Staff WriterGreenkeepers across the UK are staring down a spring that’s less April showers, more desert déjà vu.
After enduring winters so soggy they had ducks filing insurance claims, 2025 has flipped the script entirely.
Now, in the driest spring in nearly seven decades, turf professionals find themselves praying for rain and pleading for patience.
The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has sounded the klaxon, urging golf clubs and their members to rally behind their greenkeeping teams as rainfall levels plummet and course conditions wilt.
You know it’s serious when the Met Office starts dusting off comparisons from World War II.
Wales, for instance, just clocked its driest March since 1944, and East Anglia wasn’t far behind.
May’s arrival brought little mercy. With irrigation systems strained and moisture vanishing faster than a club championship lead, greenkeepers are being pushed to the brink.
“It’s very, very dry,” said David Byron, Head Greenkeeper at Thorndon Park Golf Club in Essex. “It’s the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years. We’ve had almost no rain, and what we have had has come in just one hit.
“In our fairways, we’re down to about 3–4% moisture content. Normally, you’d want 10 to 15% for the grass species we have.”
That’s not turf stress. That’s turf trauma.
In Royal Aberdeen, Richard Johnstone has been counting the drops with the desperation of a man watching the last pint in a dry pub.
“We’re experiencing extreme weather patterns,” said the Course Manager.
“There’s no longer a balance. Instead, we’re seeing one extreme or the other – either constant pouring rain or complete drought.
“There doesn’t seem to be much consistency anymore, and that presents some big challenges.”
Translation: Mother Nature is swinging more erratically than a 24-handicap with a hangover.
Paul Woodham, The R&A’s Agronomy Lead for Europe and the UK, pointed out that even when it’s not dry, it’s complicated.
“Warm days combined with cold nights have disrupted seasonal growth,” he explained. That cocktail has left grass struggling to recover from winter, stuck in a kind of botanical limbo.
So, what’s the solution? Aside from rain dances and industrial-sized dehumidifiers in reverse, the answer, BIGGA says, lies in communication.
“Our advice to clubs is to engage in professional dialogue with your Course Manager, set agreed objectives and show open support for your team of greenkeepers,” said Jim Croxton, BIGGA’s CEO.
“They will be much more motivated and determined to overcome these challenges with strong support from their members.”
In other words: lay off the moaning about “patchy lies” and start applauding the ones still standing green and proud.
Johnstone echoed the sentiment. “As course managers, it’s our responsibility to communicate and educate,” he said.
“We need to use various channels like social media, blogs, and other platforms to help people understand the current conditions and our management approach.”
So next time you see a brown patch on your home course, don’t reach for the complaint form—maybe reach for the hose.
Or at the very least, offer your greenkeeper a coffee and a thank-you. They’ve earned it.
For the full story from BIGGA, visit: BIGGA News – UK Greenkeepers on Lack of Rainfall
To learn more about BIGGA or become a member, head to: www.bigga.org.uk
