The Golfing Industry is Making an Effort to Be Less Environmentally Insensitive
Golfing Industry Focuses on Water Consumption
Editor’s Introductory Note: You probably know that golf is one of the world’s biggest water gluttons. I’ll let the article below, from the Waterless company’s website, provide the data, but figures like “10,000 gallons per day” water consumption for the average golf course, or “about 50 billion gallons annually,” should tell you that putting water saving urinals in the clubhouse isn’t going to make golfing a friend of the environment. –Hardly Waite, Gazette Senior Editor.
The grass doesn’t stay green automatically. The average golf course gulps down 10,000 gallons of water per day.
Vista, CA – October 16, 2012 – The International Golf Federation (IGF), which has members in more than 150 countries, has agreed to new policies intended to make the industry more sustainable. In particular, these initiatives focus on finding ways to conserve water and use it more efficiently.
There are more than 16,000 golf courses in the U.S. Current estimates indicate that the average American golf course uses more than 10,000 gallons of water per day, or about 50 billion gallons annually.
World Watch magazine reports that more than 2.5 billion gallons of water are used every day to irrigate golf courses worldwide.
“However, steps are being taken to reduce [golf course] water consumption,” says Klaus Reichardt, CEO and Founder of Waterless Co., Inc., makers of no-water urinal systems. Reichardt writes and lectures frequently regarding water issues.
“For instance, improved irrigation methods are helping golf courses use water more efficiently, reducing consumption by more than 2 million gallons of water annually,” Reichardt continues.
It is estimated that more than 1,000 golf courses in the U.S. now use recycled or reclaimed water for irrigation. This number is likely to grow considerably in years to come.
And many golf and residential communities–especially those located in dry Arizona and Nevada–are now employing new software programs and technologies that help reallocate and reduce water usage. These systems are helping to reduce water consumption by 10 percent and energy consumption by an additional 10 percent.
“The golfing industry is very involved with reducing water consumption off the course as well,” says Reichardt. “Many facilities are leaders in installing low-flow faucets and showers and no-water urinal systems in clubhouse restrooms.”
The IGF also announced that they will be holding a “water summit” November 6–7, 2012, in Dallas, TX, to focus further on water-related issues associated with the game.
