Water use and management practices on U.S. golf courses

Shaddox, Travis W.; Unruh, J. Bryan; Johnson, Mark E.; Brown, Clark D.; Stacey, Greg A.

doi:10.1002/cft2.20182

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We postulate three primarily explanations for the reduction of winter overseeding. First, winter overseeding is resource intensive, especially with water and nutrients (Shaddox et al 2022(Shaddox et al , 2023b. Reductions in winter-overseeded area may be attributed to resource conservation practices, especially in the Southwest region where water supply constraints are prevalent (Shaddox et al 2022).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turfgrass Use on US Golf Courses

Shaddox

Unruh

Johnson

et al. 2023

hortte

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Golf facilities account for 2.3 million acres in the United States. Numerous turfgrass species are managed on US golf facilities, but golf facilities may change turfgrasses depending on numerous variables. Knowing which turfgrasses are grown and how turfgrass selection has changed would provide important information to scientists, turfgrass managers, and policymakers. The objective of this survey was to measure turfgrass use on US golf facilities in 2021 and to determine whether changes in turfgrass selection have occurred since 2005. A survey was developed and distributed via e-mail to 13,938 US golf facilities, with 1861 responding. From 2005 to 2021, the total projected area of maintained turfgrass on US golf facilities decreased by 14.2%, which was likely a result of course closures and maintenance operations. Nationally, bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) remained the most common warm- and cool-season turfgrasses, respectively. The area of winter-overseeded turfgrass declined by 60% between 2005 and 2021. The percentage of golf facilities that used zoysiagrass (Zoysia sp.) and seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) increased depending on region and specific playing surface, albeit a pragmatically minor increase. In general, turfgrass selection on golf facilities in northern climates did not change, whereas turfgrass selection in southern climates favored a change from cool- to warm-season species, depending on the playing surface. Whether in historically cool-season or warm-season regions, it appears that many golf facilities are exploring alternatives to their traditional turfgrass species.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turfgrass Use on US Golf Courses

Shaddox

Unruh

Johnson

et al. 2023

hortte

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Total water applied per unit area as water applied to U.S. golf courses has declined by 25% between 2005 and 2022 (Shaddox et al., 2022). Sixty‐eight percent of survey respondents indicated they are keeping turfgrass dryer than in the past.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sixty‐eight percent of survey respondents indicated they are keeping turfgrass dryer than in the past. Survey results suggested that using more drought tolerant turfgrasses is a significant factor in reduced water use and has become a central component of best management practices on golf courses (Shaddox et al., 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress coefficients for hybrid bermudagrass in the transition zone

Ketchum

Miller

Pinnix

2023

Crop Forage & Turfgrass Mgmt

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of drought tolerant turfgrass cultivars is desirable due to greater water use efficiency and sustained acceptable turfgrass quality during times of drought stress. Crop coefficients (Kc) have traditionally been utilized to assist in reducing irrigation by comparing reference evapotranspiration (ETo) to actual evapotranspiration (ETa) of specific crops. However, Kc values are most relevant during times of nonlimiting conditions and do not quantify the amount turfgrasses restrict evapotranspiration (ET) under moderate drought stress. Stress coefficients (Ks) estimate water needs while maintaining minimally acceptable turfgrass quality. The objective of this study was to derive Ks values for four bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) cultivars managed in the transition zone. Direct measurements of actual evapotranspiration were made through weighing lysimetry during a 2‐year field study. Experimental units were allowed to naturally dry down near wilting point and maintained at a steady level of soil moisture to calculate Ks for each cultivar. A lower Ks value indicates increased turfgrass tolerance to water stress; whereas a Ks value ≥1 suggests higher soil moisture levels are required to sustain turfgrass quality. ‘TifTuf’, ‘Latitude 36’ and ‘Tifway’ were the best performing cultivars with mean Ks values of 0.747, 0.766, and 0.796, respectively. ‘Celebration’ had the highest Ks value of 0.944. The results indicate certain bermudagrass cultivars can maintain quality with less soil water, and the reduced water requirements may be used to schedule efficient irrigation applications.

show abstract

“…However, irrigation is usually required to maintain successful turfgrass function in the many regions where turfgrasses are utilized, since rainfall normally cannot supply the amount of water necessary [2]. Water shortage is a continuing challenge for the turfgrass community due to increasing demands from urbanized population growth, coupled with increased drought incidence and seasonality of water availability [3][4][5][6]. Therefore, the development of management practices leading to water-efficient turfgrass landscapes is important across an expanding constituency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mowing Height Effects on ‘TifTuf’ Bermudagrass during Deficit Irrigation

Hejl,

Conley,

Serba

et al. 2024

Agronomy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The development of management plans which lead to water efficient landscapes is a growing need in the turfgrass community. While deficit irrigation as a scheduling method can improve water conservation, more information is desired on how to best leverage other management practices, such as mowing height when deficit irrigation is imposed. The objectives of this study were to characterize actual evapotranspiration (ETa), turfgrass visual quality, clipping production, and root development of ‘TifTuf’ bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon × C. transvaalensis Burt Davy) when irrigated at full (1.0 × ETa) and deficit levels (0.65 and 0.30 × ETa), and cut at four separate mowing heights (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 cm) over two 8-week experimental runs. An elevated ETa was observed at the 7.5 cm and 10.0 cm mowing heights compared to the 2.5 cm mowing height in both runs, and the 5.0 cm mowing height in one run. The visual quality decreased throughout both study periods and mostly for the deficit irrigation treatments, with visual quality falling below minimum acceptable levels at the lowest irrigation level (0.30 × ETa) 5 weeks into run A, and 8 weeks into run B. Despite an elevated ETa and a higher root dry weight at higher mowing heights (7.5 and 10.0 cm), clipping production and visual quality was generally higher at lower mowing heights (2.5 and 5.0 cm) for both full and deficit irrigation levels. These results demonstrate that mowing height can significantly influence bermudagrass water use, as well as responses to deficit irrigation. When maintaining ‘TifTuf’ bermudagrass at heights above 2.5 cm, the results from this study indicate a lower water use and improved response to deficit irrigation at mowing heights ≤ 5 cm.

show abstract

Water use and management practices on U.S. golf courses

Cited by 13 publications

References 7 publications

Turfgrass Use on US Golf Courses

Turfgrass Use on US Golf Courses

Stress coefficients for hybrid bermudagrass in the transition zone

Mowing Height Effects on ‘TifTuf’ Bermudagrass during Deficit Irrigation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About