[Joel_Stewart]

In an unpresidented order, Govenor Brown today mandated all businesses and residents to cut back water usage by 25%.  This will have a significant effect on the golf industry.

I'm unclear on the benchmarked number to cut back from?  Is it last years water usage or something else?

[John Cowden]

NPR reported the benchmark is not last year but rather the year before.  2013-14, presumably.  I hope Pasatiempo's new well does, well, well. 

[Greg Chambers]

Joel,

Why is this going to have a significant effect on the golf industry?

[RJ_Daley]

Maybe I'm missing something in Greg's question, but the answer seems rather obvious in my view. 

Apart from the immediate mandate;  how can we imagine there will be any solution, 25% or 50% or more, that is going to change anything other than postpone the inevitable?  Even water rationing, pitting various agricultural food production VS private lawn and recreational facilities like GCs and sports stadia will not help.  How do you ration nothing?  It seems a case can be made as a national economic and even security interest.  Well, golf course maintenance considerations will fall well short of that!

This isn't going to change long term without serious global attention and remedy of the dreaded political buzz word,,,, "climate change", and all its causes. 

Maybe a new version of golf purely on dust and dirt will become a thing... ?   

[Greg Chambers]

RJ,

My question was an attempt to open up dialogue...you make some good points, food for thought.

As far as the "golf industry," I think it will figure out a way to adapt.  Will it have a significant effect?  Probably.  Will it all be a negative effect?  I don't think so.

[Tim_Weiman]

Maybe I'm missing something in Greg's question, but the answer seems rather obvious in my view. 

Apart from the immediate mandate;  how can we imagine there will be any solution, 25% or 50% or more, that is going to change anything other than postpone the inevitable?  Even water rationing, pitting various agricultural food production VS private lawn and recreational facilities like GCs and sports stadia will not help.  How do you ration nothing?  It seems a case can be made as a national economic and even security interest.  Well, golf course maintenance considerations will fall well short of that!

This isn't going to change long term without serious global attention and remedy of the dreaded political buzz word,,,, "climate change", and all its causes. 

Maybe a new version of golf purely on dust and dirt will become a thing... ?   

Dick,

Let me mention one other complication. Behind the scenes I have heard whispers that Governor Brown might actually want to clarify the rules, but also permit more fracking in California. Honestly, I don't know if the whispers are true, but the word is Brown understands the oil industry could potentially deliver far more production and taxes than it currently does. Of course, this goes against the desire of environmentalists big time.

But, fracking requires lots of water and agriculture interests are really powerful in California. So, even if the whispers are true, I can't see the oil industry being allocated more water.

[Duncan Cheslett]

A golf course - no matter how historically important or architecturally distinguished - can never be considered a priority for scarce supplies of water.

Perhaps people who live in areas such as California where there is clearly a serious water shortage will just have to get used to the idea that they will have to travel to play golf. After all, winter sports enthusiasts accept that they must travel to snowy mountainous regions to indulge their pastime for real while maintaining their skills on artificial slopes nearer home. It doesn't seem unreasonable that golfers living in dry areas should have to stick to driving ranges and screen golf locally, travelling a few times a year for their fix of the real thing.

Golf courses should only exist in suitable places - where the soil is right and where there is an adequate natural supply of water. It has long been a complete mystery to me how golf courses in deserts - whether in Arizona or Dubai - can be justified on any level. It's no wonder golf gets such a bad press.

I accept that it is very easy for me to take this attitude, being fortunate enough to live in North-West England rather than in California. I've not been able to play since last week because of all the bloody rain!

[RJ_Daley]

I think that as this drought gets more severe (hopefully not, but reality seems to bite) not only golf is going to see water rationing and industry wide rationing, causing serious economic default of producers such as the almond industry.  As Duncan notes, people travel to experience snow skiing or mountain climbing, etc.  I think folks may have to curtail their almond consumption, in favor of produce that may consume less water.  So, some sort of triage may have to take place to have the government (presumably- and not just free market) pick winner and losers.   I think golf will be an early loser.  Tim's observation is interesting about background thoughts about fracking to generate revenue to meet the epic shortfalls in CA.   But at the end of the day, I think people will decide they can't eat/drink the oil and energy that fracking produces while wasting natural resources as well, and that we are awash in oil products in the west compared to the immediate needs of life giving water. 

