Across the Atlantic, a unique event in the golfing calendar is underway. Of the four ‘Majors’, The Masters is the only tournament that always takes place at the same venue, with Augusta National hosting the event for the 90th time this year.
This long tradition makes the course in Georgia one of the most prestigious sporting venues in the world, putting it on the same footing as other perennial sporting destinations like Flushing Meadows and, here in the UK, Wimbledon or Aintree.
Every other golf course in the world is different, even major venues, lacking the unique status and income streams that come from hosting one of the most famous events in the sporting calendar every single year.
Naturally, it can fairly be assumed that for Augusta, the money will keep rolling in. For other important courses that stage big events sporadically, the income is less. The chances are that the course you run will be several further levels below this.
How Can Changing Water Supplier Ease Golf Club Budget Pressures?
All this matters because for most golf courses, available budgets are relatively low, reliance on member fees is high and there is no big money from TV or sponsorship.
This means you should always be looking at the cost of your commercial water user contract and, if you know how to switch business water supplier, you may find it makes a lot of financial sense to do so.
If you are not sure how to do this, fear not: our site explains how and can help steer you through the process of comparing suppliers and switching to a better deal.
Whatever it costs to water the greens at Augusta won’t be a problem for them. Indeed, the club even uses an extraordinary SubAir drainage and moisture management system to manage soil hydration levels on the greens, using technology far beyond most budgets.
For your course, however, water costs may well be a challenge, especially at a time when other expenses, such as petrol, diesel, heating oil and food, are all set to rise significantly because of the Iran crisis.
At the same time, turning off the taps is not an option. The spring may have begun with some very mixed weather, but prolonged hot and dry spells in summer could leave the greens looking rather brown if not watered well.
How Can Golf Course Water Use Be Managed Better?
A figure of 200 million gallons a day has been quoted for the average 18-hole golf course’s daily use. Of course, that is a variable figure, which can differ between countries and climates, as well as due to factors such as the soil type and vegetation.
Indeed, even here in the UK, some courses are located in much wetter areas than others, with no necessity to water the greens on many occasions. However, the need to prevent flooding does mean drainage must be good, which, in turn, reduces water retention.
Your supplier can do more than just pipe in water, however, as it can work with you on issues of water management and retention. These could include various steps:
- The development of drainage systems, not through surface rainwater flowing away into drains, but into water features on the course
- Soil and plant management to help with water retention
- The establishment of supplementary water sources, such as by digging boreholes or on-course reservoirs
How Does Carnoustie Use Boreholes To Improve Water Sustainability?
The use of off-grid water sources is already happening at many top golf courses, such as Carnoustie Links i n Scotland, the host of eight Open Championships and voted the world’s best course in 2019.
Not content to rest on their laurels and aware of the environmental concerns related to high water usage (even in rainy Scotland), course bosses set about establishing a new irrigation system and work has been taking place on it over the last few years.
This has involved installing sprinklers that source water from an underground borehole system.
It is not the first time Carnoustie has done this, but the new system is an upgrade on its predecessor, which was no longer fit for purpose and faced problems such as a high level of iron in the water. The new system’s deeper boreholes will avoid this.
Of course, most golf clubs will not have the kind of budgets Carnoustie or Augusta have, nor a reputation to uphold as one of the best courses in the world. But there may still be steps that your water supplier can take to improve water resilience and increase sustainability.
Doing this will help to future-proof your supply, especially during periods of summer drought, which is why you may look beyond just the headline charges when considering alternative business water suppliers.
