It’s now live in the European Tour Player Portal, part of a bigger push towards net zero by 2040. This MVP helps players understand their travel footprint, offset it, and start making climate action part of the game.
Team roles
I worked as a UX designer alongside another UX, UI, PM
Client side: Director of Sustainability, Programme manager
Project length
3-weeks
What we set out to do
Professional golfers fly. A lot. Up to 35% of a tournament’s emissions come from player travel. The European Tour Group wanted a tool to help them act on that - something low-effort, no-guilt, and built into the systems they already use. No research. No testing. Just a small UX/UI team, tight collaboration, and three weeks to launch an MVP that could scale across four tours.
Figuring out the problem
In our in-person workshops, we uncovered two big blockers:
Pro golfers are always on the move and won’t use anything that feels slow or complicated
A lot of them don’t realise how much their travel impacts the environment
We had no time for proper user research, so we had to get creative. We started by looking at similar tools, like ATP tennis, to get a feel for what was working and what wasn’t. That gave us a useful starting point.
We also mapped out the journey a player might take, from entering flight details to buying carbon offsets. That helped us spot where things could feel too clunky or confusing.
To understand how we might get players to care, we looked into how we could communicate the carbon impact. The numbers on their own didn’t mean much. Saying "10 kilograms of CO2" is hard to picture. But comparing it to driving a petrol car for 50 miles? That felt way more tangible. When people can picture the impact, it resonates.
How we made it work
Simple input, smart output
We stripped user inputs down to just flight routes and handled emissions calculations automatically using verified data. This cuts down time spent in the tool, making it easy for players to use regularly.Tone that resonates
We avoided guilt or heavy-handed messaging. Instead, the language is clear and positive, showing players how their actions make a real impact and keeping them motivated rather than judged.Modular and flexible
Each tour (DP World, Challenge, Legends) has its own branding. We built a flexible design system that adapts visually without touching the core UX, so it’s easy to roll out across tours and future-proof for new features or sports.Built for now and what’s next
We kept the MVP minimal so it could launch fast and start gathering real data and feedback. But we’ve also mapped out future ideas - like gamified offset badges and leaderboards - that we can build on if the data shows they’ll really add value.
Outcome
We designed and delivered the MVP in 3 weeks
Successfully embedded directly in the Player Portal
Set to roll out across 2025 season
The tool aligns with players like Rory McIlroy, who’s already been offsetting his travel emissions since 2021
Lays the foundation for more sustainable behaviour in elite sport
We made a complex idea - carbon offsetting - feel doable, even for busy pros. And we did it fast, with focused collaboration.
