How Golf Can Become Water Sustainable

So what's the situation on the ground right now?

We know the wider perception of golf in relation to water is negative.

Syngenta’s own study, Golf & Social Media: Sustainability analyzing 16.1 million social media posts, comments, blogs and shares, found the sentiment towards golf, especially in relation to water was overwhelmingly negative.

During droughts, when detractors see the sprinklers switch on, social media channels light up.

One of the key issues is that misinformation underpins beliefs. And as we know, perception can quickly become reality on social media.

But the situation has also been caused in part by the golf industry and golf course businesses not communicating the facts and engaging with local communities.

Frequently, it’s the fear of attracting criticism that holds them back; other times, it’s simply not having the right information or knowing how to communicate.

The result is that golf course businesses today are typically on the backfoot when it comes to water sustainability.

When golf courses in Arizona were wrongly accused in a local newspaper article of wasting public water and exceeding their permits – a feature full of factual inaccuracies – detractors were already making wild guesses about how much water was being used on golf courses. Some thought it was 30% of the state’s water, others guessed 60%.

The reality is 2%. And as the Arizona Alliance for Golf was forced to point out in a reactive PR campaign to quell the media storm (even one national golf magazine piled in, reprinting the inaccurate story), much of the water is treated waste water from urban areas, recycled at a facility part paid-for by the golf courses themselves.

Putting itself on the front foot, the Alliance communicated a suite of key facts and messages to wrestle back control of the sustainability narrative, including:

• Golf in the state generates $6 billion of economic impact
• It creates 66,000 jobs, $2.3 billion in wages and $520 million in tax revenue
• It offers biodiverse habitats, and is good for the health and wellbeing of citizens

Rather than being on the outside, leaders from the golf industry in Arizona are now fully engaged in water policy discussions at state level.

Putting the facts and data in the public domain has helped inform debate and decisions. Golf now has a seat at the table when water sustainability is discussed.

So, if golf isn’t the user and abuser of water in a desert state that the public perceived, what’s the reality elsewhere?

In the United States, golf courses account for just 1.3% of all the water drawn for irrigation, according to the USGA.

What’s more, the amount used by golf courses is falling - 30% since 2005 - due to improved irrigation practices.

How does this compare to other industries?

In Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent where 30% of the land area experiences seasonal water scarcity each year*, the figures for water abstraction are revealing:

Electricity / Power Plant Cooling: 36%
Agriculture: 29%
Public Water (including tourism): 19%
Industry: 14%
Others (including mining, quarrying and construction): 2%

^{*European Environment Agency}

There are regional variations, naturally. Agriculture in southern Europe is the largest consumer of water, while electricity / power plant cooling is the largest user in central Europe.

‘Power plant cooling’ requires unpacking because it conceals an unseen story: the thirsty work of artificial intelligence (AI).

Thermoelectric power plants, which supply a substantial portion of the electricity used by data centres, require gargantuan volumes of water for cooling.

While the AI industry is remaining quiet on its water footprint, demand for AI is driving huge increases in consumption - or, to put it another way, evaporation.

According to a paper published by academics at the University of California, Riverside, one technology company’s data centre withdrew 29 billion litres in one year and consumed (evaporated) 23 billion litres of fresh water for cooling, nearly 80% of which was potable (drinking) water. (Making AI Less “Thirsty”)

Chat GPT (GPT-3) may use the equivalent of a 500ml bottle of water for every 10-50 responses, depending on location.

What’s more, the researchers say AI-driven demand for water could double or quadruple by 2028, compared to 2023 levels.

While there’s no doubting AI’s power to innovate, the water sustainability consequences for people and the planet are profound.