“All of that area is going to be affected in the next 10 years by climate change.”
Parts of Peter Hansen’s favorite golf course were underwater. Again.
As the Pineapple Express storm swept across Ventura County Sunday, the bus driver from Camarillo drove by the 92-year-old course he described as good for morale because of its shorter, more forgiving holes. Already frustrated the city-owned Ventura track had been closed for more than a year because of damage from 2023 storms, Hansen saw the water and worried he might never tee up there again.
“I said: ‘This isn’t good,’” he recalled thinking.
The course’s future remains at least partly cloudy, but if it doesn’t reopen it won’t be because of the storm unleashed by an atmospheric river.
City officials said the course sustained only about $16,000 of damage, relative pennies compared to the $10 million or more estimated price of repairing destruction incurred by tons of sediment and mud that covered the course after the Santa Clara River flooded it on Jan. 9, 2023.
This time around, sand traps filled with water. Ducks swam in temporary lakes. A tree was lost and a piece of irrigation control equipment was damaged.
“It was pretty minor,” said Stacey Zarazua, the city’s parks and recreation director.
The course opened in 1932 and has built a loyal following, in part because its shorter length acts like balm on golfers’ egos. Its long-term future continues to hinge largely on funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and finding ways to reduce the chance of future flooding.
But city officials said parts of the course could possibly reopen in a short-term fix aimed at regaining some of the revenue lost during the long closure.
It’s not clear exactly when such a reopening could come but the course could be ready for it fairly quickly, said Deputy City Manager Brad “Brick” Conners.
“We think we can do at least nine holes,” he said. The final call on a temporary, partial reopening would come from the City Council, as will the key decisions on repairs and the course’s future.
“The potential exists,” Conners said of a full opening. “There are a variety of things that have to happen.”
Work crews use dump trucks top to remove mounds of dirt at the Buenaventura Golf Course on Friday, July 7, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
‘Like the hand of God’
In January 2023, massive rain turned the course into a giant lake, also flooding the snack bar and pro shop. After the water drained, fairways, greens and sand traps were cloaked in thick, suffocating coats of mud and silt.
The sediment was removed and much of the grass survived, sparking hopes the course could survive and reopen. Barriers remain.
This file photo shows how Buenaventura Golf Course looked after it was flooded in January 2023. The Ventura course’s future remains uncertain.
Virtually all of the dozens of sand traps on the course were destroyed in the flood. Two greens also need to be rebuilt in expensive projects that involve irrigation issues and drainage repairs.
“It looks like the hand of God came in and swept them away,” Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder said of the damaged putting surfaces. “There’s a hole where the green used to be.”
Buenaventura Golf Course in Ventura survived the Pineapple Express storm with minor scars as shown in this photo on Wednesday. Its future remains unclear but could include partial reopening. (Photo: Tom Kisken/VC Star)
The course is located in a floodplain. Conners said the city is in discussions about possible mitigation plans that would help flood-proof the course. Those changes could include some alterations to the layout and would be limited to the course and not the Santa Clara River. The mitigation would need review from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The city gained approval for funding from FEMA but the exact level of reimbursement remains unknown, Conners said. The city’s insurance carrier also needs to validate the funding claim to open the FEMA pipeline.
Big decisions coming
Schroeder said he has been told FEMA will cover 75% of the costs and 15% or more will be covered by other sources, leaving the balance for the city to pay.
He cited the 80,000 rounds of golf once played at Buenaventura yearly in voicing support for the reopening if the FEMA reimbursement money materializes. The opening could come in stages, growing from 9 holes to 12 holes to the full 18, he said.
But the mayor also said mitigation is needed to protect the course from future flooding.
“If we can do that … I’m open to investing in the course,” he said.
City Council Member Liz Campos said she’ll need to see an exact plan before revealing how she’ll vote. But she also thinks the course and other city sites fronting the ocean or river need to be pushed back at least a quarter mile to reduce the chance of future storms creating deja vu.
“All of that area is going to be affected in the next 10 years by climate change,” she said, suggesting the risks of damage will grow.
Hansen, the golfer from Camarillo, drives by the site often. He emails city leaders and others for status updates. The fairways looked so good before the recent storm that he had difficulty understanding why the course hadn’t reopened.
