Golfdom, December 2010

WATER WISE PART THREE Continued from page 27 Taking charge According to a Golfdom survey of nearly 500 superintendents last year superintendents are concerned about increased scrutiny of their freshwater use as well as decreased availability of fresh water with which to irrigate When Golfdom asked superintendents What is your biggest concern regarding the water you use for golf course irrigation 37 percent of superintendents said increased scrutiny of its use and 29 percent answered decreasing availability Some superintendents believe the two answers go hand in hand They believe increased scrutiny of their use by environmental groups and politicians will contribute to a decreasing availability of water with which they can irrigate their courses Proactive superintendents realizing theyll face tougher water restrictions in the future agree they need to act now to get out in front of this issue Perhaps nobody in the industry has been more proactive in dealing with this matter than the Atlanta Country Clubs Esoda who spearheaded an effort by the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association to enact best management practices for irrigation a move that benefited the golf industrys image statewide It wasnt an easy task and it took several years to accomplish but 246 of the 256 Georgia GCSA member properties stepped up to participate in surveys that documented their water use and irrigation reduction practices Participating golf courses disclosed how they effectively used irrigation systems new grass varieties wetting agents and plant growth regulators to use less water They also documented their usage patterns and areas where they decreased irrigation during a 2007 drought including how they discontinued the practice of overseeding to save water resources The Georgia GCSA partnered with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division GEPD in the project and 28 Golfdom December 2010 their relationship has blossomed into one of respect The GEPD has realized we were not the water abuser they thought we were Esoda says The relationship is so good between golf and government in Georgia that regulators are looking out for golf courses In June the Georgia Water Stewardship Act went into effect allowing for daily outdoor watering for purposes of planting growing managing or maintaining ground cover trees shrubs or other plants only between the hours of 4 p m and 10 a m by anyone whose water is supplied by a water system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division Irrigation by golf courses is exempted from the act however We were exempt because they know were responsible water users Esoda says Esoda cant speak for all superintendents around the country but he knows of some who are getting out in front of the water issue much like the Georgia superintendents did He mentioned a group of superintendents in Austin Texas who Dave Phipps certified superintendent of Stone Creek Golf Club in Oregon City Ore expects golf courses will be watched more closely for their water use but he doesnt expect any draconian regulations come 2020 are working toward BMPs for irrigation Esoda expects tougher regulations around the country in the next 20 years Hes asked if superintendents are taking the issue seriously enough Esoda thinks for a moment and answers the question this way He explains that 20 percent of people act as volunteers for one cause or another The other 80 percent sit back and let the 20 percent do the work Esodas fear is that only 20 percent of superintendents are being proactive Esoda believes most superintendents are taking the water crisis seriously but they need to act They need to take it one step further he adds Phipps believes superintendents can become leaders in teaching others how to become more responsible with water use But superintendents and their golf courses have to upgrade their own images as water users first We have to let people know what were doing and how were doing it Phipps says Carlson agrees Joe Hubbard director of golf course maintenance for the Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton Fla expects 80 percent of Florida golf courses to be irrigating with effluent water by 2020