The United States Golf Association (USGA) has unveiled its Water Conservation Playbook, a groundbreaking digital resource designed to equip golf courses with cutting-edge tools and techniques for more efficient water management. Available as a free download at usga.org/water, this comprehensive guide represents a significant milestone in the USGA’s 15-year, $30 million commitment to reducing water consumption across golf facilities.
“Golf is currently in a time of great growth, but the threat of water availability and cost, combined with changing weather patterns, poses long-term threats to our playing fields,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “We want to put the best intelligence into the hands of those who are making decisions and working on courses every day, and spur innovation toward a more sustainable game.”
Collaborative Expertise
The playbook combines the USGA Green Section’s century-plus of agronomic knowledge with research from leading universities and practical insights from superintendents, architects, and maintenance professionals. This practical approach provides operators with valuable information to guide decision-making at all levels while maintaining optimal playing conditions.
As noted in the publication’s introduction: “Golf courses account for about 1.3% of irrigation water use in the US annually, and total golf course water use has declined by almost 30% since 2005, mostly due to improved irrigation practices. However, there is no question that many opportunities exist for golf courses to use less water and there are many potential benefits in doing so. Continuing to advance water conservation in golf will require collaboration between superintendents, researchers, regulators, golfers and communities. It is a constant but necessary pursuit, and we hope this playbook will help.”
Comprehensive Structure
The playbook is organized into three key sections:
- Fundamental Irrigation Stewardship: Basic maintenance best practices applicable to all golf courses
- Advanced Irrigation Techniques and Conservation Strategies: Including sensor and irrigation technology innovations
- Water Sourcing and Stewardship: Covering topics such as reclaimed or recycled water irrigation
Each section provides detailed information on:
- Expected costs
- Implementation considerations
- Potential water savings and additional benefits (like improved turf quality)
- Regions where specific strategies will have maximum impact
- Visual documentation of installation and results
- Step-by-step implementation guidelines and success tips
“The level of collaboration we’ve received to bring this to life has been incredible, and it’s now our job to share this tool far and wide,” said Matt Pringle, managing director of the USGA Green Section. “If you work on a golf course, deliver or sell water, build irrigation systems, design facilities or are part of the golf community, we encourage you to download and distribute the link to your colleagues.”
Ongoing Commitment
The USGA currently manages 47 active projects advancing water conservation, including research on precision irrigation, drought-resistant grasses, reduced irrigated acreage, water quality challenge mitigation, and subsurface drip innovation.
Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), emphasized: “It is critical to the long-term sustainability of the game that golf demonstrates its commitment to the responsible use of resources. The USGA’s water playbook is a great tool that provides our members effective, practical solutions to conserve water through best management practices.”
