Opening Golf to the World
Sustainability
Golf & Nature Live, St Andrews: a global call to step up for nature
8 mins
On 21 and 22 May 2026, the Home of Golf became the meeting point for a worldwide conversation about the bond between the sport and the natural world.
Golf & Nature Live, St Andrews brought together greenkeepers, ecologists, agronomists, national golf federations, conservationists and golfers, both in person and through a live webcast streamed around the globe, to celebrate what golf is already doing for nature and to ask how the game can do even more. The message running through the event was simple and urgent: nature needs us now more than ever, and golf wouldn’t exist without it.A celebration as much as a conference
Hosted by Sky Sports News presenter and sustainability lead David Garrido, the webcast was designed to engage, educate and inspire more people to play their part for nature. It combined case studies, the latest ecological data and honest discussion about collaborative action, all framed around a hopeful, practical question: how can every golf course become a more welcoming home for nature? Across two days, in-person attendees from leading bodies in golf explored the links and dunes of St Andrews, shared success stories, networked, and then rolled up their sleeves to discuss what happens next.Day one: a celebration broadcast to the world
Day one began on foot with a guided nature walk led by Ranald Strachan, Lead West Sands Ranger, St Andrews Links Trust. He took attendees across the Old Course, down onto the Bruce Embankment and West Sands for a first-hand look at the rich habitats that thrive alongside championship turf. In the afternoon, the group gathered in the Hall of Champions at the Old Course Hotel for the Golf & Nature Live webcast, which was also streamed to a global audience across six continents. Over the course of an hour, viewers heard from a line-up of experts, including:- Richard Windows, Assistant Director – Sustainable Agronomy at The R&A, on why good agronomy underpins healthy, nature-rich courses
- Sophie Olejnik, Ecological Consultant at Oleo Ecology, sharing how golf and nature interact at The R&A’s championship venues
- Daniel Lightfoot, Director of Sustainable Golf at The R&A, on nature-based solutions and showcasing the harmony between great courses and biodiversity
- Biodiversity Champions, volunteers and team members from Australia, Denmark and the UK, whose stories showed that this is a truly global movement
- Insights from past AIG Women’s Open champion I.K. Kim and R&A Ambassador, international sportsman and conservation champion Kevin Pietersen on why golf and nature matter to them.
Former AIG Women’s Open champion I.K. Kim was one of several guests to join David Garrido on the webcast.
The event was organised by John Kemp, Assistant Director - Sustainable Golf Development at The R&A. “Golf & Nature Live, was a fantastic opportunity to hear from experts within The R&A and other organisations about the special relationship between golf and places it is played.
“As well as sharing best practice and critical messages with hundreds of people through the live event, the collaboration and commitment to doing more as a collective really shone through on day two. The desire to help nature flourish is something we urge everyone to embrace, and events such as this demonstrate the future is in extremely capable hands,” he reflects.
Why golf and nature are inseparable
It can surprise people outside the sport just how much land a golf course holds away from the playing surfaces. Those roughs, woodlands, wetlands, dunes and grasslands are where nature flourishes, and where greenkeepers and ecologists are quietly doing remarkable conservation work. The R&A’s own biodiversity research and events such as the Golf BioBlitz at Lindrick Golf Club, where 224 species were recorded in less than two days, show how much life a well-managed course can support. Golf depends on nature for its very existence, and a large part of the joy of the game comes from the landscapes it’s played in. That makes golfers and clubs natural custodians and uniquely placed to protect habitats, gather data and inspire others to follow. I.K. Kim, past champion of the AIG Women’s Open, attended in person and left feeling encouraged about the future: “For me, golf is so interconnected to nature, almost inseparable. Golf is nature to me. Being surrounded by people who care for nature and the environment really inspires me, and I feel so reassured and grateful for all their work.”Day two: turning inspiration into action
Where day one set out to inspire, day two was about driving forward. On the Friday, leading organisations and committed supporters of nature in golf gathered for a workshop at the Old Course Hotel. There was a keynote address from Jonathan Smith of GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, and the room heard updates from around the world alongside a look at some of the key projects already under way. The session closed by agreeing a set of actions and working through what needs to happen next. The thinking behind it was straightforward. Plenty of clubs and individuals are doing brilliant things for nature, often on their own, and the workshop set out to join those efforts up so that federations, clubs and conservation partners are all pulling in the same direction. Denmark shows what that can look like in practice. What began there as a single BioBlitz has grown into a national push towards 50 events, and it is exactly that kind of knock-on effect attendees want to see take hold elsewhere.The movement continues at your club
The most powerful takeaway from Golf & Nature Live was a renewed sense of purpose. Whether you manage a course, lead a national federation, or simply love walking the fairways with an eye on the birds and butterflies, there is a role for you. Every action counts. Create and protect habitats. Record what lives on your course. Share your story to inspire neighbouring clubs. We all have a duty to protect nature, help it flourish, and shout about what we are doing because the more of us who step up, the more we can accomplish together. The conversation that began at St Andrews doesn’t end there. It carries on at every course that’s giving nature a welcoming home.Watch the full webcast
Missed it live, or want to watch again? View the full recording below:Sustainability
Golf & Nature, St Andrews | Driving a thriving tomorrow
1hr 25mins