An intensive use of fertilizers to maintain golf courses may result in nutrient loading to groundwater. Field experiments were carried out to estimate the impact of golf courses on soil solution nutrients level.
Full Answer
Do I need to fertilize my golf course?
Unfortunately, soil type and depth can widely vary across a golf course. Fertilizer is used as a supplement to improve turf health and density where the soil alone is not meeting the plant’s needs.
How do golf courses save water?
Today, golf course architects use innovative design concepts to help save water. Careful earth shaping and good drainage design is used to collect runoff and sub-surface drainage water in on-site storage lakes. Turfed areas and water-demanding landscape areas are held to a minimum, resulting in water savings of 50% or more.
How do golf course superintendents apply fertilizers?
To ensure precise fertilizer applications, golf course superintendents use sophisticated application equipment to apply fertilizers in exact locations. Precise application and proper timing avoids excessive flushes of growth, reduces the risk of runoff or leaching and ultimately provides an enjoyable player experience.
How does fertilizer use affect water?
Excessive use of fertilizers and subsequent nutrient runoff impact water everywhere, including locally. When fertilizer is applied to a lawn, nutrients are being added – something that all plants need to survive and grow.
How do golf courses affect the water?
The average golf course uses 312 gallons of water per day for maintenance of the grounds. As this water flows through the property, it can pick up contaminants such as petroleum, pesticides, and fertilizers.
Are golf courses a waste of water?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. golf courses consume more than 2 billion gallons of water per day, and since one in every 17 of U.S. courses is located in arid and semi-arid California, our 921 courses consume a sizable chunk of that total daily.
Do lawns and golf courses conserve water?
This grass can replace high water use grasses on fairways and roughs in a large geographic area of the Mid-West, resulting in water savings of 50% or more.
How do golf courses affect the environment?
But golf courses also have great opportunities to make a positive impact. They can provide wildlife sanctuaries, preserve natural areas in urban environments, support native plants and wildlife, protect water resources, rehabilitate degraded landscapes and promote environmentally-positive management to the public.
Do golf courses use too much water?
Courses around the U.S. suck up around approximately 2.08 billion gallons of water per day for irrigation. That's about 130,000 gallons per day per course, according to the golf industry.
How much water do all the golf courses use?
In California, an average 18-hole golf course sprawls over 110 to 115 acres and conservatively uses almost 90 million gallons of water per year, enough to fill 136 Olympic-size swimming pools, said Mike Huck, a water management consultant who works with golf courses statewide.
How do golf courses save water?
Experts' Top Five Ways to Conserve Water on Your Golf CourseDo an Irrigation Audit. ... Revisit Your Course's Cultural and Maintenance Practices. ... Use Soil Moisture Sensors. ... Plant Drought Tolerant Turf and/or Consider Turf Conversion. ... Explore Alternative Water Sources.
Do golf courses use recycled water?
Nationwide, approximately 13% of golf courses use recycled water for irrigation. More facilities would gladly convert to using recycled water, but the main limitation is the lack of a piping system to deliver the recycled water to golf courses, which can cost $1 million per mile or more to install.
Do golf courses use fresh water?
The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), which serves 105 of the golf courses, draws from the California Water Project, the Colorado River and the aquifer. Kessler, who heads up the Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force, said much of the water used to irrigate golf courses is non-potable.
Are golf courses a waste of land?
Golf courses account for more than 5.1 million acres of land worldwide. That land that could be used as wooded areas, farmland, animal habits, wetlands and countless other activities that are far more useful to society than golf. Golf courses use 13 trillion gallons of water every year.
Are golf courses good for nature?
The researchers demonstrated that properly managed golf courses provide the greatest amount of cooling among land uses, are more supportive of pollinators than urban residential or industrial areas and retain more nutrients from stormwater runoff than suburban or urban residential areas.
Can golf courses be environmentally friendly?
Further, “Golf courses provide green breathing spaces in a concrete landscape and the well-managed turf has many valuable service values — soil protection, water filtering, pollution fixation and biodiversity conservation.
What are some alternative irrigation sources for golf courses?
These include: Storage ponds to collect storm runoff water that might otherwise be lost and wasted. Use of tertiary treated effluent from municipal sewage treatment facilities.
Why are golf courses capped with sand?
