By Design - Special Edition

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Photos: Marty Moore
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Golf course architect:
Dr. Michael Hurdzan, ASGCA Fellow,
Hurdzan Golf Design
Project summary: With drought in the
southwest United States forcing golf
courses to reduce turf areas, Birnam
Wood GC took a highly scientific
approach to identifying a water
conservation strategy that would be
100% sustainable.
Partners: Dr. Robert Carrow, University
of Georgia (Ret.); Dr. Van Cline, The
Toro Company (Ret.); Michael Huck,
Irrigation & Turfgrass Services; Marty
Moore, Superintendent, Birnam Wood
GC; Andy Powell, Birnam Wood
Green Chairman
W ith California in a four
year drought, golf courses
throughout the state are
facing significant reductions in water
allocation. Elite Santa Barbara club
BirnamWood was no exception,
finding its allocation cut by 60
percent, from a maximum of 400,000
gallons per day (gpd) to 150,000 gpd.
With the possibility of the drought
lasting decades, the club turned to
Dr. Michael Hurdzan, ASGCA Fellow,
of Hurdzan Golf Design for a water
conservation solution that would be
fully sustainable.
Hurdzan Golf Design adopted a
scientific approach to the problem
called ‘Precision Turf Management,’
hiring a team of experts comprising:
Dr. Bob Carrow from University
of Georgia for soil and water
conservation consultancy; Dr. Van
Cline from Toro, who undertook
precision GPS/GIS mapping of soil
moisture, soil salinity, topography
relief, compaction and turf quality
on five foot centers; and Mike Huck,
a Certified Golf Course Irrigation
Auditor (CGCIA).
Working closely with Superintendent
Marty Moore, the team thoroughly
mapped and analyzed the entire golf
course for opportunities to conserve
water and enhance turf quality. They
also worked alongside the club’s Green
Chairman Andy Powell to identify
patterns of play among golfers.
Having gathered and analyzed this
information, 25 of the 75 acres of
irrigated turf were identified as less
essential, and subject to removal.
A separate study was then
conducted to identify the best
material to replace this turf, with
pine straw from Georgia chosen to
replace it, something almost no other
California golf course has used.
Concurrently, a third study saw
test plots constructed with various
warm season grasses to see which
would perform best with the Santa
Barbara soils, climate and water
quality, with the limited water sources
in mind. After six-to-eight months of
observation by the team, Santa Ana
Bermuda grass was selected for the
fairways and 419 Bermuda grass for
roughs, with the entire 50 acres of
remaining turf regrassed accordingly.
“The members love the new look,”
says Hurdzan. “The playing surfaces
are vastly improved, and the course
can be sustained with the limited
current and future water supplies.”
25 acres of turf have been
replaced with pine straw
Birnam Wood GC
Using water wisely
Design changes lead to dramatic water savings at Birnam Wood