TROY, New York – Audubon International, the environmentally focused non-profit organization offering members numerous certifications and conservation initiatives to protect the areas where we all live, work, and play, congratulates Twin Dolphin Club, centerpiece of a private master-planned community in Los Cabos, Mexico, on achieving Signature Sanctuary Gold Certification for its comprehensive commitment to sustainable best practices.
Originally awarded Signature Sanctuary Bronze Certification in 2022, the Fred Couples Signature course was designed in partnership with Todd Eckenrode of Origins Golf Design, who has since returned to lay out the new Backyard Short Course.
Owned and operated by Ohana Real Estate Investors, Twin Dolphin’s original 18 holes is routed on an incredible desert setting of hills and arroyos with Sea of Cortez views at every turn. Small clusters of homes are placed throughout the property to keep members’ interaction with the Baja environment as immersive as possible.
“They check every box for certification, starting with their naturalization and their wildlife,” says Sarah Honan, Audubon International’s Assistant Director of Signature Sanctuary Certification. “The course itself is abundant corridors, naturalized areas that they continue to expand upon. The property also has a large section that’s more native and wild-kept and connects with the golf course very well.”
Director of Agronomy Russell Hewitt, who joined the Twin Dolphin project on day one, and his crew work hard to keep water use to a minimum while providing a healthy playing surfaces – Bermuda fairways and rough, Tif Eagle greens – thriving through the region’s dry and humid seasons. Hewitt helped shepherd Twin Dolphin through its initial Signature Sanctuary Certification literally from the ground up, combine the latest irrigation technologies with tried-and-true nutrient inputs and IPM (integrated pest management) programs to achieve and maintain balance and efficiency on the course.
“When I came on board, I asked ownership to consider Audubon International, and they thought it was a great idea,” Hewitt said. “We were in that primary period that we could get into the Signature Sanctuary program. We were the first in Mexico to do so.”
Other environmentally friendly measures such as solar-covered refueling stations, battery backups, paper use reduction, and wildlife habitat enhancement solidify Twin Dolphin’s stewardship bona fides, and by all accounts, its members and homeowners, who trend younger and more sustainability oriented, are fully on board, with a push toward Signature Sanctuary Platinum Certification in the not-too-distant future.
“This season we’ve had good comments on everything, which is a testament to the team doing all the hard work out there, doing a really good job,” Hewitt says. “Everyone’s passionate about what they do and it’s a fun place to work.”
To learn more about how your local golf course, community, lodging property 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