He remains hopeful.
“That’s my favorite course and I can’t wait for it to happen,” he said of the opening.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
Foggy conditions in the California Central Valley are common as air rises and cools between mountain ranges.
Foggy conditions in the California Central Valley are common as air rises and cools between mountain ranges.
One woman got a recent reminder of why drivers should take it slow through such conditions when she launched her car 40 feet in the air after missing a stop sign north of Fresno.
Early on Tuesday morning, the woman accidentally wound up on the eighth hole of Eagle Springs Golf Club in the town of Friant.
Ever dream of quitting your job, heading off into the mountains and taking over a pristine golf property?
Ever dream of quitting your job, heading off into the mountains and taking over a pristine golf property?
Find yourself a cool $3.8 million and that dream can be fulfilled in the picturesque Northern California region near Mount Shasta, the second-highest mountain in the Cascades range and the fifth-highest in the state.
Lake Shastina Golf Resort has a Robert Trent Jones par-72 championship track and an additional 9-hole course to boot.
According to the real estate listing, the sale of the property, which sits about an hour north of Redding and four hours from Sacramento, includes 15 condos and a restaurant/bar combo as well as 85 golf carts:
The masterpiece has all the challenging golf and scenic beauty one could imagine, with majestic Mount Shasta in its background, scenic ponds, and home to a plethora of wildlife. The firm and fast greens have long been touted as some of the finest in Northern California while the tee boxes offer some of the finest golf vistas you will find anywhere. The wide but challenging fairways are equally well kept by the seasoned golf course staff.
In addition to the busy golf destination, the membership at Lake Shastina Golf Resort provides access to a vibrant community. With 225 members and six different membership types available. The community is inviting, tight-knit, and highly interactive, making events extra special. Just like any well-run organization, the people here make it what it is today.
In terms of alternative activities, there is snow skiing and snowmobiling at Mt. Shasta in winter months and hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing, and boating in summer months. The clean mountain air and natural beauty without the hectic city traffic invites relaxation, peace & inspirational experiences. Whether you are an avid golfer or seeking a profitable venture, this resort is worth a look. Business Opportunities combined with an exciting lifestyle don’t come along often; seize the moment – they don’t repeat.
Officials are making no secret that they want to bring the LPGA back to the Coachella Valley at their courses.
The Epson Tour will play its biggest golf tournament at the Indian Wells Golf Resort in 2024, but officials from the City of Indian Wells and the golf resort are making no secret that they want to bring the LPGA back to the Coachella Valley at their courses.
“First, it puts us back in the game,” said Robin Graf, the new general manager at the Indian Wells Golf Resort. “It gives us an opportunity to potentially host more events in the future, and bigger events.”
The Indian Wells City Council voted 5-0 on Thursday to approve a one-year $100,000 sponsorship for the 2024 season finale of the Epson Tour, the developmental tour for the LPGA. That event, to be called the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, will be played on the Players Course of the golf resort on Sept. 30-Oct. 6.
While the Epson Tour Championship becomes the biggest golf event played at the golf resort for now, city staff and council members talked openly about the prospect of an LPGA event for the city in the future. The LPGA left the desert after the 2022 Chevron Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, with the major championship moving to Houston. That left the Coachella Valley without an LPGA event for the first time in 51 years.
The Epson Tour event could show the LPGA that a regular LPGA event is viable for the desert in the fall, and that the Indian Wells Golf Resort is the place to hold such a tournament.
“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that we have had a golden opportunity dropped into our laps,” council member Greg Sanders said during council discussion of the sponsorship. “The Dinah Shore, the ANA tournament, the last year it was here it was sponsored by Chevron, I think. They moved out. I’m going to ask Visit Greater Palm Springs what the economic spinoff was from the ANA. I guarantee you it is huge.”
Sanders added the idea of the Epson Tour sponsorship is to get the LPGA to see Indian Wells as a top-flight candidate for an LPGA event.
“I see this as a strategic investment,” Sanders added.
Photo courtesy Epson Tour/Ben Harpring
City, residents benefits
The council chose a $100,000 sponsorship over a $50,000 option for the Epson Tour event. City manager Christopher Freeland explained that the $100,000 level includes everything the $50,000 level features including the city name and logo incorporated into tournament promotion and advertising, pro-am teams in the tournament, participation in a meet the pros party and VIP passes for the four days of the 72-hole professional tournament. But the $100,000 level also includes discounted tickets for city residents and a designated seating area along the 18th green for residents. Freeland also pointed out the $100,000 sponsorship might be viewed more favorably by the LPGA for any future tournament discussions.
Indian Wells is already the home of the two-week BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden each March, the Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta in December and has a sponsorship deal with the Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey club. For golf, the city hosted a PGA Tour Champion event at The Vintage Club from 1981-92 and at the golf resort in 1993 as well as three years of the LG Skins Game from 2006-08.
“Golf is the epicenter of Indian Wells. It always has been since the 1980s,” council member Bruce Whitman said. “I think golf is our past, our present and our future. And so our golf resort, that campus with the hotels and the golf courses, that is the economic engine of our city. All we can do to encourage more golf in this city can only benefit this city.”
Council member Dana Reed said he supports the sponsorship deal, but would like the city staff to audit claims about the golf tournament and other sports sponsorships the city has. One such claim is the Epson Tour saying the Tour Championship will produce 1,930 room nights in area hotels, with Freeland acknowledging some of those room nights could be in other desert cities.
Freeland added that while the sponsorship voted on by the council Thursday is a one-year deal, it could lead to a multi-year agreement with the Epson Tour and deeper discussions with the LPGA about a tournament on that larger tour.
As the developmental tour for the LPGA, the Epson Tour has 24 events across the country, including one in Beaumont each March. Purses for Epson events are between $200,000 and $375,000, with the Tour Championship featuring a $250,000 purse last month in Florida.
The top 10 money winners on the tour each year earn LPGA exemptions for the following year, with the Tour Championship the final event of that exemption chase. Top players on the LPGA who have graduated from the Epson Tour include major championship winners Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu, with Epson Tour graduates winning more than 400 LPGA titles.
“I thought I won a few bucks on that hole until Chuck hit his ball,” Spina laughed.
When Rick Lehman missed the green with his tee shot on the 165-yard par-3 seventh hole at Andalusia Country Club in La Quinta, California, he didn’t think much of it other than the shot wasn’t very good.
What Lehman and his two playing partners couldn’t have known was that within seconds the three golfers would be witness to something rare — back-to-back holes in one from the trio.
Steve Spina, a guest at the course and playing second on the hole, made a hole-in-one with a 7-iron. Chuck LaVarnway, playing last in the threesome, then holed his own tee shot with a 5-hybrid.
“The funny part was we are playing a game where one guy can win all the money if he wins by two strokes,” said LaVarnway of the double aces on Sept. 23. “So I hit my shot and I’m thinking I have to make a 2, and it was going at the pin and I turned away, knowing that I hit it very well. But I turned away and Rick goes, ‘That went in.’ And I said ‘oh, come on.’”
“I thought I won a few bucks on that hole until Chuck hit his ball,” Spina laughed.
The odds of an amateur golfer making a hole-in-one are 12,500 to one. The odds of consecutive holes in one, according to the PGA of America’s website, are about 17 million to 1.
Lehman, LaVarnway and Spina play golf often at Andalusia. Lehman and LaVarnway are members of the club and Spina, a part-time La Quinta resident who lives in Burlingame near San Francisco, as a guest of his brother-in-law who is an Andalusia member. On this day the threesome was playing a game called Nine Points, meaning the winner of a hole gets five points, the second-best score gets three points and the highest score on the hole gets just one point.
Lehman’s shot didn’t offer much inspiration to his playing partners, he said, missing the green on the downhill par-3 with water in front. Spina then hit his 7-iron.
“It was in all the way,” Lehman said.
“It hit three feet in front and rolled right in,” Spina said of his fourth career ace.
Second ace same as the first
Then came LaVarnway’s turn.
“We high-fived, and Chuck was like, whatever, and he walked to the cart to get a different club,” Lehman said.
“Chuck goes, oh, I feel a little breeze, so he goes back and gets a different club (a 5-hybrid) and then he hits it and it goes right in, the exact same line,” Spina said. “It was crazy.”
