A new report outlining the pressures that are increasing scrutiny of how water is sourced and used to irrigate golf courses across England and Wales has been published.
The Water Efficiency State of the Nation overview and accompanying FAQs bring together key information about water resources, water use and water efficiency across the golf sector. These include population growth, climate change, less predictable rainfall and growing demand on public supplies.
The report was produced by the Retailer Wholesaler Group Water Efficiency Sub-Group, in partnership with the Environment Agency, England Golf, the Golf Club Management Association and the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association. The statutory target is to reduce the use of public water supplies in England per head of population by 20% by 2038, compared with a 2019-20 baseline. Water companies are also under pressure to reduce demand from businesses and other non-household customers.
Golf is particularly exposed because courses require water to maintain living landscapes and safe, playable surfaces, while many remain reliant on mains potable water for irrigation.
Environment Agency research has estimated that around 60% of England’s golf courses use mains potable water for irrigation. Approximately 820 abstraction licences are held by courses drawing water directly from sources such as rivers, lakes, boreholes and aquifers.
Those sources are also under pressure. Abstraction licences may be restricted when river or groundwater levels fall, while prolonged dry periods can increase irrigation demand at the same time as the amount of water available declines.
The State of the Nation overview is intended to provide clarity about what this means for golf clubs and address some common misconceptions.
There is currently no national policy stating that mains water will simply be switched off for every golf course. The 20% reduction target is not a golf-specific requirement or an instruction that each club must reduce its consumption by that amount.
Temporary Use Bans are introduced by individual water companies and their terms can vary between regions. Where golf course irrigation is covered, the restrictions apply to water supplied from the mains. Water taken from a club’s own borehole, lake or reservoir is not affected by a Temporary Use Ban, although separate Environment Agency restrictions may apply to abstraction.
The overview also makes clear that there is no single solution suitable for every golf course. Opportunities to harvest rainfall, capture drainage water, hold flood water, increase storage, improve irrigation efficiency or use treated wastewater will depend on a club’s location, land, infrastructure and available investment.
However, the long-term direction is clear. Clubs will need to understand how much water they use, where it comes from and how vulnerable those supplies may be during prolonged dry weather or periods of restriction.
BIGGA Chief Executive Jim Croxton said: “Water resilience is one of the defining challenges facing golf, but it is important that clubs understand the position clearly and are not distracted by speculation that water supplies are simply being switched off. This overview explains the genuine pressures facing the sector and the different ways in which restrictions can affect courses. It also shows why clubs must begin treating water as a long-term strategic issue.
“Greenkeepers have dealt with an exceptionally difficult combination of prolonged dry weather, pressure on supplies and changing restrictions. Their knowledge of the course, its irrigation requirements and the condition of its infrastructure must be central to every club’s planning.”
The State of the Nation overview also identifies significant gaps in the available information about golf’s water use. There is currently no comprehensive national picture showing how much water courses consume, the sources they rely upon, the storage available to them or the investment they are considering.
To address this, the partner organisations are developing the Golf Sector Resilience and Alternative Water Supply Options project. Independent research agency Sporting Insights has been commissioned to conduct a national water census covering approximately 1,800 golf courses.
The census will examine water consumption, abstraction licences, infrastructure, storage and the availability of alternative sources. Further information about how golf clubs can contribute will be shared in due course.
To view The Water Efficiency State of the Nation report, click here.