Golf course sites with poor or inconsistent soils are capped with a 6-inch layer of sand to allow uniform water infiltration and a significant reduction in water use by reducing runoff and avoiding over-application of irrigation water. Educational Opportunities Concerning Water Use and Conservation.
What grasses are used in golf?
Ongoing breeding work on zoysiagrass (Texas A&M), saltgrass (Colorado State and Arizona State), annual bluegrass (Minnesota and Penn State Universities), alkaligrass (Loft's), fairway crested wheatgrass (Utah State), colonial bentgrass (Univ. of Rhode Island) and a number of grass species at Rutgers University and at other commercial seed companies, will provide new grass varieties for golf that reduce water and pesticide use for decades to come.
How to reduce over irrigation?
Using sophisticated on-site weather stations, weather reporting services and other resources to determine accurate daily irrigation replacement needs, thus reducing over-irrigation. There also is a considerable effort being made to adapt various types of sensors to evaluate turf soil moisture replacement needs, including tensiometers, porous blocks, heat dissipation blocks, neutron probes, and infrared thermometry.
What is the purpose of careful earth shaping and good drainage design?
Careful earth shaping and good drainage design is used to collect runoff and sub-surface drainage water in on-site storage lakes.
What is tertiary treated effluent?
Use of tertiary treated effluent from municipal sewage treatment facilities. This recycled water provides moisture and nutrients to the golf course while helping the municipality avoid discharging the effluent water into nearby rivers.
What is the best way to reduce water evaporation?
Using mulches in shrub and flower beds to reduce water evaporation losses.
Why did the water in the golf course lower nitrate levels?
The reduction of nitrate levels was partly because of the groundwater seeping into the ditch from the golf course and diluting the surface water in the ditch.
When was the golf course water quality monitored?
Monitoring of water quality during early operation of the golf course was conducted from May 2000 through October 2006.
What was the main cause of the reduction of total phosphorus concentrations in the surface water?
Similar to what was observed for total nitrogen, the concentration of total phosphorus in the water decreased during the early stage operation. Vegetation reestablished on the surface was the main cause of the reduction of total phosphorus concentrations in the surface water.
What are the conditions that control the quality of water?
The water quality of unpolluted water bodies is dependent on the local geological, biological and climatological conditions. These conditions control the mineral quality, ion balances, and biological cycles of the water body. To preserve the quality of the aquatic environment, the natural balances should be maintained.
How much sulfur does Falcon Ridge use?
Falcon Ridge consumes about a ton of sulfur every three weeks.
What is the significance of a new golf course?
New golf course development represents a dramatic change of land use. Golf courses often are constructed close to natural streams or water bodies. Establishing a new golf course requires removing the original natural soil cover, which represents a potential for contamination of nearby streams, lakes and ponds through soil erosion ...
Why did they choose Kinston Country Club?
One of two golf courses they chose was Kinston Country Club because of the water quality monitoring already started by the club’s staff. First, N.C. State researchers installed devices called lysimeters around the course to measure the soil’s nutrient levels near grass root zones.
How does fertilizer affect water?
Excessive use of fertilizers and subsequent nutrient runoff impact water everywhere, including locally. When fertilizer is applied to a lawn, nutrients are being added – something that all plants need to survive and grow. What might not be obvious, though, is that the soil may already have sufficient levels of these nutrients for plants to be strong and healthy. Brand-new lawns or areas with very poor soils might lack nutrients, but most established lawns have enough nutrients. When healthy, well-established lawns are fertilized anyway, the nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) that aren’t used by the grass run off with the next rain (or lawn watering) and end up in our streams and reservoirs where they can feed algae and create other problems.
What nutrients do lawns need to be fertilized?
When healthy, well-established lawns are fertilized anyway, the nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) that aren’t used by the grass run off with the next rain (or lawn watering) and end up in our streams and reservoirs where they can feed algae and create other problems.
Why is phosphorus banned in fertilizer?
The bans are now so widespread that most fertilizer companies have stopped including phosphorous in the majority of their fertilizers because of damage phosphorus causes to water. Only fertilizers used for starting new lawns and gardens still contain phosphorous, but these are intended for short-term use only.
Why is fertilizer important for plants?
