how many gallons of water used daily on golf course in desert

So while all the golf courses in the desert are hardly an example of “sustainability,” in the big picture, in water use terms, a golf course that uses 1 million gallons a day of purified sewage instead of 2 million gallons a day of drinking water represents a huge leap.

Full Answer

How much water does a golf course use per day?

Depending on the location of the golf course and the climate, an 18-hole course can use on average 2.08 billion gallons of water per day. Depending on the amount of water needed, a typical golf course can spend between $7,000 and $108,000 per year.

Do desert courses rely too much on groundwater?

But a majority of courses continue to rely primarily on groundwater pumped from wells. Critics argue that courses haven't done enough to scale back water use, and some question whether it makes sense for a desert with limited water supplies to continue giving up precious water from the aquifer to so many courses.

How much water has been conserved by removing turfgrass from golf courses?

The Water Authority has paid out more than $25 million to area golf courses to remove upwards of 1,000 acres of turfgrass, nearly 20% of all golf-course property in the area. This has conserved billions of gallons of water.

How do golf courses deal with drought?

Managers of golf courses say they have made improvements by using water-saving irrigation systems and by converting some turf to desert landscaping. Some courses use reclaimed water from sewage treatment plants, and others draw the bulk of their supplies from a canal bringing water from the Colorado River.

How much water does a golf course in the desert use?

In California, an average 18-hole golf course sprawls over 110 to 115 acres and conservatively uses almost 90 million gallons of water per year, enough to fill 136 Olympic-size swimming pools, said Mike Huck, a water management consultant who works with golf courses statewide.

How much water does an Arizona golf course use?

The records show 219 golf courses across Arizona used a total of 119,478 acre-feet of water in 2019. The average amount of water used per course was 504 acre-feet during the year, or about 450,000 gallons a day.

How much water does it take to irrigate a golf course?

Using water use data nationally, an 18-hole golf course uses an average of 152.5 acre-feet of water per year to irrigate 80.7 acres of turfgrass.

How much water does the golf industry use?

Courses around the U.S. suck up around approximately 2.08 billion gallons of water per day for irrigation. That's about 130,000 gallons per day per course, according to the golf industry.

How much water do Phoenix golf courses use?

Government statistics show that golf courses in and around Phoenix consume more water than any other place in the country. Maricopa County golf courses averaged more than 80 million gallons daily for irrigation, according to a 2010 U.S. Geological Survey report.

How much water does a golf course use in a day?

Audubon International estimates that the average American course uses 312,000 gallons per day. In a place like Palm Springs, where 57 golf courses challenge the desert, each course eats up a million gallons a day.

How much water do golf courses use in Nevada?

Fact: A single, 18-hole round of golf at a typical Las Vegas golf course requires 2,507 gallons of water.

How much water do golf courses use in Utah?

The U.S. Geological Survey's most recent water use data for Utah shows the state uses about 38 million gallons of water on golf courses per day — enough to fill almost 58 Olympic-size swimming pools.

How often do golf courses water the grass?

It's better to water “deeply and infrequently,” Cutler says. About a third of an inch every two to three days is a good goal.

How much water does golf use and where does it come from?

Golf, he said, consumes less than 1% of all water used in California, but nearly 25% of Coachella Valley water.

Why are golf courses bad for the environment?

Courses dump often unregulated fertilisers and pesticides on their greenways to keep the grass looking unnaturally green. The fertilisers run off into bodies of water, causing a state of nutrient over-enrichment called eutrophication which results in algal blooms that destroy ecosystems.

Are golf courses a waste of water?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. golf courses consume more than 2 billion gallons of water per day, and since one in every 17 of U.S. courses is located in arid and semi-arid California, our 921 courses consume a sizable chunk of that total daily.

How much water does golf use in California?

Kessler said the valley has less than 1% of Southern California’s population, but 28.6% of its golf courses. Golf, he said, consumes less than 1% of all water used in California, but nearly 25% of Coachella Valley water.

How many golf courses are there in the desert?

About 120, many of them shoulder to shoulder across the desert floor, complete with decorative ponds, fountains and streams. It’s one of the highest concentrations of golf courses in the world.

What is the water used in Coachella Valley?

The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), which serves 105 of the golf courses, draws from the California Water Project, the Colorado River and the aquifer. Kessler, who heads up the Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force, said much of the water used to irrigate golf courses is non-potable.

Who are the ecologists who are concerned about the amount of water used to irrigate golf courses in the Coachella?

Ecologists Robin Kobaly and Doug Thompson are concerned about the amount of water used to irrigate golf courses in the Coachella Valley. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Does Ironwood Country Club in Palm Desert use water?

