Royal Mid-Surrey’s two 18 hole courses cover approximately 296 acres located adjacent to Old Deer Park and Kew Botanical Gardens. The habitat, partially bordered by the Thames, includes trees, grassland, scrub, wetlands and ponds.
With habitats including trees, grassland, scrub, grassland, wetlands and ponds and a vast number of mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates species found on site, Royal Mid-Surrey are custodians of a rich and diverse landscape.
We are committed to working within and towards more sustainable practices at Royal Mid-Surrey and have been GEO Certified since 2022 recognising our commitment and efforts to achieve a credible standard for sustainable golf both on and off the courses.
We drive and monitor sustainability across all aspects of the business looking at areas within environment, resources and people and ensure that we keep in line with increasing government policy and legislation as well as changes to industry practices to ensure our business model continues to and adopts further greener credentials and practices.
Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is the 2025 UK Environmental Golf Club of the Year. This prestigious accolade recognises outstanding commitment to sustainable course management, conservation, and environmental stewardship.
Our site encompasses over 50% natural habitat, including wetlands, acid grasslands, and wet woodlands, earning it Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) status. The Club has implemented numerous initiatives to protect and enhance biodiversity, including, planting 15 rare black poplar trees as part of a borough-wide conservation project, managing wetland areas guided by ecological surveys, developing eco rough and woodland corridors including the planting of 125 native shrubs, partnering with Kew Gardens to manage tree health, retaining standing deadwood for habitats as well as collaborating with the Thames Landscape Strategy and Habitats and Heritage to remove invasive species.
Green Energy
We already use a green energy supplier for our gas and electricity and in September 2021 we completed the installation of solar panels on our clubhouse roof equating to a cost saving of 196 tonnes of C02 over 20 years.
In addition, six electric car charging points are now available in the car park.
Water and Waste Management
As well as our storage tanks, RMS has a targeted irrigation system which uses real time data and sensors to water remotely only areas of the courses where it is needed. We gather water from the clubhouse roof for the flower and vegetable gardens.
Grass clippings and other organic waste from the course go into compost and liquid fertilizer for the gardens. Soil cores and branches are recovered from course maintenance work for use on the gardens and we use green waste from the kitchens to make compost to feed the vegetables and herbs in many dishes on our menu.
Partnerships
In August 2024 we became signatories for Sports For Nature.
The Sports for Nature Framework, has been developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Olympic Committee (IOC), and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in consultation with the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) and in collaboration with sports organisations. It provides a roadmap for sports organisations, to take measurable actions for nature. As a member of this initiative, Royal Mid-Surrey is committed to:
Protecting nature and avoiding damage to natural habitats and species.
Restoring and regenerating nature wherever possible.
Understanding and reducing risks to nature in our supply chains.
Educating and inspiring positive action for nature within our Club and beyond.
Joining the Sports for Nature initiative complements our existing commitments under our GEO certification further enhancing our role in building a sustainable future. This work ensures that our Club leads by example in fostering environmental stewardship within the sports community. More information on Sports For Nature can be found at https://sportsfornature.org/
Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club has been a partner of the Richmond Biodiversity Partnership since October 2023. The Richmond Biodiversity Partnership is involved in supporting the Biodiversity Action Plan for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The Richmond Biodiversity Action Plan sets out the framework to conserve, protect and enhance the rich variety of habitats and species within the borough. The 2025 update highlights the importance of responding to the environmental challenges of climate change, habitat fragmentation and urban development. More information can be found here
https://habitatsandheritage.org.uk/our-work/parks-nature/richmond-biodiversity-partnership/