Lee Park Golf Course in Gateacre is taking on some of the country’s most famous and historic links in a battle for the Environmental Golf Course of the Year.
The Childwall Valley Road club is one of only four finalists for the award, from an original list of 200 applications submitted by venues across the UK. It is up against the likes of Open championship course Carnoustie and the Royal St David’s Golf Club in North Wales for the accolade.
Club bosses said the shortlisting was the culmination of nine years’ work to boost Lee Park’s credentials as a green oasis in the heavily built-up area and environmental projects have included improving wildlife and fauna on the course, and the creation of a lake feature on the 18th green.
Proud manager Steve Settle told JMU Journalism: “As a not-for-profit members golf club, it advertises to the outside world that we take green issues very seriously.
“This is the fourth award in the past seven years and keeps a positive image of golf in the North West within the public eye.
“We are still the only club on Merseyside to have been awarded GolfMark by the English Golf Union for the way we look after juniors.”
Over the past nine years, a lot of work has been carried out following an ecological survey in 2006 by Lee Penrose of the Sports Turf Research Institute and all of his recommendations have been put into effect and the golf club has created an oasis of wildlife within a suburban setting.
Some of the many identified wildlife species now on the course include woodpeckers, owls, bats, foxes and squirrels.
Mr Settle continued: “All finalists deserve this recognition. However for us, it is that with limited monetary resources we have shown a high degree of commitment.
“It is nine years of ongoing dedication to the environment, delivered on a low level budget by a highly committed team and improving the ecological foot print and delivering year on year, as borne out by our many awards.”