Through initiatives such as sustainable bamboo tee pegs and recycling plastic bottles the Oman Open strives to have as small an impact on the environment as possible.
In 2020 the Oman Open printed all of its passes, tickets and the tournament programme on recycled paper and gave all players and caddies refillable water bottles, which they filled at 5-gallon water coolers situated on the driving range in order to try and reduce the number of individual plastic bottles on site.
“The Oman Open has defined itself as being all about Oman, and this philosophy is at the heart of every decision we make. One of our tournament tag lines is ‘Visit Oman’ and therefore we feel it only right, where possible, to try to make decisions that are more environmentally responsible" said Jamie Wood, Oman Open Championship Director. The tournament’s sustainability drive also extends beyond the week of the event as the host venue Al Mouj Golf was the first golf course in the region to become Audubon Certified in 2014, which highlights their effort in developing more eco-friendly management approaches and practices toward the maintenance of the club as a habitat for its diverse range of wildlife.
One of the most significant initiatives for which the club was praised is the re-naturalisation of the land surrounding its fairways. The ‘out of play’ areas around Al Mouj have been designed to blend with the desert surroundings in an effort to conserve the biodiversity and natural habitats of Muscat wildlife.
Indigenous birds have benefited greatly as a result, with an abundance of species being found in and around the golf course. It is often surprising to visitors and residents to find that Oman, a country that is synonymous with a landscape of vast desert and sand dunes, has such a thriving bird population. But, in fact, the ancient deserts, rocky mountains and thousands of miles of deep blue coastline, are a habitat and migration stopover for more than 518 species of birds.
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