Olympic Golf Course
The new permanent Olympic Golf Course transitioned quickly to post-Games use and now hosts both high-performance and grassroots golf, as well as playing an important environmental role.
At professional level, the course has hosted major tournaments such as the Brazilian Open in September 2016 and the PGA Tour Latin America Qualifying Tournament in January 2019.
The course is also a public space and is open to players of all levels, without a need for membership. On weekends, free lessons and equipment are provided to make golf more accessible to everyone.
The course was built on the edge of the Marapendi Reserve and, although there was opposition to the location, its construction helped regenerate land that had been degraded due to sand mining. The course was designed to maximise the use of native vegetation, minimise the need for plant transplanting and reduce land movement. The result was the net creation of 443,210m² (44 hectares) of new native vegetation.
During the construction of the golf course, mangrove vegetation was salvaged and relocated to other areas within the venue. Dunes were restored within previously degraded areas, and native vegetation (restinga) was restored. Turf grass was limited to 37 hectares (38 per cent of the area).
The site is home to over 100 species of birds, eight of which are considered endemic to the Atlantic Forest biome, and over 263 species of mammals, frogs, snakes and lizards. Biologists were on site during the construction of the golf course and during the Olympic events to ensure fauna management and protect species and their habitats.
This combination of environmental awareness and a popular approach to golf has resulted in a monthly programme that allows primary school pupils to visit the course, play golf and learn about the environment.