'We have a problem in central Oahu, where the water supply has become polluted and must undergo special treatment before public consumption,' Hew says. Still, a serious problem remains, both of quantity and quality. This has been ameliorated by the sharp decline in sugar cane growth. Chauncey Hew of the Safe Drinking Water Branch of the State Department of Health points out that not many years ago there were dire predictions that Hawaii would run out of drinking water shortly after the turn of the century. Water is a finite and precious commodity in the island paradise, despite its ample annual rainfall. One state, Hawaii, is seeking to find out. Thereby comes a problem, at least a possible problem: Are those chemicals reaching and polluting the aquifers? Suffice it to say, a golf course, any golf course, requires lots of chemicals-sometimes tons a year-all carried into the soil by that incessant watering. Course superintendents face different diseases and pests in the South from those in the Northeast, Midwest or Far West. It varies with the health of the course, weather conditions and the region of the country. Exactly how much fertilizer and other chemicals are spread on those 21 acres of greensward is unknown.

Then there are pesticides to discourage various insects such as mole crickets and nematodes (parasitic worms), herbicides to fight weeds and such, fungicides, and chemicals to prevent or thwart plant diseases. Keeping that grass short and green takes a lot of fertilizer. Given an adequate supply, water isn't really the problem. As Chad Rittenbush of the American Society of Golf Course Architects points out, 'Palm Springs sits atop a very large aquifer.' It had better! That's roughly 57 million gallons, 365 days a year. Each of those 57 golf courses in Palm Springs-as the name suggests, basically an oasis in a desert-uses a millions gallons of water per day. If it doesn't rain every day-preferably every night when the course is not in use-then turn on the sprinklers. So, how is it done? How do you get grass to grow so beautifully in such an unnatural state? With lots and lots of water, for starters. No wonder a degree in agronomy is required to be a superintendent! And no wonder the Augusta National Course in Georgia shuts down for six months after the Masters tourney-in part to let the grass recover. As Pat Jones of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America puts it, 'The grass is under stress. Maintaining the acres and acres of fairway grass at a height of a half inch or so hardly qualifies as a walk in the park. This is a problem faced daily by golf course superintendents. Having accomplished all that, you keep your lawn mowed to one-eighth of an inch-and expect it to prosper and always look immaculate, despite lots of foot traffic. You prepare the soil and plant bent grass, keeping out all other weeds and grasses that might intrude, as well as bugs, bacteria, fungi and diseases which might damage the grass. Further imagine that your lawn measures about six acres-typical amount of greens on a golf course. To understand it, imagine that you decide, in pride of ownership, to have a proverbial 'putting green' lawn at your home. With all this going for the golf course, surely there can be no problem. No wonder golf courses so often attract housing developments nearby-and enhanced property values. And a major tourney, attracting tens of thousands of spectators, is a community gold mine.Ī golf course, any golf course, is a community asset, 160 acres (on average) of pristine grass, molded and mowed to perfection, studded with trees, shrubs, flower beds, even a pond or two on which water fowl float - all creating a lovely sight on a summer day, a peaceful oasis from the crowds, traffic and hectic bustle of urban life. Golf courses boost the local economy through resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops and tourism. The employment thus provided cannot even be estimated. No one knows the dollar value of the golf 'industry', including equipment, courses, attire and such, but it is believed to be many billions annually. And new courses are opening at (forgive the pun) roughly one a day.Īn estimated 25 million Americans play golf, making it one of the largest participation sports in the country. If put together, those 15,000 courses would cover the state of Delaware. Nationwide there are 15,000 golf courses, about half the worldwide total. 40,144) had 57 golf courses, surely making it easy for even the occasional duffer to get in an early morning round. Excerpt from the Soil Report Newsletter of Soilmoisture Equipment Corp.Īt last count Palm Springs, California, (pop.

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