St Andrews Links Trust will break the ground this winter with a £10.5 million multi-year irrigation project that will optimize water usage and improve the player experience on the golf course.
Work plans to install 1,500 new sprinklers in the historic old course are planned to begin in the winter of 2025-26, more than double the current number.
The change will provide a more targeted approach to course management at the Golf House, allowing for more efficient use of water, and will also use a “hidden” pop-up sprinkler to provide better irrigation for the massive green green of the old course without damaging the game surface.
Over the next five years, hundreds of sprinklers will be added to the remaining courses, allowing green staff to control the water in more detail and reduce running time.
In addition to this, Links Trust has increased the use of rainwater and drilling that it collects to ensure that the water used for course irrigation across courses comes from a sustainable source.
Working on an old course, the course will host 155Th Opening in July 2027, will begin in November 2025 and is scheduled to be completed in March 2026 before the main competition season. The installation will be completed in phases to allow the course to remain open and minimize interference as much as possible. The “moor plow” will be used to place new pipes and cables, reducing the requirements for digging throughout the process. However, given the importance of the project, many holes need to be closed at any time throughout the work. To recognize this, the old courses will not be sold as part of this winter’s traditional three-round package, St Andrews Links, and will only be available by voting and offer reduced green fees.
The irrigation system currently installed in 2000-01 has reached the end of its lifespan. In addition to using more efficient water use, the new system will open new pin positions throughout the course and install a “hidden” pop-up sprinkler on some push rod surfaces.
Once the old course is completed, the new and Jubilee courses will be second, followed by Eden, Strathtyrum and Balgove courses. Each stage is planned to take place over the next five years in winter to minimize impact and damage.
The massive project and millions of pounds of investment are because the trust funds hope to create a more sustainable future for the sport and reinvest the surplus brought back to the site from trust events.
Earlier this year, the organization launched a new sustainability strategy, Our journey to a greener futurewhich underscores its commitment to preserving and enhancing the St Andrews history course.
St Andrews Links Trust CEO Neil Coulson, “In the next five years, we will invest heavily in our courses, not just to improve all the experiences we take in our iconic courses, but to protect their future.
“As a home of golf, we take responsibility for conscientiously protecting this land and hope to lead to ensure a more sustainable future for our campaign.
“This project was one of the first ones we discussed in early 2022 as we developed a strategy to increase surplus to reinvest our facilities. I’m glad this work will be going on soon as we continue to make sure we have the best facilities for all local and visiting golfers”
Sandy Reidsaid: “Our new irrigation system will enable us to adopt a more targeted approach to curriculum management. We will be able to better irrigate specific parts of the curriculum, which is particularly useful in the drying mantra we have recently experienced because it ensures that all irrigation can ensure that all irrigation reaches the areas that are most needed. This will ultimately enable us to operate more effectively and improve our sustainable conditions and maintain our sustainable and responsible use of water.”
During the period of improvement, old courses will be open to holders and visitors, but with a reduction in green fees. We will ensure attention is paid to minimize the interference that works.
