From source to course - A comprehensive study of water management in golf
Over the past few months, Great Britain & Ireland has experienced one of the driest spells on record and this immediately follows an unprecedently long period of wet weather, with many months of record rainfall having been recorded over the past two years.
These extreme climatic conditions are fast becoming the norm, and they bring a genuine threat to the sustainability of our golf courses.
It is clear that very many golf facilities are in urgent need of finding long term, sustainable solutions for water management, including irrigation and drainage. Such solutions are complicated with resilient water sourcing, infrastructure issues, costs, legislation and planning implications all meaning this is a major concern for the GB&I golf industry.
A key element of a sustainable solution is a strong collaborative relationship with water providers and regulators for which it has become clear we need robust data on current and future usage, sourcing, and supply.
We are seeking to ensure that golf courses are viewed, particularly by regulators, as a benefit to the nation's health and the environment, for which we need a far stronger picture of the current situation, backed by data.
We urgently need your help with this. If you are a Golf Club Manager, Course Manager or Owner, please take part in this survey.
The survey data will be utilised by the governing bodies of golf across GB&I for the benefit of the industry. Please fill it in as accurately as possible, but be mindful that it is not a test, and is not a method of us identifying higher users. Golf courses differ wildly, and all provide a valuable resource for our sport. We simply need to better understand the current 'state of the nation' in order to accurately represent our challenge and ensure that our game and our facilities, are protected for the future.