Member Article

Historic links golf club champions sustainability with recycled sand from Teesside ‘urban quarry’

Seaton Carew Golf Club is using recycled sand across its site as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainable course management.

It has partnered with Teesside recycling experts Scott Bros, which uses its £6m ‘urban quarry’ to create high-quality sand from unwanted construction and excavation waste.

Designed to preserve the natural resources of the links course, which includes a swathe of protected coastal dunes, the club is using recycled sand as top dressing on tee boxes, fairways, approaches, and as part of extensive construction works. 

The ability to top dress more regularly improves drainage, turf health, and surface firmness, while the use of recycled materials enables the club to carry out the work within tight budget constraints.

The 22-hole course, which is the 10th oldest in England, and has been played by such golfing greats as Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Peter Baker and Graeme Storm, is renowned for being kept in immaculate condition. This summer it hosted the English Amateur Championship, a highlight of its 150th anniversary year. 

Scott Bros continues to experience rising demand for the sustainably produced builder’s and sharp sand and five grades of aggregate from its wash plant in South Bank, Middlesbrough, which is capable of processing up to 300 tonnes of construction waste an hour. The family-run company is currently installing a plant on the site that will use the fine-grained clay by-product from the process to create low-carbon cement.

Alex Shaw, club manager of Seaton Carew Golf Club, said: “We are committed to being responsible custodians of this unique and sensitive links environment. By choosing to use recycled sand, we are not only maintaining the integrity of our course but ensuring we do so in a way that reserves finite natural resources. This initiative reflects our broader commitment to sustainability and to protect this exceptional landscape for future generations.”

Peter Scott, a director of Scott Bros, and current captain of Teesside Golf Club in Thornaby, added: “As a keen golfer who has enjoyed playing many rounds at Seaton Carew, I’m particularly proud that Scott Bros. is supporting the club’s approach, which balances tradition with modern, sustainable practices. 

“Our recycled sand is not only a practical solution for course maintenance but plays a vital role in reducing the need for quarrying finite natural resources. It’s a win-win for both the club and the environment.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .