Green TD – Steven Matthews has called on all Wicklow Golf clubs to follow the lead of Baltinglass Golf Club in supporting green initiatives including water conservation and biodiversity protection. Following a visit to the club and meeting with the board, Deputy Matthews said:

“I was hugely impressed by the ongoing projects in Baltinglass Golf club that focus on environmental efforts and putting nature at the heart of everything that they do. Ireland has nearly 400 golf clubs, so the positive impact that it could have if the majority of them were willing to buy into the type of initiatives that are ongoing in Baltinglass would be enormous.
“There is a genuine sense of community effort on these environmental projects, and I was particularly impressed with the way in which the club conserves and minimises its use of water, the rewilding efforts to promote biodiversity growth and the minimal use of pesticides on the course.
“I think it is fair to say that golf is sometimes criticised by environmentalists for wasting water and impact on local biodiversity but Baltinglass Golf Club has shown that this doesn’t have to be the case.
“All of these projects can be replicated in other clubs, and I have written to Minister for Sport to suggest a nationwide initiative that would promote and incentivise golf clubs at a national level to promote nature focused initiatives.
“I would be more than happy to meet with the boards of any club to discuss what kind of things they can do to promote environmental schemes and possible grant options to support them. I believe that the work that is ongoing in Blessington Golf Club can be used as a blueprint and I know the members there are more than happy to offer advice to any club that is interested, concluded Deputy Matthews.
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