course ecology

AND OPERATION POLLINATOR

It’s fair to say that Bingley St. Ives Golf Club is one the most unique golf courses, not just in the Bradford district or in Yorkshire but in the country.

The blend of parkland, woodland and moorland is up there with the main draws of the club and we are aiming to not only maintain this healthy balance but improve it for our members and visitors along with everything that calls Bingley St. Ives its home. 

With ever decreasing green space being taken up with developments it falls to organisations like golf clubs as custodians of the land to provide a safe habitat for native flora and fauna which are struggling in other areas.  

Bingley St. Ives works closely with the ecology team at neighbouring STRI to develop and implement plans which improve the ecology both on and around the course.  

We are turning areas of scrubland and rough over to wild flower areas to increase and support the population of pollinating bees and insects. We are installing bird and bat boxes as well as providing homes for other species. We are planting hedgerows and heather beds where possible and managing the whole area with an environmentally friendly approach.

Our greens team are also looking at how we can improve and developing new course maintenance approaches and reduce our fungicide and insecticide applications. 

As part of our commitment to the future ecology of the course, the club has signed up to Operation Pollinator. This a nationwide project introduced by Sygenta and has already seen over 100 golfs clubs across the country sign up to support the project’s aim of reversing the plight of bumblebees and other pollinating insects in the UK by creating valuable new habitats in out of the way areas of golf courses. Not only does this show the club’s commitment to improving the environment but it also offers the club support and training in all its future projects. More information on Operation Pollinator can be found by visiting www.greencast.co.uk/operation-pollinator or by looking at the notice board outside the changing rooms.

It is hoped that the members and visitors to Bingley St Ives will be able to see the benefits of these long term projects and fully support the greens team in not only this but all course projects as we look to push the club forward. This is what has been done so far. The 20 bird boxes which have been installed on the course were all donated and built by club members

• One of the bat habitats which has been installed on the clubhouse, again donated and built by a club member.
• Installation of one of the owl boxes close to the 17th tee.
• The club’s first bee hive which will be in use in 2019.
• Area of heather planted on the site of the filled in bunker on the 3rd.
• Introduction of fish into the pond on the 12th.