Resonance
Respect for the environment is a core concern for all Resonance Golf Collection golf courses. The impact of phytosanitary products on fauna and subsoil, the increasing scarcity of water and energy costs are all taken into account on a daily basis to reconcile respect for the environment with sustainability.
For a number of years now, Hardelot Golf Club has been committed to the ecological transition, and every action taken on the course is carefully thought through to ensure that we respect the natural resources and biodiversity that surround us.
Ludovic, our superintendent, focuses his work on three pillars that constitute the fundamentals of responsible maintenance:
Mechanical maintenance of the courses is crucial to maintaining our quality standards. We plan and communicate these operations, such as core drilling, well in advance, including in tour operator contracts, to avoid any surprises. Unplanned operations are minimal but essential for the health of our courses.
Our golf courses are an extension of the local ecosystem, not an isolated enclave. The actions we take, such as maintaining habitats for bees, have an impact beyond our borders, contributing to the biodiversity of the whole region. This reinforces our responsibility towards the surrounding flora and fauna.
Adopting zero phyto requires significant changes, which are sometimes misunderstood by players. For example, closing our greens during periods of severe frost or restricting the use of golf carts protects our courses, avoiding damage and diseases that would require chemical treatments. These decisions may reduce our income in the short term, but they preserve the quality of the courses for the coming season.
We’re aiming for the Silver Biodiversity Label, with key initiatives including the installation of new nesting boxes, the maintenance of beehives, and the creation of off-game flower meadows. Our plans also include improving the pond on the Pins course to accommodate more frogs and restoring a ditch to increase its biodiversity. These efforts go beyond mere aesthetics; they reinforce our defence against invasive species by encouraging the presence of birds and bats, which contribute to the natural balance of biodiversity.
In the coming years, if players want quality, they will have to accept paying a price accordingly, and this is not an unfounded position. It’s linked to all these notions of maintenance in the broadest sense of the term. We have 13 permanent gardeners and three seasonal workers to look after two courses. And we have to bear in mind that the watering restrictions, which we respect to the letter, mean that we have to commit to an ever-increasing replanting budget. We’ve also had to cope with price rises for seeds of around 30%, and when we’re talking about a few tonnes a year, it’s important to understand that complying with water management standards costs the golf course a lot.