Josh Tanner, general manager of Ironwood Country Club in Palm Desert, said Ironwood pumps its water out of the ground and pays a fee to the water agency to replenish the aquifer with imported water. The club has reduced its water consumption by 20% in recent years, Tanner said, largely by replacing turf with native landscaping.

Does Coachella Valley have aquifers?

In the Coachella Valley, years of growth severely depleted the aquifer, just as agricultural irrigation has drained Central Valley water tables to the point where the ground is sin king. Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation in 2014 requiring communities to develop groundwater sustainability strategies, and the CVWD has touted its progress in stabilizing and increasing underground water levels.

How much water does a golf course use?

Water is one of the biggest costs to golf courses, and this is another reason why many have tried to save as much water as possible. Depending on the location of the golf course and the climate, an 18-hole course can use on average 2.08 billion gallons of water per day. Depending on the amount of water needed, a typical golf course can spend between $7,000 and $108,000 per year.

How can golf courses save water?

One of the ways that golf courses can save water is to reduce the need for it in the first place. In the past, courses used Bermuda grasses as these were fast-growing and tough. However, research has been going on into alternatives that not only need less water but can also handle more salt. Poor quality water often has a higher salt content, which can be bad for the grasses. By increasing their tolerance, water from more sources can be used.

Where Is The Water Used?

When you ask people who they think would use the most water, many of them would probably say agriculture and farming. Along with farming, golf courses use roughly as much water, or at least they used to. Many countries have now imposed water restrictions on all of the businesses and farms that use water and limited the amount they can use in a year.

How is water extracted from a shaft?

A shaft is dug down to the water source , and then the water is extracted for irrigation. As with ground-level water, the levels can fluctuate through the year and can also be used by municipal water companies as well.

Why is there more demand for water?

As well as trying to reduce pollution, rising temperatures have seen more demand on water supplies that has to be managed to ensure there is always fresh water available. Over the past few years, more countries have had to impose water restrictions and spend more money on their infrastructure to ensure no water is lost.

Do golf courses need irrigation?

Many courses will have a lot of open grass areas that are not strictly part of the course. This grass also needs irrigation, but that increases the demand for water. To counteract this, some courses have removed the areas of grass that are not needed and replaced it with cacti can desert-loving plants. These need little irrigation, and they are also a good contrast to the green fairways and greens.

Do golf courses have water restrictions?

Along with this, they will often have other facilities such as clubhouses, conference facilities, and other areas that may also need to use water. The restrictions placed on golf courses has meant that they have had to implement strategies to monitor and save water where possible.

How much water does a golf course need?

The actual amount of water a golf course needs to sustain healthy turf growth depends on many variables including the species of turf, and the prevailing climate in a given area. Scientific studies have determined that various turfgrasses require a specific percentage of the water that naturally evaporates from the soil and through the plants, also known as evapotranspiration (ETo). This reference number is typically measured by a weather station and models the inches of water that evaporates from a large, deep pan of water that is exposed to environmental conditions. Cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, creeping bentgrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue generally require only 80% of the total evaporative demand. Warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, seashore paspalum, and buffalograss use even less at 70% of ETo. Golf courses in cooler climates and high rainfall can use less that 1 acre-foot of water per acre each year. (One acre-foot of water is the amount of water covering a one-acre area - roughly one football field - to a depth of one foot, which is equal to 325,851 gallons.) Golf courses in hot, dry climates may require as much as 6 acre-feet of water per acre per year.

What grasses require 80% of the total evaporative demand?

Cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, creeping bentgrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue generally require only 80% of the total evaporative demand. Warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, seashore paspalum, and buffalograss use even less at 70% of ETo.

What are the factors that affect the water availability of a golf course?

These factors can be climate, type of turf grass, agronomic and soils conditions, regulations, and water av ailability.

How many gallons of water per acre?

Course size varies, but consider a course with 130 irrigated acres and you have a total water need around 21 million gallons.

Why does irrigation need to vary?

Irrigation Needs. Each course will vary because of size of the irrigated area and management practices. Also, water use each year will vary depending on climatic conditions. The timing and amount of rainfall, temperatures each month, and sunshine. There is no fixed answer.

What is the level of surface quality and beauty of golf clubs?

The level of surface quality and beauty is based on golfer expectations. For many courses those expectations have been allowed to decline somewhat in recent times. Their golfers understand costs and know golf courses are struggling in this economic environment. For higher end golf clubs expectations have remained stable or even increased in some cases!

Can a superintendent manually adjust irrigation run times?

