Audubon Program Guides Glencoe’s Environmental Practices

by Ann Sullivan

Not every golf course close to a major city can boast elk, bears, moose, bobcats and coyotes as regular visitors. The Glencoe Golf and Country Club (GGCC), situated just west of Calgary, certainly can. Canada’s biggest golf course, the Glencoe is a 45-hole course built into the forest and the floodplain adjacent to the Elbow River. It was the 12th golf course in Alberta to be certified by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for Golf, which might account, at least in part, for its abundance of wildlife.

Being certified with Audubon International means the Glencoe must meet a list of criteria in six key areas every year, including environmental planning, water conservation and chemical use reduction and safety. (See sidebar below for more information about the ASCP for Golf certification program.) These criteria have led the Glencoe to adopt responsible environmental practices year round, which is especially good news for the Elbow River, a major source of drinking water for Calgarians. 

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