“I can put a million litres out a night if I wanted to really give it a good nudge,” Mr Sumner says. The security of knowing that supply will not run dry during Sydney’s increasingly fierce summers is reassuring for the Club and its 1400 members.
“Members do enjoy seeing that green, lush golf course. In an Australian environment, that’s very hard to achieve considering the summers that we go through and endure.”
The project recently saw Pennant Hills Golf Club take out the Sustainable Future category at the Clubs & Community Awards, a recognition Sumner receives with quiet pride.
“When we talk about being environmentally sustainable, this club doesn’t just talk the talk — we walk the walk,” he says.
“We aim to set an example for what good clubs, good corporate citizens and good people in the local community should be doing.”
The total infrastructure investment came in around $650,000, which Mr Sumner describes with satisfaction as “a bang for the buck”.
NorthConnex contributed substantial in-kind support while an $80,000 grant from the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership Program helped bridge the gap.
Mr Sumner also offered a special thanks to Thomas Burke from NorthConnex as without his efforts, guidance and support the project would not have come to fruition.
Next on the agenda for the Club is expanded solar capacity and more irrigation targeting, guided by the philosophy Mr Sumner sums up as “every drop counts”.
For other clubs sitting near major infrastructure projects, his advice is direct.
“Have a good relationship with your neighbours,” Mr Sumner says. “There is a willingness to do the right thing, but it has to be a win-win for both sides.”