Fertilizer is used to supply plants with the nutrients they need—primarily nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—in a form that is easy to use for the plant’s roots. It is typically added to the soil when planting seeds or young plants to help them get established. Fertilizer can or may be added to the soil throughout the life of the plant to help keep it healthy and growing strong. But over-fertilizing can be a bad thing. Too much fertilizer can actually kill the plant and excess fertilizer can runoff into streams and lakes causing toxic algal blooms that are harmful to aquatic life and even people and their pets. Excess fertilizer runoff from lawns and agricultural applications also contribute to aquatic “dead zones” in coastal areas.
What is fertilizer for plants?
Fertilizer is basically food for plants. Plants, just like humans, need a variety of nutrients to grow and thrive. While humans get nutrients from the different foods (meat, vegetables, fruits, dairy, grains) they eat, plants obtain most of the nutrients they need from the soil. There are many different types of soil and some don’t have ...
How much nitrogen does it take to produce algae?
It takes just one (1) pound of phosphorus and seven (7) pounds of nitrogen entering a waterway to produce 500 pounds of algae. For more information about eutrophication, hypoxia, dead zones, and algae check out the items on the sidebar to the right. SEE MORE.
Why do algae have a fast life cycle?
Algae typically have a very fast life cycle, and when this life cycle is accelerated it causes problems for water quality and aquatic life, primarily by depleting oxygen from the water. This phenomenon, known as hypoxia, results in oxygen levels becoming so low that the water can no longer support aquatic life.
How do golf courses get water?
As in conventional agricultural practices in arid climates, water can be obtained from nearby water courses or from underground aquifers. When water resources are not available near the application site, irrigation associations of farmers usually build canals or extraction systems for posterior water distribution. Depending on its location, a golf course can inherit—or even buy—rights from the previous agricultural property where the course is located. As already remarked another solution is the use of non-conventional resources, mainly runoff or reclaimed water in the case of golf courses. No matter what the origin of the water, the technology used in irrigation practices is almost always based on the use of sprinklers. There are, however, a few cases in which underground drip irrigation systems have been used on golf courses [ 14, 15 ], with reportedly satisfactory results, for this method can be paramount in saving water [ 16 ]. Nevertheless, this practice has received criticism and irrigation system manufacturers stated several years ago that correct golf course management should employ only sprinklers. This leads to the question of irrigation efficiency, expressed mainly in terms of the concept of “more crop per drop”. Apart from the turfgrass irrigation water, there are other uses of water on golf courses, as indicated on Table 3.
How to detect problems in golf course?
It is generally accepted that the most scientific way to detect problems on a golf course is to perform analysis on the different components of the facility. Reclaimed and other water on the course (see Table 3 ), grass and other plants, soils and substrata can and sometimes must be analyzed. Three types of analysis can be performed: preventive, regular and legal. Preventive analytical work is carried out in order to discover problems before they appear. On a well-managed course, grass, soils and water are periodically sampled and analyzed either in situ or in a laboratory. Tendencies towards growth or decrease can indicate the first stages of problems and help to prevent them. At most golf courses regular analysis to detect the needs of the system (e.g., nutrient contents in soil, water and plants) are undertaken. This can help to manage the facility adequately, with the additional benefit of obtaining savings on fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Finally, there are compulsory analyses, especially if the course is irrigated with reclaimed water. For this purpose, the existing rules and regulations must be applied. The main types of analysis are physical, chemical and biological (see Table 4, Table 5 and Table 6 ), but those performed to comply with legal requirements when using reclaimed water refer mainly to the microbiological characteristics.
What is the need to follow the rules and regulations for reclaimed water irrigation?
When dealing with reclaimed water irrigation of turfgrass and other plant species in a golf facility, apart from specific rules and regulations relating to the sport of golf, there is a need to follow each country’s legal specifications. The entire reuse procedure requires strict control. There are two types of control, one related to the quality of the reclaimed water and the second related to risk management of the reuse procedures. For this purpose it is necessary to establish:
What are the hazards of using reclaimed water?
Such hazards are, in all cases, due to the presence of several pollutants, including pathogens and chemicals, in the released reclaimed water. Resulting water quality concerns can hence be described as biological, chemical and physical.
How to develop a HACCP plan for golf?
