Blogger: Rachael Murray, Media Officer
Now, I have to be honest, I’m not an avid golfer. The idea of trying to bash a tiny, dimpled sphere into a hole that is just a few millimeters wider and located over miles of dunes, lakes and bunkers just doesn’t appeal.
However, on a visit to see my parents in Kent, I do look on in envy as huddles of tank top wearing men and women spend their day slowly perambulating through a beautiful stretch of countryside right next door to my family home.
By another name, golf courses are just lovely green spaces, perfect for enjoying the sunshine, and wildlife, two things that I am very fond of.
So, how pleasing to hear that the New Malton Golf Club, set amongst 230 acres of peaceful and gently undulating Cambridgeshire countryside, has just been awarded a Green Apple award for the work they do to manage their land for wildlife.
Not content with just setting up a thriving golf business, they also set their sights on being the UK’s first chemical free, wildlife friendly golf course in the UK. And with a little bit of help from Nigel Symes, one of our land management advisors, they discovered lots of new ways to manage their land to provide a haven for both golfers and wildlife.
The course is attracting grey partridge, hare, barn owls, green woodpeckers and significant populations of farmland birds including skylarks, bullfinches, yellowhammers and yellow wagtails, all of which have been experiencing worrying drops in population in recent years.
So, when golfers are now heard to shout ‘birdie’ you no longer know if they have scored one, or seen one!
With such an inspiring story and an amazing commitment to wildlife, even I could be persuaded to give golf a chance, but more importantly, it is an inspiring example that helps us all see that conservation doesn’t have to be confined to nature reserves. There is so much we can all do to support nature, whether we own a golf course, or just have a little bit of garden to play with.
If, like New Malton golf course, you’d like to step up for nature, visit www.rspb.org.uk/hfw to sign up for regular, tailored advice and inspiring ideas on how to help wildlife in your garden.
Ok, so you may not get a shiny award, but you will be warmed by the knowledge that you have joined a growing army of people that are taking conservation into their own hands and helping to create a securer future for some of our favourite wildlife.