4
FROM THE EDITOR
Golf &
Water
California golf courses are leading
the way in learning how to cut
water usage.
This is the inevitable outcome for
courses that want to remain open in
the long term as the Golden State
grapples with drought. The state's
914 golf course owners have no
choice but to take action.
Changes were being made
long before Gov. Jerry Brown
implemented the state's first
mandatory water restrictions April 1.
California is in the fourth year of a
prolonged and dangerous drought,
and lush golf courses have been
an easy target for conservationists.
The water restrictions "require
campuses, golf courses, cemeteries
and other large landscapes to make
significant cuts in water use."
The state's largest turf removal
project taking place at North Ranch
Country Club, 30 miles north of Los
Angeles, is detailed on page 100.
The grass reductions and
landscaping adjustments haven't
scared golfers away so far. Golfing
is down nationally, and California
has followed that trend. But the
National Golf Foundation reports
Allen Thayer
that California's golf courses are
largely staying operational—the
number of courses dropped by just
eight last year.
Golf course owners nationwide
would be wise to adopt some of the
measures being used in California
to conserve water in their own
communities.
RUNNING OUT OF WATER
"This historic drought demands unprecedented
action," Gov. Jerry Brown said while imposing
California's first mandatory water restrictions April 1.