Survey: Golf courses used 21.8 percent less water from 2005–13

Golf courses used 21.8 percent less water in 2013 when compared with usage in 2005, according to a recent survey conducted by the GCSAA. The survey was funded by the USGA through the GCSAA’s Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG).

Results from nearly 2,000 golf course superintendents were collected and independently analyzed by scientists at PACE Turf and the National Golf Foundation, which published the findings for peer review before making the information public, according to a news release from the GCSAA.

“This study shows us that the golf industry has been addressing water issues for some time and is realizing positive results. The numbers show that golf course superintendents across the country have reduced water consumption,” says Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D., co-owner of PACE Turf, which has been providing data analysis for the golf industry for more than 25 years. “There is always room for improvement, however; and I think we will see even less water being used and fewer acres being irrigated in the years ahead.”

Along with reducing overall water usage by 500,000 acre-feet, golf course superintendents increased their use of recycled water by 33 percent over the last study.

Golf course superintendents also have demonstrated water savings through turf reduction and improved technologies, such as computer-controlled, targeted irrigation systems and sensors that measure soil moisture. Since 2005, golf courses have reduced managed irrigated turf by 14,430 acres, enough of a reduction to cover more than 100 golf courses. This reduction does not include golf course closures.

The study also provides data on average water use in the seven different agronomic regions of the country, with water usage the lowest in the Northeast and the highest in the Southeast and Southwest – two regions that have year-round play and turf growth.

“The golf course superintendent profession is committed to science-based technologies and environmental stewardship,” says Rhett Evans, CEO of the GCSAA. “We hope that this national study will demonstrate our commitment to efficient water management and inspire the industry to continue to lead in the future. In the end, water management is about providing playing conditions that satisfy the needs of golfers today without compromising the needs of the future.”

The survey showed that courses used 1.44 percent of all irrigated water in 2013 in the U.S.

Over the next two years, the GCSAA says it will publish four additional national surveys in key areas related to golf course management as part of its Golf Course Environmental Profile. Each of those surveys is also being funded by the USGA through the EIFG.