Laguna Phuket Golf Club awarded IGOLF Laureate Status

The Laguna Phuket Golf Club has been awarded an IGOLF Laureate Course Status by the International Golf and Life Foundation (IGOLF). This accolade is given to select golf courses around the world which show a dedicated commitment to environmental and social responsibility. The addition of the Laguna Phuket Golf Club brings the number of IGOLF Laureate courses in Thailand to five, three of which are in Phuket.

The International Golf and Life Foundation (IGOLF) is a not-for-profit organization registered in Bern, Switzerland. IGOLF’s mission is to establish norms of excellence based on environmental and social responsibility for golf courses around the world, working with golfers, resort and golf course operators, golf industry partners, media, governments, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.

The IGOLF Laureate Status was awarded to the Laguna Phuket Golf Club at a ceremony held at the Club on 4 April 2008. Also receiving certificates were the Loch Palm Golf Club and Red Mountain Golf Course.

“Laguna Phuket is an example of a golf club which takes both its environmental and social responsibilities seriously, with a variety of innovative actions,” said IGOLF Chairman Paul Sochaczewski.

With its environmental and social responsibility practices already in place, the Laguna Phuket Golf Club was a perfect choice for the IGOLF Laureate Status, meeting all the requirements stated in the IGOLF Charter. As part of the Laguna Phuket complex, which was rehabilitated from a ruined, abandoned tin mine into a lush, tropical haven, the Laguna Phuket Golf Club is a shining example of environmental responsibility. Home to a vast variety of wildlife, including kingfisher birds, fishing eagles and white egrets, Laguna Phuket’s 600 acres showcases nature and tourism harmoniously co-existing side by side.

The golf course, having been constructed on land that had no plant or animal life, now supports more than 7000 trees and an ever-increasing number of birds. A designated area on the golf course is also set apart to support breeding wildlife. Use of pesticides on the resort complex generally is very limited and treated waste water from the hotels is used to irrigate the golf course and common areas within the complex.

The Laguna Phuket is also very aware of its social responsibility to the local community. Being one of the largest single employers in Phuket with over 3500 staff, Laguna is also recognized as an employer offering some of the best benefits, among which are superior working conditions, compensation and welfare programs. Apart from that, Laguna Phuket has further contributed to the local community with the establishment of the Laguna Childcare Centre and the Laguna Phuket Community English Language Centre, as well as donations to numerous temples, mosques and charities.

“Laguna Phuket Golf Club, as part of the Laguna Phuket integrated resort complex, recognizes that environmentalism goes far beyond best practices, extending out into the wider local community,” said Tim Haddon, Director of Golf at Laguna Phuket Golf Club. “Becoming an IGOLF Laureate golf course reaffirms our commitment to the environment, our staff’s development and our social responsibility to the people of the extended community.

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