| Managing the expectations of members at a 50-year-old club has its challenges. However, when you consider that Skyline Country Club, located in Tucson, Ariz., has been irrigating the golf course with effluent for more than half that time, you can only imagine how daunting the obstacles to a successful course maintenance program have been. Skyline’s golf course was built in 1960 and 1961 and opened for play in 1962. The original source of water for the course was supplied from wells owned by the club located nearly six miles downhill from its location in the Santa Catalina Mountain foothills and pumped uphill to the facility. In 1985, Skyline was approached by the local water company and offered the opportunity to convert to effluent water use. The decision to use effluent was driven by four factors: the anticipated mandate by local government requiring golf facilities to use effluent for irrigation; the cost of maintaining nearly six miles of pipeline, wells and pumps; the ethical consideration of using a limited resource to irrigate acreage in the desert and the anticipated cost savings, over time, in the price of the delivered product. The course immediately benefited from the improved delivery system provided by the city, since staff no longer had to track some six miles of pipe to locate breaks in the pipeline. Yet the course also began to experience a new series of well-known problems to all effluent water users. Over the ensuing years, we learned and adapted practices that have allowed the course to flourish. Foremost of the problems faced by course staff are issues inherent in non-potable water quality: elevated sodium levels, high bicarbonate levels, excessive nitrate levels and protozoa blooms in the irrigation system. To ensure that proper action is taken at the appropriate time, frequent testing of soil and water on the course is required. Based on the results of those tests, we follow basic practices in the use of chemicals and adjust existing cultural practices. High sodium and bicarbonate levels have been offset to a large degree by the regular application of gypsum, followed by heavy irrigation to leach the salts through the greens’ profiles. Additionally, all water is treated with an acid burner to lower the pH and assist in neutralizing excessive soil alkalinity. Combining these treatments with the rains provided during a monsoon season expedites the significant leaching of salts during the summer months. To counter excessive fertility caused by high nitrogen levels, we closely monitor and limit the use of fertilizers through the year, especially on green surfaces. Hot summer weather combined with excessive fertility causes the dominant bentgrass to become “puffy,” resulting in scalping by mowers. These conditions are offset by the application of growth regulators, frequent aerification, regular topdressing and an increased height of cut to allow the plants to survive in sometimes brutal heat. While putting speeds are slower in the heat of the summer, the surface remains smooth and healthy. To combat protozoa blooms in the irrigation system, we regular apply potassium permanganate and copper sulfate in the two retention lakes. During these times, we describe the course irrigation as “purple rain” because of the telltale signature of the chemicals used. The two retention lakes are aerified by a clear lake system and the use of Otterbine fountains, keeping the water circulating and clear. Regular communication of any changes in course playing conditions resulting from these practices is conveyed to the members by means of a newsletter, emails and informative letters. The challenges experienced, along with brief explanations of the rationale for actions taken, keep the members informed and involved in the processes. While none of these practices are unusual, the regular and methodical application of sound agronomic principles and practices has allowed us to maintain great conditions using 100 percent non-potable water for 26 years. GCI Jesse Thorpe, CCM, and Mike Robinson, CGCS, are with Skyline Country Club, Tucson, Ariz. |
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