Water consumption on golf courses now also costs more in Bavaria: on January 1, the water cent was introduced in Bavaria. The term refers to a so-called water withdrawal fee, which is already standard in almost all of Germany. Apart from Bavaria, only Thuringia and Hesse have so far waived the fee, which also affects the majority of all German golf courses. However, the regulations in the federal states are not standardized. The prices for one cubic meter of water differ, as does the classification of the groups to which they apply.
Groundwater is chargeable
In Bavaria, the new regulation, which was passed by the Bavarian state government as part of an amendment to the Bavarian Water Act on July 29, 2025, affects not only golf courses, but also companies, water suppliers and water boards, for example. Unlike in some other federal states, there is no charge for the abstraction of surface water, i.e. from rivers, streams or lakes. You have to pay for the extraction of groundwater, whereby an exemption limit of 5000 cubic meters of water applies in each case. With a fee of ten cents per cubic meter, prices in Germany are a far cry from those in California or Arizona, for example. While irrigation budgets of over 500,000 dollars per year and golf course are not uncommon there, the additional costs on Bavarian golf courses are nowhere near this level. With a consumption of 105,000 cubic meters – a very high average water consumption for a golf course in Germany – the costs amount to 10,000 euros.
“For golf course operators, however, this is certainly a warning shot to think about water consumption,” summarizes Christian Montén, who has recently taken over the topic of water management as club manager of Abenberg Golf Club. “The issue is not as acute as property tax, but it is certainly an absolute priority,” he concludes. Renovation of the irrigation system is therefore an important project for the golf course in the low-precipitation region of Middle Franconia. “Every cubic meter we save is important,” is Montén’s motto.
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In view of such data, the long-term price development of the water cent is not foreseeable. For Heidrun Klump, the fact that the Bavarian Golf Association now has its own anonymous data collection on the consumption of Bavarian golf courses is therefore also important. “Using a dashboard developed by the BGV, we can see how consumption values develop over time. Above all, we can also differentiate regionally, because a golf course in Upper Franconia usually suffers significantly more from drought than a golf course in Upper Bavaria.” The golf courses themselves now also have the opportunity to compare their consumption with participating golf courses in the same region or golf courses with similar soil conditions and regional precipitation levels. “Anyone who continuously feeds data into the system will get a precise overview of the values and comparative data over time.” The data is not published; it is used solely for benchmarking and the exchange of best practice examples for the continuous more economical use and saving of water resources.
Raising awareness of the value of water is an issue that is becoming increasingly important in Germany and is a central component of the National Water Strategy from 2023. It includes a long-term action plan up to 2050, which will be implemented step by step, for example via the Water Resources Act or funding programs. Against this backdrop, the collection of surface water for later use in irrigation is becoming increasingly important for golf courses in the long term. This measure also reduces the likelihood that costs will increase significantly if the water cents rise.
All images: Royal Dornoch Golf Club