More than 150 national golf associations have pledged to make sustainability a "core priority" for the sport.

The International Golf Federation (IGF) has set out steps to optimise the playing quality of golf while conserving the environment using "economically sound and socially responsible management".

The golf industry caters for more than 60 million golfers globally, using significant amounts of water and energy, and has often been criticised by conservationists for its impact on biodiversity.

A statement from the IGF said it wants to expand awareness of the sport's environmental impacts and encourage greener action among golf facilities.

It added that the new initiative would seek to promote green best practices, stage events in an environmentally responsible manner and embrace environmental management.

The IGF said its goal is to improve the financial performance of the industry while conserving resources and enhancing golfers' experience of the game.

The international non-profit Golf Environment Organization (GEO) said there are more than 30,000 golf courses worldwide requiring irrigation, on top of additional environmental impacts relating to fertiliser and construction operations.

The GEO added that many golf facilities are well placed to harness geothermal heating and cooling, as well as solar and wind-power generation.

The sustainability statement was signed by government bodies, golf associations and professional organisations at the IGF's biennial meeting in Turkey last week.

The R&A, UK administrators of the game and organisers of the British Open, as well as the Golfing Unions of Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland, and the United States Golf Association (USGA), were among the 153 signatories.

USGA president Glen D Nager said: "Sustainable management practices are critically important to the future of the game and need to be encouraged throughout the world."

He added: "Here in the United States, sustainability principles have been embraced by the golf community for some time, but we can still do even more especially in promoting solutions-based planning and management strategies."