Golf clubs are often accused to burying their heads in the sand when it comes to the impact of climate change. We have seen hundreds of courses reduced to dust this summer because of a lack of boreholes, reservoirs and desalination plants. Fairways are baked hard, many with no grass left and ponds, lakes, streams and rivers are at an all-time low.
We have also been told to expect another wet winter - do you remember January and February this year? And that will, no doubt, mean flooding and course closures.
So let's give credit where credit is due. A flood storage scheme delivered at a Shropshire golf club will strengthen protection for nearby homes, as Telford and Wrekin Council expands its programme of flood risk management works.
According to The Golf Business, "the project, completed earlier this year, saw the council work in partnership with the Environment Agency and Horsehay Golf Club to enlarge an existing flood storage pool and construct a new bund on the site.
"The scheme is designed to hold back and temporarily store water during periods of heavy rainfall, reducing flood risk to surrounding homes and communities.
"A bund is an engineered earth embankment that acts as a barrier, slowing the flow of water and creating additional storage capacity during severe weather.
"By controlling how water moves through the landscape and allowing it to be held safely in designated areas, bunds help protect properties, infrastructure and local environments.
"The work forms part of a wider borough-wide programme combining traditional engineering with natural flood management techniques, as councils across the UK respond to increasingly frequent periods of intense rainfall."
Councillor Nathan England, cabinet member for safer streets and better housing at Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "Flooding can be devastating for families, and this investment shows our commitment to protecting homes across the borough before problems arise.
“By working with nature - restoring watercourses and creating space for water to be stored safely - we’re delivering solutions that are both effective and sustainable. This is what partnership funding and long-term planning can achieve for our communities.”
The article continues: "The Horsehay project sits alongside a broader package of natural flood management and drainage improvements being delivered across Telford and Wrekin, with the council and its partners prioritising preventative measures over reactive responses."
And the course gets a new water source which will, no doubt, be used to keep the fairways green while the rest of us are enduring more parched conditions next summer.
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