“They were almost identical shots, to be honest with you,” Lehman said. “They both went straight at the hole. I think the ball marks were a foot or so away from each other, and they both just bounced a couple of times and disappeared. It was crazy.”
For LaVarnway, it was his 10th career ace. But Spina, LaVarnway and Lehman all said they have never seen two aces from the same group before, much less on consecutive swings.
“And we are all jumping up and down like a couple of kids,” Lehman said.
“We are glad Rick was there (as witness), otherwise no one would believe us,” Spina said.
Perhaps the only downside of the two aces is that they came so early in the round.
“We walked onto the eighth tee box and, well, something like that, the excitement, it’s over,” Lehman said. “Stuff like that should last longer, the excitement. We did talk about it all day. How could that have happened?”
A once-beloved municipal golf course in Stockton, California, finally has a direct path to becoming a working greenspace thanks to a plan approved recently by the city’s common council.
Van Buskirk Golf Course in south Stockton has been closed since before the pandemic, and a plan to bring the space back to a park was given full approval, even though it will take some time to implement. The course was shuttered when the city’s lease with a former operator expired in 2019, is located between Houston Avenue and the levees of the San Joaquin River and French Camp Slough.
The golf course, a longtime staple in the south Stockton community, was open to the public for six decades before it closed in 2019. This classic Larry Norstrom design was built in 1960. The 214-acre property has sat behind a chain-link fence since the Van Buskirk family decided to give it to the city, provided it was only used for recreation.
A multiple-acre grass fire rages at the former Van Buskirk golf course in south Stockton. The 214-acre property has been idle since 2019 when the city shuttered the course. Photo: Clifford Oto/Stockton Record/USA Today Network
In a unanimous vote at last week’s Stockton City Council meeting, council members approved a master plan to bring a 192-acre park to the site of the former municipal golf course.
City officials have planned for the site’s redevelopment, but several fires have ripped through the property, including a multi-acre grass fire in June. Now, it’s seeing a new chance at life.
“This is such a phenomenal opportunity and once it’s complete, I think it’s going to be one of the marquee parts of the area, if not the region,” said Steve Noll, a representative of Design Workshop, the firm hired to design the park.
The master plan comes after several community meetings where Stocktonians had the opportunity to view the proposed design of the park and provide their feedback. A preliminary master plan design was approved by council in January.
The master plan approved Tuesday includes an “adventure playground,” an event lawn, a BMX track and bike trail, a community garden, disc golf, a golf academy, a dog park, a skate park, splash pads, basketball and pickleball courts, as well as areas that can serve as potential flood control space. However, Noll said the master plan is an “evolving document” and is meant to be used as a framework plan for staff to secure funding.
“We can update it,” Noll said. “There’s opportunities if (ideas) come up in the future.”
District 4 Councilwoman Susan Lenz said she felt the city did a “very, very good job” of getting public input on the design of the park. According to a city report, there were six stakeholder meetings, two online surveys, 110 survey responses, nine staff meetings, and four in-person meetings with the community.
“Most of the people, I have to say, at a couple of meetings in the beginning, they were very happy that it was going to be this multi-use park with different things for children, different things for adults,” Lenz said. “I think it’s a good plan. I hope we can find the funding to do this.”
Vice Mayor Kimberly Warmsley said that she and council lobbied for federal funding during the San Joaquin One Voice trip to Washington D.C. in May. On the same trip, she and Mayor Kevin Lincoln met with the Biden Administration to discuss the project, according to the vice mayor.
“We have worked with our federal lobbyists time and time again. Every single year, we have been to D.C. for this Van Buskirk project,” Warmsley said. “I don’t want anyone in this audience or anyone who is listening to think this city is not putting this park as a priority. We are knocking, we are begging, we are pleading, we are taking people out for tacos … we’re trying to get this project funded.”
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — It is a solution to a problem that is so obvious that you wonder why no one thought of it before.
If it is physically demanding and perhaps even dangerous for high school girls golfers to play at 3 p.m. in desert temperatures nearing 110 degrees in August and September, why not have the girls play in the morning?
“I really think it is a great idea,” said Rob Hanmer, in his fourth year as girls golf coach at Rancho Mirage High School.
