An article published in the August 2010 issue of the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America’s (GCSAA) magazine, ‘Golf Course Management’ must make alarming reading for any who have thoughts of establishing a golf course in challenging corners of the world. The heat of the desert has held no fears for golf course developers in the past. However, the lush green of fairway and putting surface grass has always stood out starkly against the natural colours of the sand and scrub. The issue of water availability is now making course operators of such facilities, and those sited in other very hot climates, cause for thought as to how sustainable their future really is.
The article puts forward the notion that courses in this sort of situation could benefit from seasonal closure when the temperatures are at their peak and grass simply withers and dies without copious amounts of water being thrown at it.
The main thrust of the sustainability we promote in this website, of course, leads to minimising labour costs and reducing water and chemical input as well as establishing the ideal grass species for the specific local environment. This is the first example we have come across where the uncomfortable lesson may be that there are places on earth where perhaps courses should not be built.
Click here to read the August 2010 GCM article.