The Department of Water (DOW) has praised a number of golf courses in Western Australia for effectively managing their water consumption and putting measures in place to remain sustainable going forward.
Mandurah Country Club is the establishment which has most recently been given Waterwise Golf Course status – meaning it is now efficiently managing its resources. It follows on from Wembley Golf Course, Gosnells Golf Club and Lake Karrinyup Country Club which have been officially recognised by DOW since the accreditation scheme began in 2012.
In prolonged hot conditions, the onus is on each individual golf club to get the best from their water supply. However, doing so sustainably is tricky as keeping fairways and greens in pristine condition will often require the extended use of irrigation and sprinkler systems.
However, Mandurah Country Club has negated this thanks to careful water management and it has saved a huge amount of the resource in the process.
“The club has conserved 122 million litres of groundwater as a result of efficiency improvements and use of reclaimed wastewater. This conservation is important to provide the continued water security for the club’s course in a drying climate without compromising the quality or the sustainability of the playing surfaces,” explained DOW Director of Water and Land Use Don Crawford.
According to research from the Australian Golf Industry Council, there are currently 231 courses operating across the state. If each and every one could put a more robust plan for water conservation into place, the potential positives for the region are huge.
For one, there would be less pressure in the event of any extended periods of drought. The golf industry in Western Australia uses an estimated 25 billion litres per year. Curtailing that number doesn’t have to be a difficult process.
Taking the simple approach and using a water conditioner from Hydrosmart can have two-fold benefit. Firstly, waste is kept to an absolute minimum. Secondly, the bio-available nutrients within the water are unlocked which can help keep the turf of any golf course as lush and healthy as possible.