The Rattlers have played two home matches this season starting at 9 a.m. at Mission Hills North, just across Ramon Road from the high school. But the idea of morning matches is growing, with Shadow Hills High School scheduling two matches this season at 8:30 a.m. at Bermuda Dunes Country Club.
With girls golf a fall sport in California high schools, and with the start of school and athletics edging earlier and earlier in August, golf matches played in August afternoons face temperatures well over 100 degrees. CIF-Southern Section rules require players to walk the golf course, and on particularly hot days that can cause serious problems.
“I wish we had been doing it the whole time,” said Shadow Hills head coach Nick Anziano, whose team played a morning match last week against the Rattlers. “Years ago, I brought it up to a handful of coaches, and at the time I was still just trying to learn the ropes. It seems like a no-brainer.
“I’ve had girls throw up. It’s not uncommon, really,” Anziano said. “Every season I have had some kind of heat-related illness strike somebody.”
Damariz Hernandez of Shadow Hills High School tees off on the first tee at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning in a match against Rancho Mirage High School at Mission Hills North golf course. (Photo: Larry Bohannan/Desert Sun)
Courses tough to find in the fall
Like the seemingly obvious answer to other problems, Hanmer’s scheduling of morning matches for his team actually came from another issue: course availability. Hanmer discovered last fall at the Desert Empire League boys golf finals that his girls team wouldn’t have access to Mission Hills Country Club in August or October of this season.
“So I started scrambling. Mission Hills North has been unbelievable for us, but they close at noon (in August),” Hanmer said. “My athletic director was standing there, and I said we’re going to have to play some matches at Mission Hills North in August. Can we play at 9 in the morning?”
In the summer months, most public play at the Gary Player-designed Mission Hills North has teed off by 8:30 a.m., meaning the 9 a.m. slot is perfect for the high school matches.
Both Hanmer and his assistant coach, David Shaw, said there are some academic benefits from the earlier matches as well.
“We had our first match last week and missing the early classes, well, the girls don’t want to miss classes that much,” Shaw said. “Now, instead of always missing the back end (of the day), it’s half and half now. They get to see more of their back-end classes. We will get them back today by fourth period.”
Hanmer said the morning matches might solve some problems for teams, but the fall still presents issues like courses closing for overseeding in September and October. But knowing some matches won’t be played in the heat of the afternoon might improve participation in the sport.
“We are trying to create some enjoyment in the sport and some lifelong golfers,” Hanmer said. “It still comes down to golf course availability. We have to play whenever the golf courses let us play. It just worked out really well with this golf course that 9 a.m. opened up and it worked for us.”
Still waiting for your first ace? Play a round at Mesa Verde CC in California.
We’ve all had a similar thought standing over a tee shot on a par 3: “Maybe this is the one that goes in.”
It’s rare for an amateur golfer to make a hole-in-one, so much so that the odds are somewhere in the ballpark of 12,500 to 1. Last weekend at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa, California, those odds were put to shame.
Not one, not two, but three holes-in-one were made in three consecutive days from Friday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 6 at the club, and one man was there to witness all three. Dan Kelly aced the par-3 12th with a pitching wedge from 125 yards out on Sunday, and was also a player in both groups the previous two days, when Mike Abel aced the 165-yard par-3 3rd hole on Friday and Ken King aced the 12th on Saturday.
So if you’re like me and still waiting for your first ace, maybe try and get a round at Mesa Verde with Mr. Kelly.
“The hope and the desire of membership is that the tradition of the Stockton Golf & Country Club goes on forever.”
STOCKTON, California — The Stockton Golf & Country Club has entered foreclosure after defaulting on $8.2 million in outstanding debt.
“The doors aren’t going to close or anything,” the club’s general manager, Rick Schultz, said Tuesday. “Nothing’s changing in the club on the front side.”
A public auction is scheduled for October 17, according to a legal notice published in The Record on Tuesday, October 11.
The impending sale of the waterfront property stems from loans the club took out with the Bank of Stockton to build the clubhouse, Schultz said.
The organization’s unpaid debt is backed by the club property, including a 44,000-square-foot clubhouse, which was unveiled in 2006.
The club, which was founded in 1914 as one of only 12 golf courses in California according to its website, entered discussions with the bank after business took a downturn during COVID-19, according to Schultz.
