| When Alister MacKenzie roamed the Santa Cruz Mountains in the late 1920s, he most certainly did not recognize lush green turf. Amidst the golden California hills, he envisioned a spectacular golf course shaped around this uniquely rolling terrain. He could see a golf course where he would eventually build his home; this, among a natural landscape of native grasses and rugged meandering canyons. MacKenzie utilized design principles that highlighted the natural features of the landscape and would require minimal maintenance practices. Nearly a century later, much has evolved in the golf industry, especially with American golf courses promoting wall-to-wall green turf along with tree-lined fairways. However, this parkland style is not recession-proof. Many courses are now realizing the full cost of maintaining such a lush green landscape. With the City of Santa Cruz-mandated water rationing during the 2008 and 2009 irrigation seasons, there have been major changes in how Pasatiempo Golf Club’s classical course has been presented. During the past three years, nearly 30 acres of previously irrigated turf have been converted to non-irrigated naturalized areas. These out-of-play areas have been strategically identified throughout the property. The intention is to have native California grasses dominate the landscape once again. This will restore the look and feel of the old MacKenzie design and add a dynamic contrast of lush green playable areas against the golden brown naturalized areas. A new irrigation system was designed and installed to replace the outdated and inefficient system that operated at the golf course since the 1960s. Even as Pasatiempo explores the opportunity to utilize reclaimed water from the neighboring town of Scotts Valley, the price of non-potable water will continue to escalate. While the quality of water is some of the best in California, it is $5.71 per cubic foot – nearly $2,500 per acre foot. Eliminating 30 acres of previously-irrigated turf has resulted in savings of more than $120,000 annually. During 2007, Pasatiempo irrigated 100 acres of grass. In contrast, beginning in the summer of 2010, the playable areas comprised 70 acres of irrigated turf. The new irrigation system was designed for native areas and no sprinkler heads were put into the 30 acres. The course will no longer be wall-to-wall green. No longer will the course assume “if it is green, it must be good.” This may seem as a proactive strategy to combat drought, but it will not be long before many courses throughout the country will adopt this same concept. While the City of Santa Cruz played a major role in forcing cutbacks at Pasatiempo, the drought restrictions during 2009 provided valuable insight into what is truly important on a golf course. Now the playable areas will truly stand out, as will the environmental advantages and labor savings with this concept. Pasatiempo may be at the forefront of creating outstanding golf course conditions while at the same time advocating the environment and the end result within two to three more years would certainly have MacKenzie praising his cherished golf course. GCI Paul J. Chojnacky is superintendent at Pasatiempo Golf Club, Santa Cruz, Calif. |
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