The golf sector highlighted its growing environmental leadership as both The R&A and England Golf secured top honors at the 2026 British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) Sustainable Sport Awards.

The national and international governing bodies were recognized for pioneering tech-driven, evidence-based sustainability solutions aimed at supporting golf courses against climate change, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss. The sport was strongly represented across multiple categories at the awards, reflecting a sector-wide commitment to driving meaningful environmental progress.

The R&A Wins Adaptation Award for Water Security Index

The R&A won the Adaptation Award for its world-first Water Security Index initiative, developed in partnership with The Environmental Partnership (TEP).

Created under The R&A's Golf Course 2030 (GC2030) programme, the framework provides golf clubs with practical tools to evaluate water security, identify risks, and implement steps to improve long-term resilience against water scarcity, increasing drought frequency, and growing resource pressures.

Initially piloted at Open venues, the initiative has expanded across the UK and Europe, conducting assessments across 46 golf venues to date. Each venue receives a water security score alongside a prioritized action plan detailing recommendations for irrigation efficiency, water storage, resource management, and long-term resilience.

Members of The R&A Sustainable Golf team celebrate at the BASIS Awards, winning the Adaptation Award for its pioneering Water Security Index initiative. (photo credit The R&A)

Daniel Lightfoot, Director of Sustainable Golf at The R&A, stated:

“We're delighted to receive this award, which is fantastic recognition of the work being undertaken to address one of the most significant long-term challenges facing golf. Water security is fundamental to the future sustainability of our sport and this initiative is providing clubs with the knowledge and practical guidance needed to make informed decisions and build greater resilience. This recognition is also testament to our collaboration with TEP and we look forward to building on this progress to support more clubs around the world.”

The R&A, which is committed to investing £200 million over ten years to develop golf internationally and support sustainable facilities, earned additional recognitions at the ceremony:

• Partnership Award Nomination: Shortlisted for "Scaling Sustainable Travel Across The R&A's Major Championships," in collaboration with You. Smart. Thing.
• Leadership Award Nomination: Sustainability Manager Owen James was nominated for his mentorship work supporting individuals entering sustainability roles.

England Golf Claims Innovation Award for Sustainability Platform

England Golf was crowned winner of the Innovation category for its pioneering Sustainability Platform. Developed in partnership with TEP and supported by YourPact, the industry-first platform combines national habitat mapping, sustainability analytics, and digital technology to assess environmental performance across golf venues.

The platform integrates a national habitat baseline, a sustainability prioritization framework, a web-based mapping application, and field data collection tools into a single system. Since launching earlier this year, it has built a nationally consistent environmental evidence base covering more than 1,650 affiliated golf courses in England. It tracks key areas including biodiversity, carbon capture, water management, flooding, and climate resilience.

Ross Shepherd (England Golf Sustainability Officer), Matthew Cox (The Environment Partnership), Bethan Pugh (YourPact), Lord Andrew Sharpe Baron of Epsom (presented award), Colin Bourne (YourPact), Kirstin McEvoy (Head of Sustainability) and then Jonathan Overend (event host).

Kirstin McEvoy, Head of Sustainability at England Golf, stated:

“We're absolutely delighted to have won this BASIS Sustainable Sport Award. This recognition reflects the collaborative effort that has gone into creating a truly innovative platform that helps make sustainability more accessible, practical and impactful for golf clubs across the country. “What makes the platform unique is its ability to transform complex environmental information into clear, actionable insights. It helps clubs understand where they can make the biggest difference, while enabling England Golf to target its support where it can have the greatest impact. “As a small Sustainability Team, the platform has become an invaluable tool in helping us prioritise our efforts and demonstrate the important role golf can play in supporting nature recovery, improving climate resilience and delivering wider environmental benefits.”

The ceremony brought together key project representatives, including Ross Shepherd (England Golf Sustainability Officer), Matthew Cox (TEP), Bethan Pugh (YourPact), Colin Bourne (YourPact), Kirstin McEvoy (England Golf), event host Jonathan Overend, and award presenter Lord Andrew Sharpe, Baron of Epsom.