Showcasing what golf clubs can achieve for nature conservation

Canterbury’s award-winning wildlife conservation work not only highlights the club’s commitment to biodiversity but also its community-minded approach to environmental stewardship.

The work undertaken by staff and local volunteers has seen the Kent venue become a haven for wildlife and a shining example of the positive impact golf clubs can have on biodiversity. The course, designed by Harry Colt and opened in 1927, was built on land used for military training by the Ministry of Defence, but now appears strikingly different almost 100 years on. Having originally been carved out of the gorse, Canterbury is now a parkland, tree-lined course, abundant in alder, oak, hazel, silver birch, hornbeam, beech and willow.

Much of it is designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), and there are areas of what Course Manager Ray Goodsall describes as eco-rough, where nature is allowed to flourish without interference. Given that SSSI status, Canterbury works closely with Natural England, who in 2020 asked for a biodiversity management plan, with member Anthony Dance coming to the fore.

The retired landscape architect offered to put a draft plan together, with his expertise and keen interest in wildlife conservation making him the perfect volunteer. “We’re very keen on opening up and engaging the local community, and we see this as a way of getting more people involved in what we’re doing,” he said. “Biodiversity is in crisis, and it needs all the help it can get. We, as a golf club, have got a large landholding and most of it is SSSI, so it’s a very special site, and it’s a great opportunity to help nature and involve younger people.”

Dance’s plan ultimately received government funding, allowing the club to manage out-of-play woodland and grassland areas with a view to increasing the number and diversity of plants and wildlife. A volunteer group stepped up to help Goodsall and members of his team execute a plan designed to increase the ecological value of the land. The club installed 25 bird nest boxes and 15 for bats, with volunteers responsible for monitoring and cleaning them, while a pond was built to provide drinking water for the turtle doves that now breed nearby. That species is on the critical list in the UK and, from one sighting, the confirmed number visiting Canterbury has now reached double figures.

Other work has been undertaken to encourage thorn and bramble growth, producing ideal habitat for numerous bird species, including nightingales, blackcaps and whitethroats, along with several reptile species. The project has encompassed a broad range of groups from across the county and at a national level, and that was part of what impressed the judging panel sufficiently to honour Canterbury with the prize.

“The win was a great surprise, but we were really honoured,” said Dance. “It’s great to have the recognition, and it validates all the work we’ve done at Canterbury. It provides a platform to engage more widely with members and the local community to promote nature conservation and to showcase what golf clubs can achieve. Hopefully, it’s going to help us to bring all the members along with us on this long journey because we are only just starting; we see it as a long-term project.”

Club Chairman Steve Eeles added: “This award is due to Anthony’s effort in creating the club’s biodiversity management plan and for all the hard work of fellow members and volunteers led by Phillip Thorne and David Elliott and their ever-growing band of helpers, assisted by our greens staff. Without Anthony’s vision and skills this project would not have seen the light of day.

“Through his drive and contacts, the club has engaged with other local groups, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Kent Moth Group and many others, who have helped in understanding the wealth of nature on and around the course. On top of this, he helped gain a five-year programme of grant funding from DEFRA.” GI

Canterbury Course Manager Ray Goodsall on biodiversity

Biodiversity for me is a passion and it has been all the way through my career. Ecology and biodiversity of your out-of-play areas is a big part of our remit now as greenkeepers.

Promoting that within the club has been welcomed by the majority of people, who recognise that our focus should not solely be on the playing areas of the course.

We have introduced about seven hectares of what I call eco-rough, and that was a bit of a shock for some initially because it’s not as easy to find a wayward ball in amongst that!

But with seven hectares of ground that used to be cut, that’s a huge time-saver, and the strategic enhancement of adding this other element to the course has enriched both the biodiversity and the golfing experience; it straightens up a lot of people’s play!