BOSSES at the Home of Golf are spend more than £10 million installing new sprinklers to protect their iconic courses from future dry spells.
The St Andrews Links Trust which runs the world-famous Old Course in St Andrews said a new water system is needed to safeguard the venue for future generations.
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Work to install 1,500 new sprinklers across the Old Course is scheduled to begin this winter, more than doubling the current number of 800.
They will include ‘hidden’ pop-up sprinklers to provide better irrigation for the Old Course’s vast greens without compromising the playing surfaces.
The management said the project will allow them to reach specific parts of the course which are starved of water during periods such as the dry spell Scotland experienced last month.
In total the trust will spend £10.5 million over the next five years improving the irrigation at six golf courses which it manages in the Fife town.
Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “Over the next five years we are making a significant investment in our courses, not just to improve the experience for all those playing on our iconic courses, but to safeguard their future.
“As the Home of Golf, we take our responsibility to protect this land seriously and want to lead the way in securing a more sustainable future for our sport.
“The project was one of the first we discussed early in 2022 as we set out a strategy to increase surplus to enable reinvestment into our facilities.
“I am pleased this work will soon be underway as we continue to ensure we have the best facilities available for all our local and visiting golfers.”
Work on the Old Course, which will host The 155th Open in July 2027, will begin in November and is scheduled for completion in March 2026 ahead of the main playing season.
Installation will be completed in stages to allow the course to remain open for play and to minimise disruption as much as possible.
A ‘mole plough’ will be used to lay new pipework and cable, reducing the requirement for digging trenches across the course.
The current irrigation system, which was installed in 2000-01, has reached the end of its lifespan. As well as more effective water usage, the new system will open up new pin locations across the course with the installation of the ‘hidden’ pop-up sprinklers on some putting surfaces.
Sandy Reid, director of greenkeeping at St Andrews Links Trust, said: “Our new irrigation system will allow us to take a more targeted approach to course management.
“We will be better able to irrigate specific parts of the courses, which is particularly useful during dry spells such as we’ve experienced recently as it ensures all irrigation gets to the areas most in need.
“This will ultimately allow us to operate more efficiently, improve course conditions and maintain our sustainable and responsible use of water.”
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