But nature is capricious.  Here in Green Bay, we had historically low Lake Michigan water levels for last several years, and even with no record snow levels this year, the lake has regenerated to just about normal in very short time.  I don't know if it will take a biblical flood or something in CA and rest of the west.  But I know the snow was scarce in the Sierra this year along with other ranges within The Rockies.  So, not likely a short term 2-5 year horizon regeneration is in the future.  I hope that is wrong. 

If courses have to close for a year or two in CA due to unmaintainable for lack of irrigation, similar to how ANGC was left to go to pasture during WWII, I shutter to think the pressure to subdivide the acreage for housing lots.   

BTW, the thing about folks shocked and incredulous to the idea of golf in the desert, doesn't consider the approach of use of effluent and cultivars of paspalum and such that can use the heavy metal laden effluent recycled water from the surrounding municipalities.  Those courses are actually often obligated to take more effluent water than ideal to maintain a firm track. 

[Pete_Pittock]

NOAA's ENSO Recent Evolution PDF does not look good for California. While the precipitation forecast is normal through the end of June the entire west coast is going to average at least 5 degrees above normal for the same term. There will likely be an announcement shortly that we are five months into an El Nino period (by definition, it takes that long to declare one).

[James Bennett]

Dick and others

re water usage and effluents.  Two points

1. I wonder how much Rustic Canyon's water usage has reduced since they replaced the soft grasses with santa ana.  There may be a trade-off between the greenness of grass and winter play (santa ana will be very light in colour) but the playing surfaces in summer during drought should be far superior.

2. I am aware of some courses with 'take or pay' effluent requirements that have a nearby woodlot which can take some of the excess effluent at times during the year, so countering some of the excessive irrigation to the course that would otherwise occur.

In South Australia, we have a number of very small rural community golf courses that have been irrigated by the River Murray.  The drought in the 2007-2010 period really tested those clubs, with some losing their greens and choosing to replace bent greens with a more durable santa ana surface.  The finances available to these clubs are really, really low, but money wouldn't have saved their access to water during this drought - there just wasn't any there.  of course, the River is flowing again, until the next major drought occurs, typically every 40 years.

James B

[Tim Leahy]

Just take a look at the Oakmont CC of Glendale thread to see whats coming. Course redesigns for mininal water usage are coming soon.

[Jon Wiggett]

But short term I suspect courses may have to consider watering greens only, playing off mats and raising the HOC quite a bit.

Jon

[Adam Lawrence]

A golf course - no matter how historically important or architecturally distinguished - can never be considered a priority for scarce supplies of water.

Perhaps people who live in areas such as California where there is clearly a serious water shortage will just have to get used to the idea that they will have to travel to play golf. After all, winter sports enthusiasts accept that they must travel to snowy mountainous regions to indulge their pastime for real while maintaining their skills on artificial slopes nearer home. It doesn't seem unreasonable that golfers living in dry areas should have to stick to driving ranges and screen golf locally, travelling a few times a year for their fix of the real thing.

Golf courses should only exist in suitable places - where the soil is right and where there is an adequate natural supply of water. It has long been a complete mystery to me how golf courses in deserts - whether in Arizona or Dubai - can be justified on any level. It's no wonder golf gets such a bad press.

I accept that it is very easy for me to take this attitude, being fortunate enough to live in North-West England rather than in California. I've not been able to play since last week because of all the bloody rain!

Duncan -- I understand your view, but you are simplifying a complex issue. In these desert areas, broadly speaking golf is a by-product of housing development, and most of the time it is irrigated with effluent water that has already been used by the occupants of the houses, and treated to remove some, but not all of the effluent. I suppose that effluent water could be treated further to return it to potable quality and then fed back into the water supply, but (a) it would be expensive and (b) would householders accept it?

