Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club

Notable Observations

• Biodiversity-Led Habitat Management A specialist ecological habitat assessment guides management of the club’s grassland, woodland, wet woodland and pond habitats. The club is also a member of the Richmond Biodiversity Partnership, contributing to borough biodiversity targets, while the site is recognised as a non-statutory Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
• Targeted Habitat and Species Conservation Wildlife measures include bat and bird boxes, bug hotels, amphibian refuges, native hedgerow planting and the retention of safe standing and fallen deadwood. The club has also planted 15 rare black poplars as part of a borough-wide conservation project, while volunteers support willow spiling and Himalayan balsam control along the Thames.
• Nature-Based Wildlife Management The club has introduced an innovative nature-based approach to managing crows and geese by using birds of prey. Wider habitat protection includes 10-metre buffer zones beside water bodies and environmentally sensitive areas to reduce disturbance and pollution risk.
• Precision Irrigation and Borehole Water Around 90% of irrigation water now comes from boreholes, with the remainder topped up from potable supplies. Soil-moisture meters with GPS capability, weather-station data and an app-linked irrigation system support targeted watering, while individual sprinkler heads are adjusted to playing surfaces and water distribution is periodically checked using catch-can tests.
• Renewable and Lower-Carbon Energy The club uses a certified carbon-neutral green electricity tariff, supplemented by solar panels on the clubhouse roof; the report states the solar installation is calculated to provide a saving of 196 tonnes of CO₂ over 20 years. Electric vehicle chargers have also been installed in the car park.
• Circular Materials and Waste Reduction Green waste, spent bunker sand and other organic materials are composted and reused in construction projects and gardens, while a Ridan food-waste composter produces compost for the vegetable garden. In 2025, 2,280 kg of food waste was also collected for anaerobic digestion, and the club has reduced single-use plastics by removing plastic cups, replacing plastic water bottles with resealable aluminium cans and using reusable china dishes for condiments.
• Dedicated Sustainability Leadership The club employs a Sustainability Manager who coordinates sustainability across departments and community outreach. It also hosted a graduate sustainability intern for several months in 2025 to work on Scope 3 emissions, and surveyed staff and members to understand sustainability awareness and priorities.
• Strong Community and Charity Partnerships Local environmental organisations use the site for meetings and practical conservation work, while staff and members volunteer on projects including Himalayan balsam control and hedgerow planting. Community bat walks have helped showcase the environmental value of the course, and six charity events in 2025 raised more than £70,000.

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“Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is at the forefront of sustainability in golf, with clear corporate commitment to continual improvement being driven by their Sustainability Manager. This is the first time I have come across a club who have made such an appointment, and I commend them for their initiative. It is clear that sustainability is embedded in all aspects of their operations, and that staff understand and embrace this. On-site habitats are well-managed, and strong engagement with both members and local wildlife groups provides volunteer support to the efforts of club staff. Adjacency to the tidal River Thames creates some practical challenges for management of parts of the golf course, but these are handled well and have provided opportunities to observe, assess and learn from the impacts of periodic flooding by brackish water. The installation of solar panels on the clubhouse roof, and the choice of an energy supplier with a certified carbon-neutral green tariff, are very positive initiatives. The club have undertaken a number of initiatives to minimise waste, and are seeking to improving capacity to quantify waste streams to assist in this. Communications with members and the local community on sustainability matters is also clearly an important activity for the club, as evidenced by their becoming part of the Richmond Biodiversity Partnership.”

Keith Duff (GEO accredited independent verifier)