms of biodiversity, for example, we no longer dispose of our pruning and cutting waste, but have set up an area where we pile it up to create a habitat for all kinds of insects and small animals,” Lespoix continues.

“We attach great importance to the optimal alignment of our biodiversity plans with our overall management plan. There is no need to choose between a pleasant golf course and a rich biodiversity. They go together perfectly. And playing sport under perfect conditions, in a green environment that respects nature and its inhabitants, is highly appreciated by golfers, both amateurs and professionals,” he concludes. The club's 700 or so loyal golfers prove this.