Tackling Water Challenges at Harewood Downs

'It's about sustainability as well as water security'

Simon Freshwater explains how Harewood Downs is tackling water challenges with a new reservoir project and long-term sustainability in mind.

Many greenkeepers will argue that water management is the most pressing issue facing the golf industry today, and Harewood Downs Golf Club is taking a proactive approach to the challenge. The Buckinghamshire venue has plans in place to install a trio of water storage ponds that will reduce – and eventually eliminate - its current reliance on mains supply.

While the project will boost the facility's water security, reduce its carbon footprint, and go a long way to safeguarding its future, it also promises a wealth of other benefits for Course Manager Simon Freshwater. With work scheduled to begin in spring 2026, access to a sustainable water supply will allow Simon and his team to plan with confidence as he leads Harewood Downs into an important new chapter. The reservoirs will eventually hold 19,500m³ of water, collected from rainfall and drainage across the course. Once operational, they will enable irrigation of greens, tees, approaches and – in time – fairways.

In this Q&A, Simon discusses the potentially transformative impact of the project at the Buckinghamshire course.

Can you outline what this reservoir project involves and why it was necessary?

Being built on chalkland, Harewood Downs drains well but dries out just as quickly. We've always known we needed to secure water storage. We currently utilise mains water and a borehole, but, because of our location near to HS2 and the River Misbourne, we’ll never be permitted to abstract more than 20 cubic metres a day from the borehole.

The plan is to create three cascading ponds (A, B and C). Reservoir A will be the largest at around 9500m³, and could one day be used for fairway irrigation. Reservoirs B and C will hold 10,000m³ between them, fed daily by the borehole and supplemented by rainfall and surface water that we plan to harvest. Together, this should reduce any necessity and reliance on using mains water to cover the critical 100-day period when irrigation demand is highest.

Once the reservoirs are in place, how much more confidence will you have in your water security and planning?

This will be huge for us. The reservoirs won't guarantee lush fairways, but they should stop them going brown in prolonged dry spells. Crucially, we'll come off mains water, saving money that can be put into other projects. It gives me confidence knowing we'll have a secure supply stored through the winter to carry us into dry spells.

Where on the course will the reservoirs be located, and will construction cause disruption?

We're fortunate to have a 1.5-hectare area of long ecological rough, between the second and ninth holes. Currently, it's not utilised, and there is good access for machinery, so disruption will be minimal. It's also close to our existing irrigation tank and pumps, which is ideal.

Have you worked on a project like this before?

No, this is the first. At Celtic Manor they already had lakes and reservoirs when I arrived, as well as a dedicated irrigation team, so I wasn't directly involved. This is a big learning curve, but I'm working closely with the club and our irrigation consultant. Contractors will carry out the work itself, allowing us to focus on the playing surfaces.

Do you have a vision for how the course might perform once the system is in place?

It'll really help with recovery after drought. We won't always have the capacity for lush fairways, but we'll be able to keep them greener and healthier. Overseeding and wetting agents will be more effective when we can water them in properly across all fairways rather than just one at a time. Ultimately, it should improve playability, giving golfers a bit of grass to play off rather than baked concrete. It'll also help us keep pace with neighbouring clubs that already have fairway irrigation.

How important is the environmental aspect to you?

Very important. We're working with ecologists on planting around the reservoirs and looking at what wildlife we can encourage – birds, newts, aquatic plants. Because the reservoirs will involve cut and fill, there'll be banking where we can plant to improve habitats. It's about sustainability as well as water security. GI

About Simon

Originally from Northampton, Simon developed a passion for golf as a child and was happiest out on the course. After undertaking work experience at Northampton Golf Club, he pursued horticulture at college before returning there full-time as a greenkeeper. In 2008 he joined Celtic Manor, later spending a year in Australia working at a club in Melbourne before returning to Celtic Manor. Simon secured his first deputy course manager role at Wycombe Heights in 2013, moving to Harewood Downs in 2015. Simon was promoted to course manager at Harewood Downs in February 2024.

 

Simon on navigating an exceptionally dry 2025

The worst I've seen was 2018, when we had six months of drought. This year has been close. At the moment, we only irrigate greens, tees and approaches. We're constantly monitoring moisture, hand-watering where needed, and fixing leaks as they occur. One of my team has really taken to irrigation work, which has helped a lot. The fairways are more of a challenge. We bought a travelling sprinkler, but you can only do one fairway a day. During the worst of the drought, we sprayed wetting agent and irrigated one fairway at a time, rotating through them. It's stressful, but everyone's been in the same boat. The recent rain has helped a lot. Our ongoing programme of scarifying, feeding and wetting agent has meant the turf responds well when the rain does come. Greens, tees and approaches had their maintenance in early August – drainage, scarifying, solid-tining, then about 60 tonnes of sand. We then did the fairways in September, scarifying, solid-tining and overseeding worn areas.

Matt Mayfield, general manager at Harewood Downs - "As a golf club and as a business, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to preserve and protect the environment, and one of the biggest areas any golf club should look at to do so is their water consumption. Investing in building these reservoirs is a huge step for us, but it will result in a major reduction in our resource usage and carbon footprint. We're excited to make the switch to recycled water and play our part in this crucial moment for the industry."