Denver Golf Courses Adapt to Water Restrictions

As Denver enters its second week of Stage 1 drought restrictions, residents have questioned why golf courses remain green while facing calls for water conservation. Denver7 received inquiries from viewers concerned about water usage at local courses, with some deeming it unfair to irrigate golf courses during a drought.

20% Water Reduction Across Denver Courses

Denver Golf’s Director of Agronomy, Pam Smith, addressed these concerns, explaining that her team is reducing water usage by 20% across the city’s seven public golf courses, as mandated by Denver Water. “What that looks like for us is to cut back a lot of major watering areas such as the rough, kind of go from the outside of the golf course in and preserve our prime playing surfaces, such as greens, tees and fairways,” Smith explained.

Varied Water Sources and Regulations

Different Courses, Different Rules

Not all courses rely on the same water source, leading to varying regulations. According to the City of Denver, recycled water is “not restricted to a water budget by Denver Water because more water is available in that system during a drought than is available in the potable water system.” Harvard Gulch, Kennedy, and Overland Park utilize water from City Ditch, ground wells, and the Platte River, respectively. Wellshire and Willis Case use treated city water, while City Park Golf Course uses recycled wastewater and Evergreen Golf Course sources water outside the Denver Water system.

Specialized Maintenance Techniques

To maintain turf quality with reduced watering, courses are implementing specialized maintenance. “We do so much more work than you typically do to your home lawn, such as aerification, top dressing, fertilizer, wetting agents, soil amendments — all these things factor in to great quality turf,” Smith detailed. Despite the dry winter, courses like Harvard Gulch are currently in good condition.

Golfer Concerns and Future Outlook

Golfer Rynk Smothers acknowledged the current good conditions, stating, “Course conditions right now are actually pretty good. Rob the superintendent is here, like, eight days a week. He never stops.” However, Smothers expressed concern about the upcoming summer: “It’s going to be tough, though. We just, we just hope that everybody takes care of the course.”

Preparing for a Hot, Dry Summer

Smith shared similar concerns, emphasizing the need to maintain playing surfaces while adhering to the 20% water reduction target. She noted the importance of daily, weekly, and monthly water use monitoring, anticipating a potentially historic hot and dry summer. Smith also suggested that golfers may experience firmer greens, but urged patience and understanding from the community.