Scottish Award for Environmental Excellence in Golf

The integration of environmental considerations into the operational management of the course at Cardrona has been recognised under the Scottish Awards for Environmental Excellence in Golf scheme run by the Scottish Golf Environment Group (SGEG). This is a voluntary programme aimed at improving the environmental management of Scottish golf facilities.

The award recognises:-

• The club's understanding of the environmental aspects of the Cardrona site
• A commitment to environmental good practice
• The practical environmental management which has been implemented

Course Management & The Enviroment

The Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Country Club wishes to maintain the environment and promote the wildlife of Cardrona as part of its ongoing management, to enhance the character and ambiance of the course, for the benefits of members, visitors and the wider community.

Several initiatives illustrate this ethos:-

• 30,000 trees and shrubs have been planted on the course since its construction. These help define and separate individual holes and provide linkages through to the wider countryside, particulary for small mammals and weak flying birds. Only native tree species have been introduced to the course.
• The club have set aside large areas of the course as rough grassland and aim to improve its quality and diversity. The rough grass is cut and collected in winter, outside the nesting season for ground-nesting birds, to remove excess nutrients and improve species diversity.
• Land drainage at Cardrona has been achieved through the creation of a large network of swales, ditches and ponds. This new wetland habitat forms important features and hazards on the golf course and valuable habitat. The golf course system has also been designed to collect and treat urban run-off from Cardrona village.
• Chemical use and irrigation are kept to a minimum, and are applied only at a rate necessary to keep the grass alive. The club employs cultural methods to help reduce the risk of turf grass disease and the need for chemicals.
• A public right of way runs through the middle of the course following the route of an old railway line, and the hotel encourages non-golfing residents to explore the banks of the River Tweed.