lack of water on courses in UK

[LeeHarris]

Read a snippet in this months Golf World/Monthly about some new laws regarding water use on courses in the UK and how it would obviously affect things a great deal in terms of how courses looked/played. I read that they would literally be at a point where they were just keeping the grass alive.
If I remember Ill scan it in, along with another couple of interesting articles, one by Peter Alliss regarding bunkers that is sure to raise some heckles in here I'm sure.

[Chris Kane]

Some of them might not realise it, but some would argue that's the best thing that could happen.  It will force them to return to the firm and fast conditions in which the designs work best.

I wish it would happen in Australia too (although most courses use bore water now).

[Craig Disher]

Most courses in the UK have irrigation only around the greens and on the tee boxes and even that is used sparingly. There are a couple of well-known links courses that are criticized (even by members) because the fairway watering systems have diminished their links character. How much fun is it to hit a shot below the wind and have it plug into the face of a small hill in the fairway?

Drought in parts of the UK has resulted in water restrictions but as far as I know, the dry conditions haven't caused too much concern. It's amazing how small an amount of water is needed to keep greens alive.

[Richard_Goodale]

Craig

My experience is that most UK courses now have fairly complete irrigation systems.  Many were put in in the mid-90's when the UK governemnt gave a windfall VAT rebate to private clubs.  We did it at the club I was Finance convenor for and it cost less that $100,000.  While some clubs ovrewatered early on, most have learned how to use the systems--i.e. to manage fastness and firmness within the context of keeping the grass alive and the fairways uncompacted, which can very easily happen in mini-drought seasons.

[Craig Disher]

I shouldn't have generalized. I'm familiar with courses in the SE and most that I've seen still don't have complete irrigation even though money isn't a factor.

My view is that members are indifferent at best to watering and will accept it only if faced with a crisis - like a fairway rapidly transitioning to dirt.  You're probably right about the judicious use of water becoming common practice. We're facing drought conditions here in the mid-Atlantic and a few of us are secretly excited over the prospect of water restrictions.