National Links Trust New Model for Municipal Golf

How can 150 acres of urban public green space benefit a community beyond recreational access? How can a golf course address stormwater runoff and pollution issues, improve water quality, revitalize habitats, and improve biodiversity? 

How can it create partnerships and programs with other nonprofits to improve access and inclusion for underrepresented populations (while keeping the game affordable for all)?

Andrew Szunyog has dedicated his career to improving the relationship between the game of golf and its surrounding communities. Municipal golf courses are becoming community centers to facilitate a healthy environment and places for people to go. 

As the Director of Sustainability at National Links Trust, he’s laid out the most comprehensive framework for sustainability at a golf course that I’ve ever heard. His report outlines four buckets addressing emissions and runoffs, resource efficiency, waste management, and community and environmental stewardship.

Topics covered:

• Andrew’s career journey to the Director of Sustainability at National Links Trust [1:39]

• • After graduating from the University of Florida in 2003 with a degree in Business and Sports Management, Andrew got a minimum-wage job at a local course working in outside operations. He quickly learned he wanted to spend his life in golf.
  • Six months later, his dad passed away unexpectedly. His inheritance allowed him to complete a 16-month program at Professional Golfers Career College. He fell in love with running tournaments. 
  • He got an internship with the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2006 and 2007 where he learned volunteer management, spectator management, ticket sales, and more. 
  • He completed a research project on “What does Sustainability in Golf Mean?” and what organizations are doing to be responsible for their impact on the environment.
  • He realized there was an intersection between social and environmental justice and wanted to understand how golf fits in that. He wants the tournaments he runs to have some higher purpose that provides value. 
  • Together with Alex Baxter and Andre Paul, they created a golf sustainability mastermind group which transformed into a newsletter and blog. They created a platform for the golf industry to tell its sustainability journey. 
  • When he learned that The National Links Trust formed, he made himself available for volunteer opportunities. 
  • In 2021, he was working with Blue Strike Environmental when National Links Trust reached out to him to lead a sustainability panel for their first annual symposium on municipal golf. Afterward, NLT asked him to become their in-house sustainability professional. 

• The origin, purpose, and mission of the National Links Trust [00:26:19] 

• • The National Links Trust is a 501C3 non-profit organization that has a 50-year lease with the National Park Service to manage the three public golf courses in D.C. 
  • The goal over the 50-year lease is to renovate all three courses to give them a fresh look, built with sustainability in mind, presenting the historical significance of what the courses mean to the city. 
  • They will break ground on Rock Creek Park on November 1st, 2024. They’ve set a two-year timeline for the renovations of each course. 

• Developing a sustainability report for the National Links Trust [00:30:17] 

• • Andrew is writing a sustainability report and created frameworks to address the impact of their operations, how they will address root causes, and rebuild with sustainability in mind.
  • Bucket one accounts for emissions and runoffs. It’s looking at water quality monitoring to reduce waste pollution, looking at reducing emissions, and addressing nutrient and pesticide management.
  • Bucket two looks at resource efficiency, covering energy audits, electrifying the infrastructure, lighting audits, upgraded HVAC systems, window tinting, automatic on/off switches, and water efficiency. This also includes retrofitting and upgrading their historical structures. 
  • Bucket three is waste management procurement. Their goal is to eliminate single-use practices, ban plastic tees, and work with vendors to make sure products are sent in compostable plastic packaging. They’ll create partnerships to become zero waste. 
  • The fourth bucket is geared toward community and environmental stewardship, improving access to the game, and developing partnerships that promote sustainability, climate resilience, and social and environmental justice. They’ll create volunteer programs, community programming, internships, and much more. 

• What’s motivating the reinvention of municipal golf courses [00:44:40] 

• • Their mission is to show the value that municipal courses have as community assets. These places are entry points for well over half of people who play golf. 
  • If a golf course is viewed as a park, money won’t be set aside for upkeep. But if it’s viewed as an asset, it becomes a sustainable business that can make money. 

• What drives Andrew to make a difference in golf sustainability [00:50:18] 

• • Andrew strives to ensure that the game of golf continues for future generations, remaining affordable, accessible, and sustainable. 
  • He hopes that future golf professionals can work in an industry that’s sustainable, responsible, and accountable for its actions and operations. 
  • Andrew’s ultimate vision is that when people think of golf, they think of municipal golf. It’s the place that drives community change within the sports world. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• The Greatest Game Ever Played
• Professional Golfers Career College

Connect with Andrew Szunyog

• National Links Trust
• Driving the Green
• Connect on LinkedIn

Connect With Golf Sustainability

• LinkedIn 
• Facebook 
• Instagram
• X (Twitter)

Subscribe to Golf Sustainability

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Note: Timestamps provided are approximate.

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