It’s no secret that a golf course is a facility that requires a substantial effort to maintain. In terms of irrigation, this is particularly true. In many states, including here in Florida, we’re prone to periods of drought, and restrictions on water use for irrigation are a fact of life. And when it comes to what's driving almost all the innovation in the field, it's the drive for sustainability.
Given the other demands placed on the water supply in any modern urban location, it’s understandable that the authorities responsible for the management of golf as a sport and also of individual golf courses should feel that the onus is on them to use water in the most efficient manner possible.
Not only will this cut the bills they have to pay for irrigation, it will enable golf courses to position themselves as being proponents of sustainability as a wider ethos. This is a particularly relevant challenge for golf courses, given that the water in question is ‘only’ being used to facilitate sporting activity, rather than growing crops, running industry or supplying homes, schools and hospitals for example.
Reduced Water Use Across The Board
The golf course sector as a whole is clearly demonstrating a high degree of awareness around the need for sustainability and careful use of water. It’s undeniable that the business of golf depends highly on this resource so it makes sense to see a heightened sense of both awareness - and action. Indeed, a reduced level of water use reported by the industry as a whole in recent years (see below) seems to indicate that this awareness has translated into action. Let’s see what that means.
Back in 2006, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), launched the Golf Course Environmental Profile (GCEP) Survey Series, with the aim of establishing a baseline of data on issues pertaining to golf course management and environmental stewardship.
Although the surveys did include other topics such as land use regulations and pest control, the data collected around water use and conservation are the key to understanding trends in irrigation. The latest survey of water use by US golf courses was published in August 2022, and tracked the change in water consumption taking place between 2005 and 2020, the last full year for which figures were available at the time. The headline figure of the water management study was that water use at US golf facilities had been cut by 29% in the years since 2005. In addition, and with particular relevance to golf courses in Florida, the survey found that the amounts for Southwest and Southeast regions combined accounted for 58% of the golf course water usage in the US (at 29% per region).
Spotlight on Reality - Florida
A place like Florida is likely to draw the spotlight when it comes to the topic of golf course irrigation, not least because it is the US state which is home to more golf courses than any other. Another indication of the unique pressure placed on golf courses in Florida to have a more proactive strategy when it comes to water use is provided by the latest Report of Annual Water Use from St. Johns River Water Management District, published in October 2023. This states that of the landscape and recreational water use in the district (i.e. excluding agricultural, commercial and domestic use), a massive 80% was taken by golf courses.
A Country-wide Strategic Approach
At a country-wide level, the ultimate reflection of how seriously golf takes the issue of water conservation is the commitment in April 2023 by the USGA (United States Golf Association), to invest $30 million dollars over a 15 year period to drive a reduction in the amount of water being used by golf courses.
The long term aim of the investment is to make golf in the US more sustainable by reducing water consumption by 29% over the next 15 years, through the promotion of previously underused strategies and technology. At the center of this plan is irrigation optimization, combined with water sourcing and storage options.
The strategies and tools offered by the USGA are being put in place by a team drawing on the disparate skills and knowledge of people such as turf-care experts, agronomists, architects, water agencies, golf course owners, the GCSAA and university researchers.
Satellite Technology
One of the emerging technologies being recommended by the USGA is the use of GPS satellites in order to track the movements of players around a course and therefore identify not only those areas of heavy traffic which need to be maintained, but also the parts of the course which might be open to turf reduction.
The technology in question isn’t following players around the course in real time but rather builds up a heat map of player traffic, which can then be combined with other geo-spatial mapping data pertaining in order to guide decisions on aspects such as turf reduction or damage, and indicate parts of the course which might be over or under-watered.
Case Study - Low Rainfall Location Golf Course Gains Platinum Club Status
The role which satellites might increasingly play in the management of golf course irrigation is best illustrated by the example of The Club at Las Campanas, a golf course which is located 6561 feet above sea level in the mountains of New Mexico. This is a region, known as the high desert, in which annual rainfall averages just over 17 inches. In Florida, by way of contrast, the annual average is 53.7 inches, although this rainfall does tend to be concentrated in the warmer months between June and September, with drought-like conditions pertaining at other times.
The water used to keep the Las Campanas course in top condition (so much so that the course has been named as one of the Platinum Clubs of America) comes from a combination of 50% taken from the Rio Grande and 50% purchased recycled water. This latter 50% is costly, particularly during an era – driven by climate change – of increasingly severe New Mexico drought conditions. Using their water wisely but well became the driver for better management and moving through various innovations to the satellite technology they are using today.
Water Where It’s Needed - Faster And More Accurately
Prior to the introduction of satellite technology the first innovation adopted by the club was the use of an irrigation system for the tees which was laid below the surface of the grass rather than above, a method known as capillary irrigation.
A View From Above
Moving on to more recently, the capillary system was combined with the use of a GPS-based system, originally developed in Germany, which utilizes digital measuring points rather than mobile moisture sensors or built-in soil sensors to make satellite-based recordings. which track the health of the turf and the soil as well as the distribution of moisture. This switch alone, according to the person in charge of maintaining the course, saves the six hours which would normally be spent checking the moisture levels in the soil using a mobile meter twice each week. Once the system began to be tested it became apparent that certain parts of the course were being overwatered, enabling the sprinklers in question to be adjusted accordingly.
