• The R&A was formed in 2004 as a group of companies separate to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

• The R&A is golf's world rules and development body and organiser of The Open Championship. It operates with the consent of more than 130 national and international, amateur and professional organisations, from over 120 countries and on behalf of an estimated 30 million golfers in Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and The Americas (outside the USA and Mexico, where the United States Golf Association is the game’s governing body).

• By developing The Open Championship as one of the world's great sporting events and an outstanding commercial success, The R&A is able to invest an annual surplus through The R&A Foundation into grass roots development projects around the world. Particular emphasis is placed on the encouragement of junior golf, on the development of the game in emerging golfing nations, on coaching and the provision of open-to-all courses and practice facilities.

• Currently, £200,000 of this surplus goes towards supplying basic greenkeeping machinery (pedestrian cylinder mowers for greens and trailed gang mowers for fairways) to courses, mainly in Africa, that would otherwise struggle to prepare their playing surfaces.

• The R&A operates a greenkeeper scholarship programme at Elmwood and Myerscough Colleges in the UK which has included students from China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Spain and the UK. There has been an investment of nearly £150,000 in this scheme since its inception in 2004.

• The R&A has had a long standing interest in golf course matters, setting up its “Greenkeeping Panel” in 1986, publishing “The Way Forward” in 1989 and “A Course for All Seasons” in 1996, and hosting the conference “On Course for Europe” in 2000.

• The R&A Golf Course Committee was formed in 2002 and its objective is to promote sustainable golf course development and management through the implementation of best practice.

• The R&A’s definition of sustainable golf course development and maintenance is: Optimising the playing quality of the golf course in harmony with the conservation of its natural environment under economically sound and socially responsible management.

• The R&A launched the website www.bestcourseforgolf.org in 2004. The site provides guidelines on all aspects of course development and maintenance, supporting The R&A’s objective to promote sustainable courses.

• Website development provides useful tools for courses such as the self assessment listing and benchmarking, which they can utilise, free of charge, on registering to the site. Other interesting features on the site are case studies, the sustainability map and a number of short videos focusing on sustainability and aspects of this as demonstrated at Open Championships.

• The R&A hosted “The course for Europe” conference in 2008 which featured guest speakers from the EU Environment Directorate and WWF. The EGA and over 20 of its members were represented, with the environmental programmes of eight of them featured in presentations or on storyboards. Many other organisations attended the conference, including FEGGA.

• The R&A produces an annual publication on the wildlife and habitat conservation value of that year’s Open Championship venue, which are supported by UK government environmental agencies.

• The R&A works with its affiliates, the national governing bodies of the game, to achieve its objective with regard to sustainability and encourages them to develop a strong relationship with national greenkeeper associations.

• More information about the work of The R&A, including an annual review which can be downloaded, is available from www.randa.org

• Working towards best practice will enhance the environmental credibility of the game.

• Following the Guidelines will help courses to be more environmentally responsible and accountable for the management practices they implement.

• Implementing the Guidelines will improve playing quality whilst conserving the natural environment, supporting economically sound and socially responsible management.

• Utilising this resource will raise awareness of environmental and greenkeeping issues, improving the profile of these important areas and those who are responsible for them.

• It will in turn allow the club to act as a positive influence on political policies and social legislation in relation to golf.

• This effort will help to develop practical and harmonious relationships with golf administration bodies.

• It will attract new members and guests by providing better value.

• It will open up potential new markets such as eco-friendly golfers.

• It provides a check on the processes and documentation required to manage a sustainable course.

• The self assessment list is supported by explanatory text to aid understanding of the issues involved.

• The breadth of material covered will persuade management that the course is the primary asset at the facility and that professional staff are required to care for it

• It is not time limited so you can complete the process at your own pace.

• It can be used to ensure you have the necessary processes and paperwork in place should you wish to go for environmental awards or accreditation.

• R&A benchmarking is a free service with anonymity for all inputted data.

• Benchmarking is a way to measure the actual practices applied to the course and measure their progress, including maintenance inputs for greens, fairways, tees, etc., weather, maintenance costs and playing quality.

• Benchmarking facilitates assessment of the performance of the golf course in environmental, economic and playing quality terms.

• It is information that allows the course to measure its progress with others of similar regions facing similar conditions and challenges.

• Real facts and figures at the press of a button support effective management decision making.

• Data from the service will provide the evidence to prepare the case for golf when further pesticide restrictions begin to apply to the game.

• Its use will encourage understanding and cooperation between clubs and their greenkeeping staff, and with the national golf associations, demonstrating their common goals.

• It will help with future decisions and actions of the club regarding playing quality, economics and environmental considerations.

• It gives the ability to review the economic, playing and environmental performance over time.

• It will help the club stay on top of their financial situation with clearly accessible and comparable statistics for expenditure.

• Environment – it helps to get an idea of the course’s own ecological footprint and how it stands with compliance to national and European standards or guidelines.

• Social responsibility – it provides the evidence to demonstrate that golf can contribute positively to the local community.

• Playing quality – it enables monitoring of playing quality with any necessary changes to maintenance practices brought about by economic factors or legislation.

• Using the system can provide the data records required to successfully apply for environmental certification.