Foxhills Invests £3m in Irrigation Overhaul for Two Championship Courses
Foxhills Club & Resort is spending £3 million to replace irrigation systems on its Longcross and Bernard Hunt courses. The project will install more than 3,500 sprinkler heads, up from about 1,800, and upgrade pumps, reservoirs and water storage. Work is scheduled to begin in October 2027 and will be completed over two winters.
Foxhills' project follows a five-year modernisation plan begun in 2023, which had already directed £2 million toward its two courses, academy and greenkeeping equipment. The club expects the new network to lift irrigation efficiency by roughly a fifth, cut watering cycle times and expand rainwater harvesting across its 400-acre Surrey estate. Rain Bird's CirrusPRO software and IC System control technology were selected by course and estates manager Derrick Johnstone.
Delivery partners are Irritech and MJ Abbott, a long-time Foxhills contractor. Off-course work — reservoir renovation and pump station and tank rebuilds — begins this winter, while on-course installation waits until October 2027, with a mole plough limiting trenching damage.
The investment could matter beyond Foxhills' membership. Golf courses are heavy water users, and a system that targets turf precisely may reduce draw on local supplies and ease pressure during dry spells — a concern industry figures have flagged as a long-term threat to the game. Members and visitors may see firmer, more consistent conditions, while nearby residents and water managers could benefit if harvesting and efficiency gains hold. Whether such gains scale across the wider sport remains uncertain.