Without an automated ET scheduling system, a superintendent will manually adjust irrigation run times to match perceived plant water use. Water can be saved but with much increased labor input.

Does irrigation water use decrease?

If the year has more beneficial rain events, the irrigation water use declines drastically. This year (2011), several courses in northern Ohio saw irrigation water application drop to 30% or so of historical averages.

Does Ohio have enough water?

Our service area (Ohio and Kentucky) generally has enough water available and reasonable regulatory conditions. Challenges arise from site and soil conditions and wide variation in rainfall throughout the growing season.

How much water does golf use in the desert?

Golf courses use about one-fourth of the water that is pumped from wells in the Coachella Valley, contributing significantly to declines in groundwater levels and posing long-term dilemmas ...

When was water used in golf?

Water use on golf courses has changed since the 1950s, when the first 18-hole courses were built in the Coachella Valley at new country clubs including Thunderbird, Tamarisk, Indian Wells and Bermuda Dunes. Then, courses were basically laid onto the natural dunes of the desert, and relatively flat fairways were irrigated with simple irrigation ...

How many golf courses are there in the Coachella Valley?

PALM DESERT — With a total of 124 golf courses, the Coachella Valley has one of the largest concentrations of courses in the nation. The lush fairways set against backdrops of ocher brown mountains have helped make the valley a mecca for the sport. And for half a century, golf has driven the desert's resort economy, ...

How does golf improve?

Managers of golf courses say they have made improvements by using water-saving irrigation systems and by converting some turf to desert landscaping. Some courses use reclaimed water from sewage treatment plants, and others draw the bulk of their supplies from a canal bringing water from the Colorado River.

What percentage of the groundwater in the valley is used for farming?

An estimated 20 percent of the groundwater pumped each year in the valley is used for farms, and 55 percent goes to cities, residential customers and other businesses. The remaining 25 percent flows to golf courses.

What are some native plants that are found in golf courses?

Those wide carpets of grass have gradually given way in some areas to courses fringed with native plants such as cactus and ocotillo. But McFarlane said that many who come to play golf still expect to see plenty of lush grass and flowers, and that the managers of the course try to strike a balance in their irrigation.

How much water is below ground in Coachella Valley?

In a three-month analysis of groundwater levels throughout the Coachella Valley, The Desert Sun determined that the average measurements of water levels in wells went from about 104 feet below ground in 1970 to 159 feet below ground this year, reflecting an average decline of 55 feet.

How much water does a golf course need?

In addition, the Water Authority drought plan asked that golf courses stick to an annual water budget of 6.3 acre feet of water per acre. Since then, golf courses and their supporting industries have met the challenge. Sometimes stiff fines await them if they don’t.

How much does a golf course in Vegas pay for water?

It’s not uncommon for Vegas golf courses to pay $1 million or more a year just for water. Next to labor, water’s the most expensive item in a course’s maintenance budget. In fact, conservation efforts have been so successful that the golf courses now use only 7% of the city’s total water consumption — less than the casinos.

How many golf courses are there in Las Vegas?

There aren’t even any cactus, just desert scrub like creosote, plus some cholla and Joshua trees. These contrasts clash on the Las Vegas area’s 56 golf courses, according to a recent count. A sizable percentage of the tens of millions of annual visitors to Las Vegas come here primarily to play golf on some of the finest courses in the country.

How much water has the Water Authority paid out to golf courses?

The Water Authority has paid out more than $25 million to area golf courses to remove upwards of 1,000 acres of turfgrass, nearly 20% of all golf-course property in the area. This has conserved billions of gallons of water.

How much rain does Las Vegas get?

Las Vegas is the driest city of the 280 largest cities in the U.S. In an average year, it receives all of 4.5 inches of rain. (Phoenix gets twice as much.) In addition, the temperature ranges are fairly extreme for a desert, upwards of a 110-degree swing, with average lows in the 30s in December and January.

How much does raising irrigation heads increase water efficiency?

For example, raising and leveling irrigation heads at even grade with the surface can increase water efficiency by about 20% ; upgrading to high-efficiency nozzles saves even more water.

Is Las Vegas a water smart city?

But then the drought hit and by the early 2000s, a major area-wide conservation effort was put into place; since then, Las Vegas has become one of the most water-smart cities in the country.

Where Is The Water used?

Cost and Amount of Water Used

• Water is one of the biggest costs to golf courses, and this is another reason why many have tried to save as much water as possible. Depending on the location of the golf course and the climate, an 18-hole course can use on average 2.08 billion gallons of water per day. Depending on the amount of water needed, a typical golf course can spend betwee...

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Types of Water Used

How Can Golf Courses Save Water?

Conclusion