Cantigny Recruits “Green Golfers” Through Audubon Program
WHEATON, IL, September 10, 2009
Patrons of Cantigny Golf, part of the McCormick Foundation, are showing they value the “nature of the game” by signing the Green Golfer Pledge. It’s their way of demonstrating support for golf course management practices that respect the environment.
The pledge, part of the Audubon Green Golfer program sponsored by Audubon International, is the latest step by Cantigny to raise public awareness of the important role that golf courses play in conserving natural resources and managing wildlife habitat.
“Signing the pledge is an easy way for our players to show their commitment to protecting the natural assets of Cantigny Golf,” said Scott Witte, course superintendent. “The pledge gives them an ownership stake in our long-term efforts to maintain the golf course responsibly.”
So far 230 Cantigny players have signed on. Elements of the Green Golfer Pledge include a promise to:
- Support the environmental efforts undertaken at my course
- Keep golf carts out of natural habitat restoration areas
- Be diligent in repairing ball-marks and divots
- Use trash and recycling bins properly and encourage others to do so
- Take time to appreciate the increased variety of native plants and wildlife on the course
Golfers may register in the Cantigny golf shop or online at audubongreengolfer.com. Those who take the Green Golfer Pledge are eligible to win prizes, including two tickets to the 2010 U.S. Open. Winners must be 18 or older and take the pledge no later than Sept. 30, 2009.
The Green Golfer program extends Cantigny Golf’s history of responsible stewardship. In 1993, four years after the course opened for play, it became the ninth golf course in the U.S. to earn designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. The sanctuary program is a joint effort between the United States Golf Association and Audubon International. To be certified, a golf course must fulfill stringent requirements in six categories, such as water conservation and water quality management, chemical use reduction and habitat enhancement.
“We’re proud to be a certified sanctuary and committed to the best practices that enabled us to earn the designation,” said Witte. “Being good stewards of the land will always be a priority at Cantigny Golf and across the entire Cantigny estate.”
About Cantigny Golf
Cantigny Golf, part of the McCormick Foundation, is now celebrating its 20th anniversary. When it opened for play in 1989, Golf Digest magazine named it the “Best New Public Course in America.” Most recently it earned a place on the magazine’s “Best in State” list for 2009-2010. Today, the 300-acre Cantigny Golf complex includes 27 challenging holes, the year-round Cantigny Golf Academy and the 9-hole Cantigny Youth Links. Cantigny hosted the 2008 Illinois State Amateur and the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. For more information, please visit
CantignyGolf.com.
About the McCormick Foundation
The McCormick Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening our free, democratic society by investing in children, communities and country. Through its grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, museums and civic outreach program the Foundation helps build a more active and engaged citizenry. It was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation’s largest charities, with more than $1 billion in assets. For more information, please visit
McCormickFoundation.org.