The 19th watering hole: the relationship between policy, practice and perceptions of water conservation practices on golf courses in Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract

The age of water scarcity could soon be a reality faced by an increasing number of nations around the world thus making water conservation of paramount importance. As such, humanity across race, age, gender and industry needs to work together in order to manage and conserve the precious resource of water. Water use and management are major issues of concern in the water stressed province of Gauteng, South Africa. This is due to increases in demand from the population and industry resulting in easily accessible water resources nearing a point of complete utilisation. One such water reliant industry is the sport of golf. Golf courses are prone to negative images surrounding the water usage on the courses and these watering activities can potentially affect the water quality and quantity within the region. However, these are activities which are widely undocumented. This is despite golf courses using millions of litres of water per day while approximately 12 million people across the nation do not have access to clean and safe water supplies. It is against this backdrop that the study aimed at investigating the impact that the three pillars of Policy, Practice and Perception in their individual and collective capacity have on influencing water conservation on golf courses in Gauteng. Through the application of a Systems Theory approach, this was achieved by examining what water conservation practices are being implemented on selected golf courses, an overview of key South African policies that help govern and guide water conservation practices and establishing the end users’ perceptions of the two. Data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and policy overview. The results from the research show that Policy-Practice-Perception relationship has had an influence on water conservation practices on golf courses in Gauteng. There however remains room for growth in building the interconnectedness between these individual pillars. Further education and awareness coupled with increased transparency, participation and accountability both within the golfing industry, and between the golfing industry, the government, the golfing and general public were key findings of the research. These issues were thus recommended as ideal areas for future research.