For the past month I have been contacted by a number of Southwest Florida superintendents anxious about irrigation water allotments for the upcoming winter season. I was not overly concerned at first since these golf courses were supposedly only being restricted by 30% of their normal allotment. Healthy bermudagrass can withstand such reductions and just turns off-color/brown during drought stress. However, closer evaluation of actual water allotments for the upcoming months revealed that irrigation restrictions are much more harsh.

A non-overseeded 27-hole facility (160 acres) I recently visited remarked that their monthly allotments for January, February, and March will be 5.2 million gallons, 6.2 million gallons, and 13.4 million gallons, respectively. Average water use on this golf course during the past five years has been 15.1 million gallons in January, 16.6 million gallons in February, and 23.7 million gallons in March. This change equates to a reduction of more than 60% for these months! Harsh restrictions will not only cause brown playing conditions, but will significantly impact long-term golf course health, and, most likely, cause some turf loss during the annual dry season.

This is especially disappointing considering golf courses only utilize 2% of the water supply in Florida, while home lawns utilize up to 15%. It is frustrating when we drive through our neighborhoods and see lush green yards that are over-irrigated, while golf courses suffer. Many Florida golf courses provide an added environmental benefit by utilizing treated wastewater for irrigation; but not all golf courses have access to treated or recycled water. As a result, golf courses with recycled water will receive more water during the upcoming months and will remain greener. Unfortunately, it is difficult to explain this fact when golfers begin to play other courses and start to compare playing conditions.

The problem with the current water reduction model is that it uses an equation that is less regionally sensitive in regards to water requirements of bermudagrass on golf courses. In fact, studies at the University of Florida showed that this formula was off by as much as 80% in predicting actual water requirement. The water management districts have worked with golf courses in the past and I am hopeful that they will utilize updated prediction models developed by university professors to better predict actual water requirements. Otherwise, superintendents will have barely enough water to maintain putting greens, teeing grounds, and landing areas on fairways without supplemental rainfall.

In a regional update from April 2007 (http://www.usga.org/turf/regional_updates/regional_reports/florida/04-23-2007.html), John Foy mentioned several important cultural practices for dealing with drought conditions. These are excellent guidelines to implement at this time. If restrictions worsen, your course may need to plan for additional projects. Such projects will cause a major strain on capital improvement budgets, so stay tuned and we will keep you posted as we learn more about this important situation.

Source: Todd Lowe, tlowe@usga.org or 941-828-2625