With the UK enduring one of its driest summers on record, The R&A is pushing golf clubs and course managers to make full use of its Golf Course 2030 Water Portal — a free, science-based resource aimed at helping facilities navigate mounting water management challenges as climate patterns grow more extreme.
Provisional data shows England and Wales have just recorded their driest July since records began, with Southern England posting its driest month since 1836. England received only 5.6mm of rainfall across the entire month — a mere 8% of its long-term average — while Wales fared similarly, recording 7.9mm, also around 8% of its typical monthly rainfall.
For course managers, the implications are significant. Prolonged drought places sustained pressure on turf health, drives up irrigation demand, and tests the long-term resilience of playing surfaces. The R&A warns that as weather patterns grow increasingly unpredictable, sustainable water management is no longer a peripheral concern but a central planning priority for clubs, facilities and owners alike.
What the Water portal offers
First launched in 2023 and recently refreshed with updated research, legislation and best-practice guidance, the Golf Course 2030 Water Portal is designed to give greenkeeping and management teams practical, evidence-based tools for water-related decision-making. Key features include:
- An interactive climate mapping tool that models projected changes in rainfall and temperature over time, helping courses anticipate future conditions rather than simply react to them.
- Practical efficiency guidance covering ways to improve water use and build resilience into course operations.
- Detailed information on sustainable infrastructure solutions, spanning drainage, irrigation systems, water monitoring and abstraction practices.
- Twenty-two case studies drawn from golf courses across the UK and Europe, offering real-world examples of water management strategies in action.
- A dedicated legislation section, linking directly to relevant water regulations to help courses stay compliant with evolving rules.
- A downloadable PDF report, allowing teams to reference and plan offline.
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A collaborative approach
The R&A is also encouraging clubs to pair the portal’s resources with guidance from national federations and industry bodies such as BIGGA (the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association), ensuring course management strategies reflect region-specific conditions and regulatory requirements rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Expert insight from Paul Woodham
To support wider uptake, The R&A has released a video featuring Paul Woodham, its Sustainable Agronomy Lead, who discusses the operational impact of extended dry spells, the growing importance of sustainable water strategies, and how course managers can practically apply the tools within the Water Portal to their own facilities.
Looking ahead
As drought conditions persist across much of the UK this summer, The R&A’s message to the golf industry is clear: proactive water planning, grounded in reliable data and shared best practice, will be essential to protecting course quality and playability in the years ahead. Clubs are encouraged to explore the full portal and its resources directly via The R&A’s sustainable golf site.
The portal can be accessed here
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