First club in Los Cabos to be designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
LOS CABOS, Mexico – Solmar Golf Links, designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary in 2021 and the first club to be so recognized in Los Cabos, has continued to excel as a custodian of the environment with a recent renewal of the certification for 2024.
In conjunction with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, the club’s golf and maintenance staff is perpetuating the club’s sanctuary designation with Audubon International, an environmentally focused organization that governs conservation initiatives.
Solmar’s Greg Norman-designed course is one of more than 900 venues worldwide to hold certification from Audubon International.
“Solmar Golf Links has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program,” said Christine Kane, CEO at Audubon International. “The club is to be commended for its efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property. To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that it is maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas, such as Environmental Planning; Wildlife & Habitat Management; Outreach and Education; Chemical Use Reduction and Safety; Water Conservation; and Water Quality Management.”
Solmar Golf Links’ sustainable accomplishments include:
- Extensive native acreage on the property
- Reducing irrigated areas to conserve water
- Establishing buffers around water bodies
- Providing excellent wildlife habitat
- Conducting water quality testing
“We are very proud to be a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, and especially proud that we’re the first club in Los Cabos to earn this environmental citation,” said Nubia Sarabia, director of golf. “Greg Norman and his team designed a versatile course that treads very lightly on nature’s toes. Earthmoving was kept to an absolute minimum during construction. From start to finish, the layout looks like it was extruded by the landscape, not built on top of it.”
Course superintendent Freddy Elos, cited several eco-friendly projects he and his staff pursue on a regular basis that align with Audubon International’s guidelines including: reducing water & chemical usage, increasing wildlife habitat areas, water quality management, among others.
Opened in February 2020, the Greg Norman Signature course at Solmar Golf Links anchors an 834-acre resort and residential community on the Pacific Ocean 15 minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas.
Known for his ‘least-disturbance’ design approach, Norman built a low-profile layout that spans three different ecosystems and offers sweeping ocean views from every hole. Existing landforms and drought-resistant grasses were integrated in the design, creating an eco-friendly golf experience that flows naturally with the desert-meets-ocean setting.
“Solmar Golf Links is the most spectacular piece of oceanfront property I’ve seen in a long time, so to have the opportunity to build a course on this site was truly once-in-a-lifetime,” Norman said at the club’s grand opening. “My goal was to keep it as natural as possible while showcasing the site’s arroyos, dunes and view corridors. We wanted to build a sustainable course that is playable from all perspectives.”
Now approaching its fifth anniversary, the club continues to maintain its commitment to the environment.
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, endorsed by the United States Golf Association (USGA), provides information and guidance to help golf courses preserve and enhance wildlife habitat and protect natural resources. Golf courses from North America, Africa, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia have achieved certification in the program.
Audubon International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Troy, N.Y. In addition to golf courses, Audubon International also provides programs for businesses, schools, communities, and new developments with the purpose of delivering high-quality environmental education and facilitating the sustainable management of natural resources. For more information, visit https://auduboninternational.org/.
For more information about Solmar Golf Links, visit https://solmargolf.com/.
