Leading operator commits to achieve ACSP golf certification for all golf courses
TROY, New York – Audubon International recently announced that Invited, leading owner-operator of membership golf and country clubs, city and stadium clubs in North America, will direct more than 200 of the golf courses in its portfolio to join the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf and achieve certification over the next several years.
Audubon International is the environmentally focused non-profit organization offering members numerous certifications and conservation initiatives to protect the areas where we all live, work, and play.
Currently about 140 of Invited’s courses are ACSP-Certified for golf, making it one of Audubon International’s largest partners in its mission to help golf courses, resorts, hotels, parks, municipalities and businesses become more environmentally sustainable.
“Expanding Audubon International’s partnership with Invited to include every Invited golf course is a significant step for the leading club operator and we continue to give Invited clubs certification weekly,” said Frank LaVardera, Audubon International Director of Environmental Programs for Golf.
Added Christine Kane, CEO of Audubon International: “We are gratified and humbled to learn of Invited’s intention to make sure every course in their impressive and expansive portfolio is ACSP-certified. A partner of their caliber and influence going all-in for our stewardship mission is great news for the golf industry.”
By announcing the goal of full ACSP membership and certification for its golf courses, Invited is further elevating its commitment to environmental stewardship and its goal to drive continual improvement across all aspects of the operation.
“Invited is proud to have all of its golf courses receive the ACSP Certification, which will make us the only multi-unit club operator in North America to do so,” said Invited CEO David Pillsbury. “Our clubs play an integral role in the lives of our members and their communities, and it’s important that Invited courses are expertly positioned to protect the environment.”
Begun in 1991 in collaboration with the United States Golf Association, ACSP for Golf certification is the industry’s gold standard for sustainability.
Audubon International’s team of experts work hand-in-hand with superintendents and their staffs to achieve stringent, science-based benchmarks based on carefully developed Standard Environmental Management Practices in six key environmental components: Site Assessment an Environmental Planning, Wildlife and Habitat Management, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, Water Quality Management, and Outreach and Education.
Once certified, each course is re-inspected and re-certified every three years. Currently there are more than 2,000 certified ACSP for Golf courses in the United States and internationally.
Invited, formerly ClubCorp, is a lifestyle hospitality brand founded in 1957 on the traditions and values of acceptance. With these founding principles in mind, the company announced a full rebrand in 2022 with the name and fundamental belief that everyone is “Invited.”
The new name conveyed the appropriate hospitality emotion and appeal to match the lifestyle and hospitality service that the company and its members and guests have become accustomed to.
To learn more about how your local golf course, community or resort can gain recognition for your environmental efforts or to learn how to expand your initiatives through Audubon International’s numerous environmental certifications, visit www.auduboninternational.org.