A view of the original Stockton Golf & Country Club clubhouse looking west. (Belcher Photography, Richard Belcher Photography)
“When you lose all your revenue, banquet and food and beverage revenue, [it’s] pretty tough,” he said.
When the pandemic hit, the club lost about $1.9 million and laid off staff, the general manager told The Record in April.
Then, when COVID restrictions were lifted, demand for banquet services picked up but the club had trouble finding employees, he said.
“The bank has been great. They’ve helped the clubhouse multiple times throughout the year,” he added. “We feel like together we’ll be able to help it … survive.”
Multiple potential buyers are interested in the property, Schultz said. “We’ve got a couple groups within the membership that are looking to help us over the hump.”
Famous golfer Walter Hagen playing an exhibition at Stockton Golf & Country Club in the 1930s. (Richard Belcher Photography)
Schultz did not specify who is interested in the property. The Bank of Stockton could not immediately be reached for comment.
In addition to countless golf tournaments, the club has hosted numerous community events over the years, including the ATHENA Awards and Susan B. Anthony Awards.
“How many charitable organizations raised money in our building? How many deals were done?” Schultz said.
“There are discussions going on, and the hope and the desire of membership is that the tradition of the Stockton Golf & Country Club goes on forever … no matter the ownership,” Doug Wilhoit, a club member and former CEO of the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, said.
From taking out turf to upgrading irrigation systems, golf courses are constantly focused on water.
In charge of 500 acres of irrigated turf at Sun City Palm Desert, including two 18-hole golf courses, parks and softball fields for the 50-and-over community of 5,000 homes, Tyler Truman is no stranger to concerns about how much water the courses and the surrounding areas are using.
“I can see where (the critics) are coming from,” said Truman, director of agronomy at Sun City, which includes the two golf courses at the Mountain Vista Golf Club. “And you listen to them. And then you try to educate them. This is how we are trying to use the water. This is how we are using the water.”
As the drought in the southwest deepens, with a first-ever Level 2a Shortage Condition declared for the Colorado River—a major source of water for the desert and all of Southern California—golf courses in the Coachella Valley are aware that golf is always a target for those looking at water usage.
With golf courses using between 750,000 and 1 million gallons of water a day in the desert, and with 120 golf courses in the Coachella Valley alone, golf industry officials know they need to both reduce water usage and reinforce the benefits of the usage.
Mike Whan, executive director of the U.S. Golf Association, said earlier this year he’d like to see a 45-percent reduction in golf course water usage in the next 15 years. Other USGA officials are now trying to figure out how to meet such an aggressive goal.
“I was part of a meeting to discuss if that number is realistic or not, and I think it probably is,” said Brian Whitlark, agronomist for the West Region Greens Section for the USGA based in Arizona, whose region includes the Coachella Valley. “Will a golf course in Los Angeles reduce its water by 45 percent? Probably not. But nationwide, I think that is possible.”
The Firecliff Course at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California. (Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)
From taking out irrigated turf to upgrading irrigation systems and computer technology, golf courses are constantly focused on water, said Craig Kessler, director of government affairs for the Southern California Golf Association.
At the recent Southern California Golf and Water Summit in Chino Hills, Kessler was one of the speakers to a crowd of more than 200 golf professionals, general managers and course superintendents looking to share ideas and learn new strategies on water reduction.
“We want to continue to bring this great game to Californians,” said Kessler, who is also the chairman of the Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force. “And we understand that we live in a land of permanent drought. As we read the headlines every day, we can see the consequences of a warmer, drier climate. We recognize that we need to do those things, we are dedicated to doing those things and we want to do those things in partnership.”
The summit was held in the shadow of negotiations on availability of Colorado River water that saw Nevada and Arizona have their water allotments cut by the federal Bureau of Reclamation by as much as 21 percent. The Coachella Valley Water District and the Imperial Irrigation District are still negotiating river water allotments.
The drought is a major concern for the California golf community, which the California Alliance for Golf estimates is a $1.2 billion per year industry. In the Coachella Valley, the alliance estimates 8,000 people are directly employed in the golf industry.
Making progress on reductions
For Truman, cutting water usage at Sun City Palm Desert began when he arrived at that job 11 years ago.