I do agree, though, that the use of potable, mains water to irrigate golf courses is essentially unacceptable in areas where water is in short supply. It's also unaffordable much of the time - that's why courses have been investing to secure alternative sources of supply. Even over here, the number of courses that have built an irrigation reservoir in recent years is remarkable -- it includes places such as Burnham & Berrow, St Enodoc and Woking. St George's Hill will almost certainly build one this year. Almost everywhere in the world, water security is hugely important for golf.

[Adam Lawrence]

Just take a look at the Oakmont CC of Glendale thread to see whats coming. Course redesigns for mininal water usage are coming soon.

They are here already. There have been a bunch of such projects for years, in Arizona, California and more. The California initiative that gives you a payback for every square foot of turf you stop watering is going to drive the process faster still.

[Duncan Cheslett]

Duncan -- I understand your view, but you are simplifying a complex issue. In these desert areas, broadly speaking golf is a by-product of housing development, and most of the time it is irrigated with effluent water that has already been used by the occupants of the houses, and treated to remove some, but not all of the effluent. I suppose that effluent water could be treated further to return it to potable quality and then fed back into the water supply, but (a) it would be expensive and (b) would householders accept it?

Adam, I understand this point, which you have made before.

However, if there is competition even for this effluent water from industry, agriculture, or even secondary domestic use, it is difficult to see how golf courses can put much of a case forward for getting any sort of priority. A golf course can consume an immense amount of water for the benefit of maybe a couple of hundred people.

We may consider golf courses to be important, but the vast majority of people do not. In a democracy the majority view tends to prevail.

As we all know, golf originated on and is best suited to land that has little use for other purposes and is fairly self-sufficient - such as links and heathland.  All I am saying is that it might not be such a bad thing if that is where it retreated back to...

[Josh Stevens]

Santa Ana when kept thirsty and cut close can provide a magnificent surface, almost links like if done properly and on sandy soil.  Doesn't look great but plays wonderfully.

[James Bennett]

Royal Adelaide invested (in conjunction with Government funding) in a street water run-off reclamation project.  Run-off is cleaned through a series of wetlands abutting the 16th, 15th and 14th holes, with the water once cleansed of sediments and heavy metals being pumped into the aquifer.

In a year, 200 ML gets recovered and pumped into the aquifer, and 200 ML gets pumped out.  Salinity levels in the aquifer have halved, with a corresponding increase in turf quality.  Winter rains and summer drought (we have had less than 1 mm of rain in the last 12 weeks) and it works. Some loss of abutting land but the birdlife seems to enjoy the wetlands without any impact on anything but extremely poor shots.

I recall Pennant Hills (Sydney) tapped into a sewage line, and processed the effluent on site into water suitable for irrigation.

It is amazing what sources of water can be found, when you have to.

James B

[Josh Stevens]

Did I read somewhere this is the first time CA has had water restrictions?  Not sure if that is true, but if it is, then is a bit slow coming.  Water restrictions are common place down here and have been permanent in Perth for about the last 15 years.  You just learn to get by with less and after a very short time don't notice it at all.

Less grass more sand, its not hard

[Mark Steffey]

If courses have to close for a year or two in CA due to unmaintainable for lack of irrigation, similar to how ANGC was left to go to pasture during WWII, I shutter to think the pressure to subdivide the acreage for housing lots.   

why would people continue to live in (and move into) an area without water?

[Jud_T]

Dalness, Glen Etive in the Scottish Highlands is apparently the wettest place in GB & I with 130 inches of annual rainfall.  Time to buy up some property for the grand kids...

[Adam Lawrence]

Milford Sound in the southwest of New Zealand (one of the most beautiful places on earth) gets about ten metres of rain a year!

[astavrides]

But short term I suspect courses may have to consider watering greens only, playing off mats and raising the HOC quite a bit.

Jon

what is HOC?

[Jeremy Rudock]

Is the climate in CA suitable for Paspalum?

[Jeremy Rudock]

But short term I suspect courses may have to consider watering greens only, playing off mats and raising the HOC quite a bit.

Jon

what is HOC?

Height of cut.

[Jon Wiggett]

But short term I suspect courses may have to consider watering greens only, playing off mats and raising the HOC quite a bit.

Jon

what is HOC?

Height of cut.

Thanks Jeremy

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