“It’s no longer possible to plan; you have to prepare for everything.” This refers to the weather when Kolja Hause, Managing Director of the Schleswig-Holstein Golf Association, talks about the start of the 2025 golf season. While the golf courses in northern Germany were barely able to cope with the wet conditions in 2024, various courses had to close for long periods of time and greenkeeping was difficult because the vehicles sank into the wet ground and caused too much damage, February and March 2025 were characterized by extreme drought. 104.1 litres/m² of precipitation on average, compared to 22.7 l/m² for the entire state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The initial reaction from the golf courses in 2025 was pure enthusiasm: “So far, we’ve only heard positive things,” summarized Hause in mid-April. “The golf courses were able to open relatively early, play got off to a flying start, and that is, of course, having a positive impact on the economic side.” For the golfers themselves, there were no signs of a water shortage, at least at the beginning of April.
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For the greenkeepers and groundsmen, on the other hand, the major issue of water, the most pressing problem in golf worldwide, is back: they still remember the drought years of 2018 and 2022 well: brown fairways, the struggle to maintain the greens, the efforts not to exceed the approved water quantities. In addition, there was repeated criticism from the non-golfing public and the media about the allegedly excessive water consumption of golf courses.
This is another reason why the greenkeepers were clearly worried after the dry start to 2025. “We already had to water the greens twice a week, and we couldn’t even mow the fairways because the grass simply wouldn’t grow without rainfall,” said Hartwig Klein, head greenkeeper at Lohersand Golf Club, summing up the situation at the beginning of April. “Then there was the unusually cold weather at night with lots of frost.” Christian Steinhauser, member of the board of the German Greenkeepers’ Association and working at GC Dionys in neighboring Lower Saxony, agreed with him. “This year, we already had to resort to wetting agents in April, which is very unusual.” These substances ensure that the moisture stays in the ground for longer.
Clean drinking water is a national priority
Germany’s authorities have long been taking a closer look at how water is used, regardless of the industry. Since the introduction of a national water strategy in March 2023, securing clean drinking water throughout Germany has been priority number one. In broader terms, this involves protecting and restoring the natural water balance, adapting the water infrastructure to climate change, limiting the discharge of pollutants and promoting water-sensitive urban development. Golf courses are automatically part of the concept.
Water permits for the extraction of groundwater are therefore now often subject to stricter conditions. At Lohersand Golf Club, for example, where the previous water permit had expired, the quantities have not changed. “However, we now have to report the water level in the well once a month, as well as the annual water consumption at the end of the year.”
Water analyses are also new in some clubs, as Malte Schurig from GC Husum confirms: A new permit was also due at the coastal golf club. With the amount granted, which is below the average consumption volume of around 44,000 m³ recommended by the DGV for an 18-hole course, head greenkeeper Marten Schurig has no problems despite the sandy soil, in which the water seeps away quickly.
Does this apply to all golf clubs? How prepared are they for possible droughts? According to Andreas Klapproth, head of the German Golf Association’s water working group, anyone who has not yet started to deal with the issue of water shortages should do so immediately: “Those responsible for golf courses should check the settings for economical and optimal water distribution immediately, at the start of the spring commissioning of the irrigation technology, and adjust them if necessary,” is his advice. “Furthermore, the regional water situations should be carefully checked and, if necessary, limited to a minimum for maintenance irrigation. Golf courses that have taken advantage of the last two years of high rainfall and have adapted their water reservoirs, technology and water management are in a good position.”