“When I first got here, we were using close to 4,000 acres feet of water a year,” Truman said. “With using the technology, the soil moisture meters, not just in greens, but with Toro’s in-ground sensors, we’ve now gone from 4,000 down to 3,000 in that time period.”
To save an acre foot of water, or 325,851 gallons, managers like Truman rely more and more on technological advances. That includes soil moisture meters, which measure moisture in the soil at various spots on the golf course. Irrigation software allows Truman and his staff to individually control the nearly 10,000 sprinkler heads at Sun City Palm Desert.
Moisture detectors on the Santa Rosa and San Gorgonio golf courses allow Truman to identify where turf is being overwatered or underwatered against Truman’s desire for an 18 to 20 percent soil saturation goal. Soil wetting agents, which draw water from the surface down to the roots of grass plants, also help courses cut back on water use.
Whitlark says more courses should be using soil moisture sensors, which cost no more than $15,000 or $20,000 for a course. But other measures also will save water, he said.
“Just optimizing the irrigation system by raising the level of the sprinklers, changing nozzles, changing the irrigation system about every 30 years to save water, the strategy of wetting agents and growth regulators, that one’s not really being utilized to the extent that it can be,” Whitlark said.
Advances are also being made in the grasses being used to carpet desert courses. At UC Riverside, the turfgrass science department is developing Bermuda grasses that could stay green in both summer and winter in the desert. That would reduce the need for overseeding, the process of converting from warm-weather Bermuda grass to cool-weather grasses like rye grass. Even changing from old types of Bermuda to new hybrid Bermuda grasses can save water, said Dr. Jim Baird of UCR.
The Coachella branch of the All-American Canal flows through the Golf Club at Terra Lago in Indio, California. (Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)
“The savings would be in the 30-percent range, realistically, but is that enough to do this?” said Baird, a turfgrass specialist for UCR. “As we mentioned, renovating from one Bermuda grass to another Bermuda grass is no easy measure. Because one thing I know about Bermuda grass is it is hard to kill. So that said, I think we certainly will do our best in that regard to make some strides.”
River, recycled water important
The source of irrigation water is always a concern for desert courses, especially in light of the ongoing negotiations over the Colorado River and historic low levels in Lake Mead in Nevada, said Scott Burritt, director of service and communications for CVWD.
“The golf courses have a strong interest in conserving water because that’s part of their bottom line,” Burritt said. “It can be a major expense, so they have an interest in conserving water, and there are a lot of discussions about what different golf courses are doing.”
Thirty-six Coachella Valley courses use strictly Colorado River water for irrigation, while another 17 ½ courses (a course is considered to be 18 holes) use a blend of river water and recycled water from CVWD. Other courses use ground water from the aquifer beneath the desert, with Burritt saying CVWD replenishes more than 40,000 acre feet of water to the aquifer each year.
Plans for switching another 40 ½ courses to non-potable water are underway, though many of those courses need pipes extended from the two CVWD recycling plants to reach the courses before switching over. Burritt said current street work in Palm Desert is designed to take more recycled water to big landscape customers like golf courses.
But Burritt points out that recycled water’s drawback is that in the summer, when courses need more water to fight high temperatures, the desert has less recycled water available because fewer people are in the desert to take showers or flush toilets.
Turf reduction could be key
Another strategy for reducing water is simply reducing the amount of turf being irrigated. In the last seven years, CVWD reports more than 160 acres of turf, or the equivalent of nearly two average golf courses, have been removed at desert courses, but convincing golf courses to reduce turf and replace it with drought-tolerant native plants and desert landscaping can be difficult.
“You don’t just remove turf and you are done with it,” said Chris Bien, head agronomist at the city-owned Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert. “There is a cost involved with (removing) it. There is a cost involved with maintaining it, and that sometimes gets shoved under the rug.”
Whitlark and superintendents in the desert say removing an acre of turf can cost $20,000, including putting in new irrigation systems and planting drought-tolerant plants in place of grass. At one time CVWD offered a rebate of $15,000 to golf courses for each acre of turf removed, up to seven acres per course. But money for the project ran out, and Burritt said the agency is always looking for more grant money for such programs.
