Humberstone Heights Golf Course keeps its extensive grounds well watered by using a rainwater harvesting system.
Manager Phil Highfield was able to set up the system after discovering a large underground tank beneath a courtyard at the Gipsy Lane site.
This tank must have been used to store rainwater from the roof of the Grade II-listed building when it was originally built. Phil was keen to use the tank once again to collect rain for watering the grass on the golf course during dry, summer months.
"Our rainwater harvesting system has been very effective," said Phil. "We have seen a significant reduction in the amount of mains water we need to use to irrigate the course. As well as helping the environment, this saves us a lot money because metered water is very expensive."
The 18-hole golf course and 9-hole pitch and putt used to need approximately 4,000 cubic metres of mains water a year. But setting up a rainwater harvesting system has helped to reduce this amount by up to 20 per cent. The £5,000 cost of installing the system should be recovered within five years through the savings on mains water costs.
The golf course achieved EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) accreditation in 2003. Managing water use efficiently is one of the requirements of this scheme. Installing push taps, urinal flushing controls and waterless urinals in the clubhouse's bathrooms has helped to conserve even more water. Electricity is also saved with intelligent lighting controls for the floodlights covering the car park and the grounds.
Despite being so close to the city centre, Humberstone Heights Golf Course boasts 100 acres of green space. These grounds are carefully managed to protect the habitat for wildlife, which includes foxes, badgers and many different types of birds.
Phil said: "We even have ducks nesting in the window boxes on our veranda every year. When the chicks get to a certain age, we have to carry them up to the pond and their mother always follows behind us!"
To find out more about the golf course's green features call Phil Highfield on 0116 299 5570 or to visit the website click here.
Outstanding environmental feature:
Rainwater harvesting system
Other green features:
Designated recycling area, intelligent lighting controls, draught lobby entrance, push taps, waterless urinals, urinal flushing controls, low-VOC paints and grounds managed to protect the habitat.