The first task in developing a HACCP plan is to assemble a HACCP team consisting of individuals who have specific knowledge and expertise appropriate to the golf product and the processes implied. It is the team’s responsibility to develop the HACCP plan. The team should be multidisciplinary and include individuals from areas such as engineering, sanitation, quality assurance, and water microbiology, apart from golf experts. The team should also include local personnel who are involved in the operation as they are more familiar with the operational variability and limitations. In addition, this fosters a sense of involvement among those who must implement the plan. The HACCP team may need assistance from outside experts who are knowledgeable about the potential biological, chemical and/or physical hazards associated with the product and the process. Due to the technical nature of the information required for hazard analysis, it is recommendable for experts who are knowledgeable in the process either to participate in or verify the completeness of the hazard analysis and HACCP plan. Such individuals should have the knowledge and experience to correctly:
What is the basic idea of golf?
The basic idea subjacent to the game of golf is that the golfer is playing (or struggling) against the course. Consequently, the course should be built considering the potential player. As a result, the design of each course will be more or less exacting, which in turn is reflected in the presence or absence of open water, the type of grass used on fairways and greens and the operation and maintenance of the entire course and its surrounding areas. The “minimal” requirements are those pertaining to courses located in tourist areas, where the interest of the owners is usually to obtain maximum benefits from the infrastructure. In this case, fairways are generally wide and rough is reduced, to avoid players wasting time searching for balls. The “top” requirements are on courses that aspire to host important championships, and hence are more difficult, in order to create additional problems for professional players. The fairways are narrow, the rough is high and thick and there are numerous hazards (including water). On most golf courses additional playing surfaces and areas for different purposes surround the actual course to support players (practice grounds, clubhouse, car-park ...). There are also unused areas, where wildlife can be preserved. Water consumption for the correct maintenance of the course differs greatly, depending on the type of features included. Nevertheless, all courses share common structures, some for playing and others as support elements of the whole infrastructure. A definition of the “soft” parts of the system ( i.e., the playable surfaces) is provided in Table 1 and the features of the non-playable components are summarized in Table 2 and Figure 1.
What is the water footprint?
In recent years, the concept of water footprint fueled this controversy; in fact, the Water Footprint Manual [ 1] indicates that human activities consume or pollute a lot of water. The manual adds that at a global scale, agricultural production generates most water use, but that a substantial volume of water is also consumed and polluted in the industrial and domestic sectors [ 2 ]. Water consumption and pollution are associated with specific activities, such as irrigation, bathing, washing, cleaning, cooling and processing. Total water consumption and pollution are generally regarded as the sum of a multitude of independent water demanding and polluting activities [ 1 ]. Nevertheless, a distinction should be made on the issue of the actual extraction of water from the natural cycle, because several activities just use the passage of water through facilities (e.g., hydroelectric production) while others divert water from its natural source (rivers, aquifers…) and use it mainly without return to surface waters (e.g., agriculture).
How much water does a golf course use?
The amount of water golf courses use varies greatly depending on the region, but on average they use about 10 800 000 litres of water per year (according to the Golf Course Superintendents Association, US golf courses use, on average, 414 500 000 litres a year). In essence each golf course uses enough water to provide at least 1200 people ...
How do golf estates affect invasive species?
Golf estates may facilitate the spread of invasive alien plants through increased disturbance and nutrient levels. Furthermore, gardens are recognised as an important source of invasive species. The introduction of kikuyu grass, for example, may have devastating effects on surrounding natural habitats.
What are the weaknesses of golf course estates?
Golf course estates are frequently elitist enclaves, isolated from surrounding communities. They have thrived on people’s fear and insecurities in the face of increasing levels of crime and violence.
Do golf estates need environmental assessments?
environmental assessment be required for any major golf estate development . On a more positive note, if golf estates are appropriately located and planned for, they could play a valuable role in rehabilitating derelict areas and transforming them into green belt areas.
Do golf courses in the Western Cape have pristine land?
They usually cover large tracts of land and are frequently proposed within pristine areas, where they reduce biodiversity and destroy conservation-worthy habitats. A worrying trend in the Western Cape is that golf course estates sometimes occur on prime agricultural land.
Does sewage water affect irrigation?
While the use of sewage water for irrigation may solve the water problem, it adds even more nutrients to the system, compounding the negative environmental impacts of using fertilisers. Pesticides and herbicides kill off insects and weeds within the confines of the golf course estate.
Does golf use sewage?
However, using water-saving measures can cut the water use by a third, and some golf course estates are using recycled sewage effluent to water their greens and fairways. This however has other negative environmental impacts, explained in the following section. Pollution through pesticides and fertilisers.