Golf Courses: Less Green is Greener

Do golf courses eat up more than their share of scarce resources, especially water? Of the approximately 35,000 golf courses worldwide, fewer than 250 are true links courses, which require less water. The remainder consists of an estimated (2003) 1.2 million acres of irrigated turfgrass.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) and many of its member courses are working to make sustainability a reality. Charlotte News-Observer columnist Luke DeCock quoted USGA executive Mike Davis on factors affecting the game of golf's sustainability: "All of us who care about the game, we talk about the time it takes, the dwindling participation levels from junior golfers, we talk about the cost of the game. At the USGA we would say the biggest threat, the biggest threat to the game long term, is water." Pinehurst Course #2, host of both the 2014 U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open, is a standout example of the move towards smarter water usage for golf courses.

A bit of Pinehurst history

Founded in 1895 by Boston soda-fountain magnate James Walker Tufts, the village of Pinehurst , N.C., opened its first golf course in 1901. The legendary golf course designer Donald Ross laid out Pinehurst's second and most famous course, the eponymous No. 2, which opened for 18-hole play in 1907. Ross said of Pinehurst No. 2 that it was "the fairest test of championship golf that I have ever designed," quite a statement considering Ross's legacy of more than 400 courses. For 2013-2014, Golf magazine experts voted No. 2 the 16^th-best in the world. And Pinehurst No. 2 has hosted more single golf tournaments than any other course in the U.S. Clearly, this is a legendary golf course.

So why tamper with success?

Restoration of No. 2 to the spirit of Ross's original design kicked off in 2010 and was completed in time for the 2014 championships. Over time, the course had evolved away from Ross's original design, with more turf and more groomed "rough." So one compelling reason to renovate No. 2 was simply to return the course to the design Ross intended.

According to DeCock, one reason Ross's rough consisted of sand and local plants - some might call them weeds -- was due to the lack of modern irrigation technology. The designer also and perhaps more importantly wanted the course to reflect the local topology, more along the lines of courses in his native Scotland. The very rough "rough" was essential to his vision for the course, part of giving golfers strategic choices on each hole.

Today, golf course managers, supported and encouraged by the USGA, are implementing management methods that reduce water use. For No. 2, the renovations included ripping out 40 acres of grass, including existing rough, and replacing it with the scrub brush and wire grass that grow naturally in Pinehurst's sandy Piedmont soil. A smaller, more centralized irrigation system is used sparingly. The result? Water use in 2014 is down 73% from 2009.

Do golfers like the changes?

Let's let golfers speak for themselves. First a couple of skilled amateurs:

I give everyone involved with the renovation of Pinehurst No. 2 a lot of credit: They took a top 10 public course in the country--one of the most unique golf experiences in the world--and by going back to the way it used to be, they made it better. Matt Ginella writing in Golf Digest, April 2, 2011.

… Pinehurst's sandy soil is its ultimate trump card over virtually every inland course in America. Reinstating the course's natural sandy qualities, rather than burying them beneath acres of Bermuda rough, was a key objective to Coore & Crenshaw's successful restoration project. Given that about 85% of the world's top twenty-five courses are built on sand, overstating its virtues is impossible. Posted by Graylin Loomis in his golf blog, 2014

And now, the pros weigh in, from a USA Today article prior to the 2014 US Open.

The redesign at Pinehurst was sensational, I think incorporating the native areas was just so well done … With no rough around the greens, the repellent greens, touch and chipping and the ability to salvage par is going to be critical. Phil Mickelson

It is everything that you have seen in the worst kept lawn you've ever seen in your life. It is dandelions growing up 12 to 15 inches, it is low‑growing weeds, and in some cases it's actually difficult to find the golf ball …It's a different type of rough and a different type of penalty. …I think it's going to be a hell of a test. Curtis Strange

Sounds like Pinehurst No.2 is once again the "fairest test" Donald Ross intended. This successful restoration/redesign should assure other golf course designers and managers that moving away from Augusta National-type manicured courses won't negatively impact golfers' enjoyment of the game.

Image credits

Pinehurst sign: Wikipedia

Hole 9, Pinehurst No. 2, before (top) and after (bottom). Copyrighted Illustration used courtesy Pinehurst Media

Resources

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2014/06/09/us-open-pinehurst-makeover-no-rough/10237137/

http://www.usga.org/course-care/water-resource-center.html

http://www.gcsaa.org/course/communication/golfcoursefacts/water-conservation

http://buckeyeturf.osu.edu/index.php?option=com_content&id=186&Itemid=170

http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/top-100-courses-world

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article16911125.html

https://cloud.3dissue.com/73035/73358/104215/GreenSectionArticlesEnglish/index.html

http://pinehurstmedia.com/news/pinehurst-no-2-receives-golf-digest-green-star-award-for-outstanding-environmental-practices

http://pinehurstmedia.com/news/pinehurst-north-carolina-state-university-and-bayer-cropscience-create-a-new-model-for-sustainable-golf-course-management