Plant Indigenous Plants - They’ve Evolved to Cope With Local Conditions
Allied to the use of satellite and digital technology at Las Campanas has been a focus on reducing the area of the course which needs to be irrigated. To achieve this, some of the irrigated grass areas were switched out with localized desert vegetation. This reduced the area requiring irrigation from 36 hectares to 24 hectares, cutting the number of sprinklers needed by thousands - without impacting either the playability of the course or its aesthetic appeal.
Prevention Over Cure
The mention of reducing the areas of turf that need irrigating brings us on to another of the trends likely to be seen in 2024. This is one that might be termed prevention rather than cure. In other words, designing golf courses in a way that minimizes the need for irrigation, and combining this with technology that makes the irrigation in question as efficient and sustainable as possible.
One design switch is likely to see courses turning away from ever increasing length as a challenge for the players, the rationale being that more acreage not only means more water but also increased labor costs. Instead, courses will concentrate on demanding more finesse around the greens, and building in hazards such as trees and bushes. This approach can in turn be allied to other measures such as cutting back on the need for turf around trees, and planting in a way which maximizes the visual appeal of non-playing parts of the course - while calling for minimal upkeep.
Recycling and Reusing Water
The details of the Las Campanas course highlighted the expense of purchasing recycled water, but recycling as a concept doesn’t always have to be an expensive option.
Golf courses in particular locations will be able to integrate process water from residential areas, as well as reprocessed drainage, sewage and industrial water which can be fed into the irrigation systems.
The initial investment in the technology required to turn wastewater into irrigation water is significant, but that investment will pay for itself in the form of independence of water supply, and create freedom from restrictions which are placed on potable water use during drought periods and other similar stress events.
In Scottsdale, Arizona, for example, 20 golf courses teamed up to build a water treatment plant in the desert which takes reclaimed water from showers, sprinklers, sinks, tubs and other sources in and around Scottsdale and then redistributes as much as 20 million gallons of water per day to the golf courses. During rainy periods, when the courses don’t need all of the water being processed by the plant, the excess is fed back into the aquifers which help to supply the rest of the area. On a smaller scale, many golf courses in the future will be designed and built with water reclamation measures for the collection of rain falling from roofs or off parking areas built in from the start.
Turf
As mentioned previously, modifying the type of turf and vegetation planted around a golf course can play a significant role in reducing the amount of irrigation needed.
The Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) is an organization which utilizes peer reviewed research into identifying those varieties of turf grass most resistant to drought conditions. Those identified are then certified as being best suited to reduced levels of irrigation. Although it may not happen as soon as 2024, there is a very good chance that, in years to come, golf courses – in an attempt to encourage sustainability - will be entitled to tax breaks in return for taking steps such as using turfgrasses which have been certified drought-resistant.
Reduce The Practice of Overseeding
The mention of incentives paid to golf courses adopting more sustainable practices leads us to the question of overseeding. To the uninitiated, this is the practice of reseeding over the surface of existing turf with different types of grass as the seasons transition - in order to maintain that perfect appearance.
There’s a big issue with overseeding as it calls for extra irrigation in order to ensure that the new seeds grow into fresh new turf. In California – a state which has to cope with permanent water shortages - golf courses were offered monetary sweeteners to give up overseeding. The likelihood is that course managers will take a cautious route and begin the reduction of overseeding in areas such as the rough before gradually expanding to take in the fairways. Reducing the application of seed will not only cut irrigation and the costs involved, it may also enable courses to market themselves as a more traditional and sustainable take on the game of golf.
Case Study - Sustainable Turf Management
The Tiger Point course in Gulf Breeze, Florida have taken another approach toward reducing the need for irrigation over their course by concentrating on the planting in the out of play areas.
On this particular course, the existing turf in place in out of play areas – encompassing thirty acres of hybrid bermuda grass – was taken up and replaced with naturalized Florida vegetation.
Not only has this helped to give the course an authentic ‘Floridian’ feel, it also meant that these thirty acres no longer needed to be irrigated in the same way or with the same regularity. At the same time, the bunkers across the course were renovated using TifTuf turf, a type of hybrid bermuda grass which is highly drought tolerant. The new turf on the faces of the bunkers now requires thirty percent less water than previously.
A Combined Approach On The Road To Sustainability
No matter what actually happens in 2024 it seems pretty clear that the future of golf course irrigation lies in a combination of three different factors.
The first of these is the embracing of technology in order to maximize the efficiency of the irrigation process. From IoT powered soil sensors to satellite imagery and drones used to monitor conditions, automated technology makes it easier than ever to make real time adjustments in water use; taking account of even the smallest shifts in the weather conditions, to ensure not a drop of water is wasted.
The second trend points toward an increased use of recycled wastewater, from the example of Scottsdale, Arizona, to the careful collection of excess rainwater runoff experienced at some points of the year in Florida, and the increasing number of clubs investing in their own independent water storage facilities.
Finally, the actual fabric of golf courses will be altered to reduce the amount of irrigation needed, from limiting overseeding to laying drought resistant turf and concentrating on local plants.
Combining two or perhaps even three of these approaches will enable those who manage and look after golf courses to continue to provide a premium sporting and recreational experience, at the same time as honestly claiming to be doing their bit to promote sustainability.
