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emirates golf club
Toro conserves water at Emirates Golf Club The Emirates Golf Club in Dubai was recently recognised for its commitment to sustainability, with a little help from Toro. Karine Watne reports on a club which has managed to reduce its water consumption by more than 30 per cent.
“Water savings in this part of the world is a responsibility we take very seriously and, along with other key initiatives, the irrigation system has allowed us to be efficient with every drop that goes out”
STANDING TALL Craig Haldane, director of golf course maintenance at Dubai Golf pictured right with the award
The Dubai-based Emirates Golf Club has received an ‘Efficient Use of Resources Award’ from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) for the club’s highly focused and sustained approach to water management and irrigation efficiency, where pressure on the vital resource is enormous. Since investing in state-of-the-art Toro golf irrigation technologies, the club has reduced its irrigation water consumption by more than 30 per cent. The award was presented during the 2015 IAGTO Awards Gala Dinner, which took place at Villa Erba on Lake Como in Italy on the final night of the International Golf Travel Market, the golf tourism industry’s annual global trade show.
48 | GMé December 2014
As part of their partnership with Golf Environment Organization (GEO), IAGTO recognised environmental and social excellence at the 15th annual awards ceremony. The sustainability awards have rewarded and raised awareness of the work being done by many of IAGTO’s 800 golf courses and golf resorts around the world. The Emirates Golf Club’s awardwinning achievements are the result of a complete irrigation system renovation completed in late 2012. System upgrades included Toro innovations such as the Lynx Central Control System, Network VP Satellites and Toro golf sprinklers, products which help to ensure that the club’s Majlis Course is properly watered, while making the most
efficient use of precious resources such as water, electricity and labour. The Majlis Course is the flagship course at Emirates Golf Club, located on the edge of Dubai, and is a challenging par 72, 7,301-yard course designed by Karl Litten. The first grass golf course in the Middle East, its landscapes include abundant desert flora along with lush turf grass fairways and greens. The Majlis Course has been the site of numerous European Tour championship events as well as high-profile events on the Ladies European Tour, and it is the first golf course in the Middle East to utilise the Toro Lynx Central Control system. Director of golf course maintenance for Dubai Golf which manages Emirates Golf Club, Craig Haldane commented: