Golf Club Talk UK GCMA Insights on GCTUK - Water Use and Security
In this episode, we bring together four leading voices from across the golf and environmental landscape to cut through the noise around water use and sustainability and focus on the facts. We're joined by Tom Brooke, CEO of GCMA, Richard Windows from The R&A, Tom Young from The Environment Partnership (TEP), and Daniel Scarr from Rain Bird to explore why water has become one of the most critical issues facing golf clubs today, and why doing nothing is no longer an option.
With so much information circulating, the discussion begins by grounding the debate in reality and an outline of where we are right now. This looks at the current pressures on water resources, the increasing scrutiny on abstraction and usage, and how climate patterns are already affecting golf courses across GB&I. The panel then looks ahead, with the panel painting a clear picture of where the industry could be in ten years' time if meaningful action isn't taken, from tighter regulation to rising costs and reduced resilience.
The conversation turns to practical action, starting with what clubs can do immediately. Daniel Scarr shares simple, low-cost steps that clubs can take now to reduce water consumption, focusing on smarter irrigation practices, better system management, and making small changes that quickly add up. From there, the panel expands into longer-term measures, discussing investment in infrastructure, data-led decision making, agronomic and course design considerations, and how sustainability can be built into long-term planning rather than treated as a reactive fix.
With wetter winters and heavier rainfall falling in shorter, more intense periods, we examine how golf courses can adapt to cope more effectively, improving drainage, capturing and storing water, and building resilience into course management strategies.
The episode also highlights the collective work being done across the industry. Tom Brooke explains how organisations such as the GB&I Golf Forum and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf (APPGG) are working together to represent the sport, influence policy, and drive coordinated action on sustainability and water management.
The message that runs throughout the discussion is clear: clubs don't need to have all the answers today, but they do need to start. The panel closes by encouraging clubs to take action now, however small the steps may seem, because early progress, informed decisions, and a willingness to engage will be critical to safeguarding the future of the game.
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