HARWOOD Golf Club may be well known for its immaculate greens — but now the golf club is going green in a different way by installing an environmentally friendly biomass boiler which will save the club thousands of pounds.

The system is a wood pellet burner manufactured by ETA Heiztechnik of Hofkirchen in Austria.

A large hopper to hold the pellets, which arrive by tanker from Liverpool, has been installed to the rear of the clubhouse.

The pellets are then sucked from the hopper into a large fuel chamber where continuous combustion takes place.

One of the advantages to the club and to the immediate environment is that very little waste is produced.

A spokesman for the club said: "With the use of government subsidies for green energy, we hope that after a five year period, the project will not only be self-financing but also provide a steady income for the club.

"The hot water produced will not only heat the clubhouse but will provide copious amounts of hot water for the kitchens which were previously run on an expensive immersion system.

"This should substantially reduce the club's electricity bill."

The club has been advised by its vice-captain, Jim Robertson, who is a manager for Alternative Energy Contracting Limited (AEC).

Previous suggestions have included wind energy and solar panels but the management committee decided, after taking into account members' views, that this system was exactly what the club was looking for.

Other energy saving projects completed recently at Harwood have been the installation of LED lights throughout the clubhouse and the use of wood chippings under the trees in the rough to save on having to use machinery to keep the grass under control.

On a different front, the club has recently announced a parent and child membership where a new member can enrol his child, or children, for free, which hopefully will promote a greater involvement in sport amongst the young.

For information go to harwoodgolfclub.com