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Throughout our firm's history, Robert Trent Jones II has designed golf courses that not only challenge the mind and body, they provide a refuge for the soul. While a stimulating course is important to every discerning golfer, the course's natural setting and beauty are essential to the overall experience. Recognizing this truth, RTJII's design philosophy embodies the spirit of conservation.
Our commitment to the environment has made RTJII a natural partner to Audubon International's Signature Program. In 1993, RTJII's Granite Bay Golf Club became the first ever member of Audubon's Signature Program. Today, RTJII designed courses represent 10% of the total number of Certified Audubon Signature Sanctuaries, sharing the program's highest honor with the other certified courses.
Audubon International and RTJII realize that environmental issues are just as important as economic concerns in the development of a golf course project. The Audubon Signature Program began in 1993 as an outgrowth of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. Its purpose is to promote the philosophy that enhancing the environment has economic, aesthetic and community benefits. The Program's long term goal is to promote a "stewardship ethic" that leads land owners and managers, consultants, and local communities to consider environmental, rather than just economic, costs and benefits in their decision making. This far-sighted approach to development embraces the notion that sustainable, "smart growth" communities can protect the environment and realize a solid return on their investment.
Robert Trent Jones, Jr. once said, "We use our vision to reveal and sculpt the course inherent in each site." Through this attitude RTJII designs courses that highlight natural splendor and play off of nature's own features. RTJII subscribes to a design philosophy that emphasizes natural features and site appropriate development, rather than employing a design "style" on every site, regardless of its topography, climate or location. This design philosophy leads to the creation of distinct courses that emphasize the role nature's hand has had in the design. Through the creation of World-class golf courses following this approach, endangered species are protected, native flora is encouraged and priceless ecologies are preserved for future generations.
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