Hammock Dunes Club Celebrates 20 years of Audubon International Membership Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast, Florida celebrates 20 years of membership with Audubon International (AI) this year. The Oceanfront Links Course, an 18-hole golf course with oceanfront views, joined AI’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf in 2001 and swiftly became certified within the year. The second course to achieve ACSP certification was their Creek Golf Course, a unique 7-hole course which achieved certification in 2004. Audubon International’s ACSP for Golf certification requires members to undergo recertification every 3 years. At this time, each member summarizes their efforts in 6 different environmental focal areas including outreach and education, wildlife habitat management, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, water quality monitoring, and a case study. Since Hammock Dunes most recent recertification, the Creek Course has established significant acreage of native vegetation, minimized maintenance to natural areas and continues protecting the habitat on course with environmentally sensitive area signage nearby. The Links’ course continues to focus on increasing water conservation and water quality by selectively irrigat-
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ing, regularly testing water quality, and maintaining vegetative buffers around water bodies to reduce nutrient pollution. Located next to the golf club is Hammock Dunes oceanfront golf community, which includes 1,012 acres and 2.3 miles of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean. The community is in one of the last maritime hammocks on the east
coast and the Hammock Dunes Owners Association (HDOA) took the initiative to pursue Audubon International’s Sustainable Communities certification to conserve and support this environment. The efforts of the HDOA Audubon International Committee are well received by their residents and Hammock Dunes achieved certification as an Audubon International Sustainable
Golf Central • Volume 22, Issue 8