The future of golf facilities are increasingly being shaped by two powerful forces: sustainability and performance. As clubs across the UK and Europe face growing expectations from players, rising costs and tighter environmental regulations the search for smarter infrastructure has moved firmly to the top of the agenda.

As CEO of SYNLawn UK, Michael Walker is bringing a new generation of products and solutions to the market – tour-calibre synthetic systems and plant-based construction materials designed not simply to imitate natural turf, but to deliver consistent playing performance while dramatically reducing the environmental and operational pressures placed on modern golf facilities.

Canadian-born Walker’s international career spans luxury hospitality, infrastructure, wellness and sustainable construction.

Born in Toronto before settling in Vancouver, he later headed to Southern California and worked his way into senior management roles with the KSL Resorts portfolio at La Quinta Resort & Club at the renowned PGA West golf complex. He also led premier US luxury golf destinations, including Grand Wailea in Maui, Doral Golf Resort in Miami and the Arizona Biltmore.

After 911, he moved to the UK and later contributed to major UK transport assets, including London City Airport, Gatwick, and the Heathrow Express, before pivoting to champion natural plant-based medicines and joining the fight for natural cures for cancer and other terminal diseases.

Advanced by his knowledge of plant-based materials, he now equally champions innovation and advancements in natural building materials and a collection of environmental initiatives for the golf industry.

And with sustainability the bridge, the combination of advanced synthetic turf technology and plant-based construction systems now underpins SYNLawn UK’s approach to the future of golf facilities.

“The conversation is no longer just about surfaces,” Walker explains. “It’s about how golf clubs can build environments that perform commercially, function sustainably and remain resilient for decades.

“The science behind synthetic turf has evolved enormously,” he says. “For a long time, artificial surfaces in golf were associated with basic driving range mats or temporary installations.

“What we’re seeing now is a completely different level of engineering, where the surface, the sub-base and the overall installation form a performance system rather than just a product,” said Walker.

That performance was placed under intense scrutiny when SYNLawn became the Official Synthetic Surface partner to TGL presented by SoFi, the technology-driven indoor golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Inside the purpose-built arena sits more than 31,000 square feet of synthetic turf, tasked with delivering consistent ball reaction under the gaze of some of the best players in the world.

“For me, that project was validation,” Walker says. “When you place a surface in front of elite professionals and every bounce, check and roll is scrutinised, there is nowhere to hide. If the technology can perform in that environment, it can perform in a golf club practice facility that sees daily use.”

The partnership also highlighted something else that Walker believes is transforming the golf landscape – the changing role of practice facilities.

“Let’s be honest,” he says. “For many years, expectations around the driving range were fairly low. If there were a few mats and somewhere to hit balls before the first tee, that was considered perfectly acceptable.

“The range is becoming one of the most valuable assets a golf club can have,” Walker explains. “It is a space that can generate activity throughout the day and evening, across different age groups and skill levels.”

This shift has brought a new set of demands for the surfaces themselves. Practice environments must cope with high levels of footfall, repeated ball strikes and year-round use while still delivering consistent performance.

“We are not installing mats… we are installing playing systems,” he added.

And one of the most prominent examples in the UK can be found at The Kingdom at The Grove, a state-of-the-art practice facility developed by TaylorMade.

The complex replicates many of the features found at TaylorMade’s elite fitting centre in California and incorporates a 7.4-acre driving range redevelopment alongside precision short-game areas.

Through Build With Hemp, Walker has been exploring how natural materials can be integrated into construction projects to reduce environmental impact while improving long-term structural performance.

Walker’s vision for golf infrastructure extends beyond playing surfaces.

“Golf clubs occupy large landscapes and contain a huge amount of infrastructure – pathways, practice areas, buildings, fencing, landscaping and drainage systems,” he says. “When you start looking at those elements collectively, you realise there is enormous potential to build them in a more sustainable way.”

Hemp-based materials are now being incorporated into SYNLawn UK installations, particularly within the sub-base layers that sit beneath turf systems, and Walker believes clubs can create facilities that perform better while reducing reliance on traditional construction materials.

It also supports a wider shift across golf course management, with clubs facing increasing pressure from rising water costs, tighter environmental regulations and the ongoing challenge of maintaining high playing standards with limited resources.

“Practice areas are some of the most intensively used parts of a golf facility,” he says. “They require constant maintenance, irrigation and renovation to remain playable.

“Synthetic systems reduce irrigation demand and eliminate recovery periods, allowing greenkeeping teams to focus their attention on the main course,” he said.

“At the same time, engineered drainage layers beneath the surfaces can capture rainwater and redirect it across the property, supporting natural turf areas elsewhere on the course. Plus, the environmental considerations extend to the turf itself.”

SYNLawn’s backing systems incorporate bio-based components derived from sugar cane and soy, while the grass fibres utilise recycled plastics.

Importantly, the materials are designed to be recyclable at the end of their lifespan, addressing one of the long-standing concerns associated with artificial turf products.

“It’s about lifecycle thinking,” Walker says. “We operate within a closed-loop model where products are designed to perform for many years and then be recycled when they reach the end of that life.”

For golf club owners and operators, however, sustainability is only one part of the equation. Ultimately, investments must also make commercial sense. Walker encourages clubs to look beyond installation costs and evaluate the full operational picture.

“The real comparison is between the cost of maintaining natural practice areas and the long-term performance of engineered systems,” he says. “Practice facilities are no longer simply warm-up areas. They are high-frequency assets that can generate predictable income.”

Looking ahead, Walker sees the next phase of golf facility development emerging from the intersection of three powerful forces: technology, sustainability and social engagement.

“The heritage of golf courses will always matter,” he says. “What we are doing is helping clubs build facilities around those courses that are more resilient, more sustainable and more commercially effective.”