By Karina Aslanyan
On a Scottsdale-sponsored website, golf is marketed to potential tourists as one of the locale’s top activities. On its specially designated golf page, the website boasts: “With more than 200 golf courses in the Scottsdale area, a portfolio of luxury resorts and year-round sunny skies, it’s no wonder Scottsdale is known as The World’s Finest Golf Destination.”
The website doesn’t mention that the year-around sunny skies are due, in part, to a 20-year megadrought, nor that each of those golf clubs requires about a million gallons of water per day, a key reason why the partnership with the Scottsdale Water Campus to use recycled water is so important.
Grass, the primary vegetation growing on golf courses, is non-native to Arizona’s climate, and particularly susceptible to desert heat. Not only does the heat result in quicker dehydration and greater need for frequent watering, but there is also a devastating lack of rain or humidity to provide natural hydration.
While some golf courses have begun to use synthetic turf, it is not a viable solution in high-temperature environments, like that of Arizona. According to studies conducted by the Penn State University’s Center for Sports Surface Research, the maximum surface temperatures on synthetic turf fields during hot, sunny conditions average between 140°F and 170°F compared to average temperatures on grass fields that rarely go above 100°F. When synthetic turf reaches a temperature over 120°F, it can cause skin burns in just two seconds.
Though not an option for its golf courses, Scottsdale is already working to replace grass lawns with native vegetation. The city, where 65 percent of water is used outdoors, has been offering grass removal rebates to residents who choose to remove their lawns and replace them with native vegetation, synthetic turf or even gravel. The advantages of native gardening go beyond just water conservation. Native plants help preserve the ecosystem and provide refuge for wildlife.
