Cost and water saving solutions of Robert Trent Jones II


By: February 11, 2015


As countries and companies do not pay sufficient attention to global warming for various reasons and excuses, I was happy to find the Robert Trent Jones II's (RTJ II) green proclamation and water guidelines. If you don't want to save the world for the future generation, then at least learn how you can make your golf club operations cost effective.

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A good example from RTJ II (last year) is the renovation of the popular Poppy Hills Golf Course, in Pebble Beach, California, where they were able to reduce the amount of irrigable turf by 14.5 acres, thus saving owners over $150,000 in water costs annually.

In addition to this they were able to mitigate power requirements, and shrinking the carbon footprint of the entire golf course. In parallel with this they made Poppy Hills firmer, faster, and more fun to play.

Here are some interesting points from their Water Guidelines:

  1. Maximize the efficiency of water that IS used by employing state-of-the-art technology such as soil moisture sensors and other monitoring equipment, as well as precision pump stations and water distribution systems.
  2. Where available and appropriate, use brown water, brackish water and other secondary water sources for irrigation, and create landscapes that filter water on site.
  3. Create courses that use less water, pesticides, and fertilizers than traditional courses.
  4. Oversee the education and training of superintendents to ensure that the professionals entrusted with the precious resource of water can maximize the benefits that have been designed into the course layout and conditions and water distribution systems.

I think the 4th point is really crucial for golf clubs to be able to sustain and improve the results.