Hunter Ranch and The Drought
Hunter Ranch Golf Course understands the severity of the current drought and is taking measures to reduce our water usage.
In June of 2014, we overplanted all of our fairways with a hybrid Bermuda grass that reduces the water needs of the fairway turf by 25-30%. The investment for this project was about $150,000, and we’ve already seen a significant reduction in water usage even as our new turf grows in.
In addition, we use agronomic cultural practices such as vertical mowing and aerification to reduce thatch and increase the water retention capabilities of the soil. This improves root depth which makes the turf areas more resistant to desiccation – the process of extreme dryness that damages turf.
Moreover, we have increased the use of wetting agents and soil penetrants to reduce the run times needed to get the water into the root zone. We perform frequent irrigation audits to ensure that the irrigation system is at maximum efficiency and that overspray is eliminated. Hunter Ranch also eliminated irrigation of low priority turf areas that do not affect the playability of the golf course. As it stands right now we have reduced our watering by 25%, and if needed we have additional measures we can take to make further reductions. These measures include more turf reduction as well as converting some turf areas to drought tolerant landscapes. If implemented we will save an additional 10-15% on water usage.
Last, it’s important to know that all of our irrigation water, as well as our potable water, comes from onsite wells tapping ground water deep beneath the surface. Hunter Ranch does not use municipally-supplied potable water.
At Hunter Ranch Golf Course we understand the seriousness of the current drought and are committed to do our part to save this precious resource. We hope you do the same.