Rolex Series Makes History With 100% GEO Certified Venues in 2025 – Golf News
The HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship marks the start of the DP World Tour Play-offs, taking place from 6 to 9 November, and golf’s global tour, the DP World Tour, is proud to celebrate an important step forward in its sustainability journey.
For the first time in Rolex Series history, every event on the calendar will be played at a GEO Certified® venue, a distinction that recognizes leadership in sustainable golf and underscores the Tour’s long-term commitment to responsible golf operations.
GEO Certified®, guaranteed and awarded by the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, is a comprehensive, externally recognized sustainability certification tailored specifically for golf. It includes a rigorous, independently verified assessment of four key themes and twelve action areas directly linked to the Sustainable Golf Framework – Nature and Turf; Resource Conservation; People and Communities; and Climate Action.
This certification recognizes best practices and projects to date and takes into account continuous improvement initiatives.
Complete milestone
Earlier this year, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Genesis Scottish Open and BMW PGA Championship were successfully held at certified facilities such as Emirates Golf Club, Renaissance Club and Wentworth Club, while the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Abu Dhabi and the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates will complete this unprecedented sustainability milestone next month.
This goal becomes a reality when Yas Links Abu Dhabi achieves GEO Certified® status in early 2025, becoming the last venue to join the ranks of Rolex Series Certified Hosts.
The venue was recognized for excellence across multiple sustainability pillars, including using treated wastewater for irrigation, restoring native dune and mangrove habitats, implementing advanced irrigation audits to significantly reduce water use, and enhancing biodiversity conservation.
This achievement solidifies the DP World Tour’s position as the only professional golf tour committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 through its Golf for Good initiative’s Green Driving initiative, and demonstrates the collective dedication of golf’s elite venues to environmental stewardship, resource conservation and community engagement.
proud quotes
Maria Grandinetti Milton, DP World Tour Sustainability Director Milton said: “As we approach the final two Rolex Series events in 2025, we are extremely proud that all five of our most prestigious events this year are taking place at venues recognized for their leading efforts. This is testament to the shared commitment between the DP World Tour and our venue partners when it comes to environmental responsibility. Leading by example. It also echoes our own approach to responsible turf and golf course stewardship. The Rolex Series represents the pinnacle of our tour and hosting these championships in facilities that showcase world-class sustainable practices reinforces our values and determination to ensure golf continues to be a force for positive change.”
Viya Golf Director of Agronomy Corey Finn added: “Earning GEO Certified® earlier this year It is a proud moment for our entire team and it makes even more sense to host the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as part of this historic Rolex series. Sustainability is integrated into everything we do, from protecting native habitats and reducing our water footprint to engaging local communities in environmental education. We are proud to play our part in demonstrating that championship golf and environmental responsibility are not only compatible, but go hand in hand.”
Carole Kerrey, Director of Impact at the GEO Foundation, congratulated Yas Links and the other Rolex Series venues, adding: “We are delighted to present this distinction to such an outstanding group of golf facilities. Their leadership is vital and demonstrates that every part of golf – from major championship venues to smaller community courses – has unique responsibilities and opportunities within the local landscape. Collectively, each facility plays a role in the wider landscape.” The game of golf supports nature, strengthens communities and makes a meaningful contribution to global climate action.”
This year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will continue to showcase innovative sustainability practices through several key initiatives. The event saw a significant increase in solar panels and energy storage batteries across the venue, with 120 solar panels and 250kVa batteries installed in the spectator village – the first year new medium-sized batteries have been implemented, significantly reducing diesel generator runtime.
Water walls and mobile drinking fountains will follow crowds around the stadium, eliminating more than 60,000 single-use plastic bottles. Additionally, anaerobic digesters will effectively process food waste, diverting it from landfill and reducing carbon emissions.
Fans wishing to attend next month’s HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi can receive free general admission tickets for the first two days of the event. Tickets for the last two days start at just AED 100.
Click here to learn more and book tickets.
