St Andrews Links Trust has appointed sustainable water and purification experts Bluewater as its Official Hydration Supplier to provide a drinking water solution for golfers and visitors to the Home of Golf.
The pioneering agreement will see Bluewater provide purified drinking water across the St Andrews Links estate through its innovative refill stations, supporting a commitment for the removal of single-use plastic bottles from the Trust’s facilities.
The stations utilize the Swedish company’s advanced Superior Osmosis treatment process, which removes more than 99% of known contaminants from water, to provide locally purified and chilled drinking water at the point of consumption.
The refill stations will initially be installed in both the Old Pavilion next to the first tee of the Old Course and at the Halfway House serving the Old, New, and Jubilee courses, with further installations at the Links clubhouse, golf academy, and Castle Course clubhouse.
Each unit will provide free-of-charge refills of chilled and purified water. The units also feature digital TV screens to communicate key information to visitors concerning wider sustainability initiatives across the links.
To commemorate the agreement, Bluewater has produced a range of co-branded stainless steel refillable bottles which will be available to buy from the St Andrews Links Trust’s retail outlets. Golfers and visitors will then be able to collect a unique souvenir to enjoy chilled and purified water, while also taking home a vessel that has been designed and warranted to last a lifetime.
In addition to the on-course refill stations, the system will be rolled out in the Trust’s restaurant facilities, with Bluewater Mineralizer systems installed in the Tom Morris Bar & Grill in the Links Clubhouse. Marking the world-first deployment of the new system, the Bluewater Mineralizer infuses a concentrate of naturally sourced Swedish minerals – tailored to Bluewater’s own research-backed blend for optimal taste and hydration – into local water purified with Superior Osmosis.
The water will be available still or sparkling versions and will be delivered in co-branded borosilicate glass bottles in 500ml and 1 litre options. The glass bottles are re-washed and re-used on-site to enhance the system’s sustainability credentials further while ending the need to transport water from distant locations along with continued cycles of glass recycling and re-ordering.
Neil Coulson, CEO of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “As a global venue and destination with sustainability and innovation embedded into our organizational DNA, we are always looking to collaborate with like-minded organizations who can bring world-class solutions to the Home of Golf. The sport of golf is intimately connected with the natural world, and for us as an iconic Links venue, the need to help protect our oceans and coastlines for future generations is paramount.
“We are all well aware of the terrible impacts single-use plastics cause to our environment, and so we are delighted to announce this new relationship with Bluewater, which will bring state-of-the-art and sustainable hydration solutions to St Andrews Links. Keeping our golfers and guests well hydrated out on the courses, and providing premium mineralized waters to complement our world-class dining experiences in restaurant service is a perfect and fitting solution for our estate, and our whole team is very excited to see this initiative launched.”
The formation of the agreement with St Andrews Links Trust builds on Bluewater’s already strong presence in the golf industry, with the Swedish company being selected to deliver on-site hydration solutions at The Open and AIG Women’s Open for 2023-25. Bluewater has also been at several DP World Tour events, including the 2023 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Commenting on the relationship, Bengt Rittri, founder and CEO of Bluewater, said: “For over 10 years, Bluewater has been working to re-write the delivery model for providing pure, healthy, and planet-friendly drinking water around the world. As a company committed to ending the need for single-use plastic bottles and their environmentally damaging implications, we have been privileged to work with many similarly-minded events and venues around the globe. Being selected by St Andrews Links, the Home of Golf, as Official Hydration Supplier, is a proud and defining moment for us as our solutions become centrally integrated at one of the world’s most historic, iconic, and prestigious sport and tourism destinations.”