Documenting Trends in Water Use and Conservation Practices on U.S. Golf Courses

Abstract

Since an initial survey was conducted in 2006, U.S. golf courses have reduced their water use by 21.8%, from a projected 2.379 million acre-feet/year to 1.859 million acre-feet of water per year. Factors contributing to this decrease include voluntary reductions in number of irrigated acres, reductions in number of golf facilities, and water conservation practices. These practices allowed U.S. golf courses to use less water than predicted by reference evapotranspiration (ETo) values. There is dramatic regional variation in water use patterns across the United States. The median amount of water used by an 18-hole golf course was highest in the Southwest (3.87 acre-feet/acre per year) and lowest in the Transition zone (cool-to warm-season grass adaption areas) (0.60 acre-feet/acre per year), and water use ranged from no irrigation to >9 acre-feet/acre per year on a course-by-course basis. Regional variation was most heavily influenced by climate, due to the broad range of ETo and precipitation values among the study's seven agronomic regions. Recycled water use has increased to approximately 25% of all water used on golf courses in 2013, from 14.7% in 2005. Future decreases in golf course water use will likely depend on further development of water budgeting and water management plans, adoption of monitoring technology, improved irrigation efficiency, and further reductions in irrigated acreages.

Documenting Trends in Land‐Use Characteristics and Environmental Stewardship Programs on US Golf Courses

“…Data on irrigated acres was not solicited in the initial survey, and statistical trends across time are therefore not possible to compute. However, when the national median of 74.0 acres of irrigated turf for 18‐hole facilities reported here (Table 7) is compared with the median value of 80.2 acres reported 2 years earlier, using comparable survey methods (Gelernter et. al., 2015), there appears to be a trend toward reduction of irrigated acreage across the country.…”

“…In 2015, 18-hole facilities irrigated approximately 78% of their maintained turf acreage, though this value varies regionally (Table 7). As documented by Throssell et al (2009b) and Gelernter et al (2015), the number of irrigated acres per facility and per region varies, depending on regional climate. Roughs are the least likely to be irrigated of all turf features (Table 7).…”

Enhanced Soil Moisture Assessment using Narrowband Reflectance Vegetation Indices in Creeping Bentgrass

“…Golf courses alone used an estimated 2.93 ´ 10 15 L (775 trillion gallons) of water in the Unites States in 2005 (Throssell et al, 2009). Conservation strategies employed by golf course superintendents and their staff resulted in an estimated water savings of 21.8% by 2013 (Gelernter et al, 2016). Although these savings are significant, further reductions are needed to offset a growing global water demand.…”

Using Humus on Golf Course Fairways to Alleviate Soil Salinity Problems

“…Recycled water usage increased from 14.7% in 2005 to %25% in 2013 of all water used on golf courses (Gelernter et al, 2015). Most recycled water has elevated salt levels (Harivandi, 2007;Marcum, 2006).…”