Page 22 - GBC summer 2015

irrigation water demand. Many courses are no longer irrigating rough areas, and allow them to become dormant during times of drought. Naturalized areas eliminate the cost of mowing them as well.
There are also cultivars and breeds of turfgrass, which are more drought tolerant than others. There are golf courses in desert en- vironments, and Canadian golf courses can benefit from the plant breeding that has been undertaken, to allow those golf courses to survive with limited water in drought conditions. Obviously not all tropical cultivars or breeds will be successful in a temperate climate, but we ought to consider drought tolerance as a high priority when selecting seeds for over seeding or new construction.
A relatively new technology available to Superintendents is the use of moisture meters when making decisions around irrigation. Up until recently, irrigation duration and application decisions were based on soil probing, experience of the Superintendent,
and weather reports. What the moisture meter can accomplish, is the elimination of some of the “by guess and by gosh” built into that system. It provides an objective measurement of the amount of moisture available to the turfgrass within its root zone, which will obviously lead to the more judicious use of irrigation water.
A difficult, but critical, piece of “Turf Management” is always “Golfer Management.” Many of the techniques that will lead to more efficient irrigation, will also have an effect on the golfer’s experience. If we stop watering rough, and allow out of play areas to naturalize – the course will look very different than what they see on TV every weekend (unless they watch the European tour, where irrigating rough would just been seen as stupid).
Reducing green speed will reduce many inputs, not the least of which is water, but how much slower is acceptable? Stimpmeter readings of 7-9 were acceptable on private clubs in 1976, now anything under 10 will lead to angry emails. Using well water to top up pond levels was once commonplace, but is it really necessary? There will have to be a serious evaluation of the present balance between water use and playability.
“a difficult, but
critical, piece of ‘turf Management’ is always ‘Golfer Management.’ Many of the techniques that will lead to more efficient irrigation, will also have an effect on the golfer’s experience.“
DO MORE WITH LESS
There can be no doubt that our access to fresh water will continue to be limited in the future. There will be no single silver bullet solution, but rather a toolbox of techniques that will allow us to use less of it. Fortunately, in Canada we can benefit from the decades of experience garnered by courses growing in challenging environ- ments today. Researchers and plant breeders have been aware of this coming crisis for some time, and some of the world’s best agri- cultural institutions are looking at everything from technology, to cultural practices, to alternate sources of water (grey water, or even salt water irrigation, for example). When one considers how far we have come in the thirty years since I was out there night watering, I believe that we can be optimistic that we will find a way to do more with less.
Golf Business Canada
22
Golf Business Canada