While the return on the investment of reducing turf may not be immediate for golf courses, Truman hopes more courses make changes.
“What I am seeing is that the newer people that we have, the younger generations that are moving into our facilities, a lot of them are okay with the desertscape popping up in (golf) areas,” Truman said. “You are getting people who are understanding hey, we need to do this. The older generation likes that parkland setting where everything is green and lush. So I think just like everything, the younger generation is more open to it.”
Removing turf is also something that impacts course homeowners, Bien said. Desert Willow has two courses, the Mountain View and the Firecliff, totaling about 150 acres and including acres of desertscape on both courses.
“It’s a property-to-property thing, though, because you run into a danger of are there homeowners next to your golf course,” Bien said. “That is their backyard and they want the green backyard, and there are property values and the like to think about. For here (at Desert Willow), we don’t really have homes on Desert Willow, which is great.”
Whitlark said repeating the message of turf reduction is important, with Arizona golf courses often having just 70 to 80 acres of turf compared to courses in the Coachella Valley that often have between 100 to 120 acres of grass. The message isn’t always popular but needs to be pushed, he said, pointing to a course in Sun City, Arizona, he has been working with for 15 years.
“My very first visit, they almost shoved me out of the room,” Whitlark said. “But every year, I just kept saying it, turf reduction, turf reduction. Finally they realized they need to make some changes because they saw the writing on the wall.”
Cutting back expectations
Part of the problem for golf courses in the desert, particularly private ones, is that the area has a reputation for perfectly manicured and green golf courses in the winter. Those are two factors that lure snowbirds to the area for months at a time.
“That’s tough. It’s just such a long history of having that oasis out there in the wintertime,” said Baird. “That’s going to be tough.”
Overseeding, the planting of cool-weather grasses to keep courses green in the winter, is still needed because Bermuda grass can go dormant and brown in the winter, when part-time residents and tourists spend their time in the area.
“From October to May is so important as the prime revenue season,” Whitlark said. “Overseeding is still going to be important for now and probably not something that courses can consider reducing.”
Some golf visitors to the desert don’t want to see a change in what they view as a key element of the appeal of desert courses: a lush, green carpet of grass. Doug Evans of Oklahoma City, who was recently playing golf in the desert with two of his friends after not visiting for a few years, said he loved the conditions at Marriott’s Desert Springs on a hot afternoon.
“The course is beautiful. But if the golf course was not in as good a shape or was brown, what would be the point of being here?” said Evans, who spent his summer golf vacation last year in Arizona.
Other golfers understand the drought might cause needed changes.
The Firecliff Course at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California. (Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)
“You can walk around any golf course and see areas where there is grass where no one is going to hit a golf ball,” said David Barnett of Mission Viejo, California. “So why not take the grass away. It is the desert, so let it be the desert. We save water all the time in Orange County. The desert should, too.”
Bien says expectations have to change based on the golf course and its clientele.
“There are different levels of managing expectations. I want to have a firm, fast golf course,” Bien said. “People get better playability out of a firmer, faster golf course. Does that mean that I’m okay having the golf course brown? No, it does not. Does that mean I’m okay with having a brown spot here or there? Absolutely.”
Looking to the future
Truman said talk of river water cutbacks have to be a concern for desert courses.
“California has a lot of water rights, but who’s to say if this federal government doesn’t step in and renegotiate all of those rights?” Truman said. “I know CVWD will do everything to protect our water. Hopefully, we can keep those things. But I look at people who need water and we need to manage our water the best possible way that we can.”
Whitlark says with a focus on water reduction for golf courses, mandatory cuts might be in the future.
“It is probably going to take a regulatory body to say, hey, I don’t care how you reduce the water use, but you are going to have to reduce the water use by 20 or 30 percent,” Whitlark said. “It is probably going to take that. Either that or water costs are going to have to go through the roof. Now many of those courses use canal water, which comes from the Colorado River, so I imagine they are going to feel some impact from the Bureau of Reclamation.”
For Kessler, keeping the regulatory agencies and state government out of the decision process is important, but so is assuring the future of golf and courses.
“What is the point of living in the great southwest in Southern California or Arizona or Nevada, where you can literally play golf 365 days a year, if we can’t continue to provide golf,” Kessler said.
