We measure and make sense of golf course land carbon
Like trees and other plants, grass can sequester carbon. Furthermore, managed turfgrass can store more carbon than, for example, unmanaged grassland. Golf courses can therefore play a role in combating climate change.
Carbon Par combines years of scientific research and a range of proven methods to affordably and credibly measure land carbon on golf courses. Repeated measurements are fundamental to determine the rate of carbon sequestration or emissions avoidance. Therefore, to know your land carbon score, a baseline inventory is the first step.
Carbon Par is working on more than 70 golf courses, on 65 sites in three countries, including Le Golf National in Paris, the venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games golf competition.
While our main focus is currently on Europe, we aim to improve our geographical coverage.
Carbon Par started in 2019 as a STERF-funded scientific research project, estimating land carbon on all Icelandic golf courses, in collaboration with The Agricultural University of Iceland and The Golf Union of Iceland.
Improving Our Game to Play Under Par in 2030
We aim to raise our game to break, or play under carbon par by 2030. In other words, to become carbon negative. The timeline is partially determined by the current unavailability of product life cycle emission factors from manufacturers and service providers up and downstream in our value chain, and the time required for the inventory of our future nature-based projects. Their carbon sequestration and/or emissions avoidance is to exceed our historical emissions since the company's establishment in 2002 and those reduced year-on-year to an unavoidable level by 2030.