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

Abstract

Measuring water use on U.S. golf courses is an essential component of measuring best management practice adoption. To provide timely and meaningful education regarding current water use, continued measurement of golf course water use is necessary. The objective of this study was to assess the current water use and related management practices on U.S. golf courses in 2020. A survey was developed and distributed electronically to 14,145 U.S. golf courses with 11% responding. Since the initial survey conducted in 2005, water applied as irrigation to U.S. golf courses declined by 29% from 2.38 to 1.69 million acre-ft. Factors contributing to this decline include a 12% reduction in golf facilities and a 25% reduction in water applied per acre since 2005. Reductions in water applied per acre were also measured in most regions except in the Southwest region, where an increase in water applied per acre was reported, which was probably a result of the increased stress the turfgrass may have experienced under the reduced precipitation and increased heat in the Southwest region. The responses indicate that golf course superintendents continue to use management practices associated with efficient water use. The use of technologies such as handheld moisture meters and drought-tolerant turfgrass has increased since 2013, indicating that golf superintendents are receptive to using both new and traditional technologies to reduce water use.