Warm(ish) weather has returned and along with it the color on the golf course is trying to make a comeback.
All things considered, the golf course is in good condition. Greens are quick and ball roll in the fairways is long, enjoy it while it lasts 😁.
Now that the cold weather has subsided, at-least temporarily, lack of rainfall has been and will continue to be our greatest challenge. SFWMD issued a warning about dropping aquifer levels and asked for voluntary water use reductions thorough out all of SW Florida. The water district’s primary responsibility is to protect the potable water supply. When they see specific drops in aquifer levels, they have developed protocol to reduce consumption, preventing critical depletion. This warning is the first step in conservation. If we don’t see adequate rainfall (forecast is not currently favorable) to restore aquifer levels, they will start issuing mandatory water use restrictions.
Typical those reductions will be as reduced irrigation days for landscape areas, including home lawns and a percentage reduction for golf courses.
Unlike residential and many commercial landscapes, golf courses have water use permits that allow for an amount of water use per month and per year. That differs from landscapes which have certain days of the week they can water. Since we manage water use on a daily basis we can water on an as needed basis as long as we don’t go over the permitted pumping limits the district sets for the property when the permit was granted.
When restrictions are implemented, landscapes are told to reduce the number of days per week that they water. For example, current and normal watering is allotted 3 days per week so if restrictions go into effect, they will reduce that to a 2 or 1 day watering schedule depending on how severe the water shortage is.
On the golf course, they implement percentage reductions of our permitted allotment. Generally they start with a 10% reduction, then move 25% and so forth until they feel the water supply is stable. Since I only have to meet the restricted usage, I can target areas of greatest need like greens, fwys, and tees.
Our water levels are very low for this time of year and with not much rain in the forecast, we may have to restrict our usage ahead of the district mandates. Like the district does for drinking water, I have to protect the greens by saving enough water that at minimum we can keep them alive until rainy season starts. I hope we don’t get to that condition but I have to plan for the worse and hope for the best. Water management is a constant part of our property and golf course management year round but is certainly most stressful when our resource is low.
Here is a link to the districts notice:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLSFWMD/bulletins/407f272
For now, let’s all do our rain dances and I will keep you informed of the conditions as we get deeper into dry season.
I look forward to seeing everyone on the course, and as always, if you have any questions, flag me down or shoot me an email. I always enjoy talking turf!
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