Southern California’s Coachella Valley, a “land of permanent drought,” is home to 120 golf courses. Some of these manicured desert oases guzzle one million gallons of water per day.
But the drying Colorado River and other regional water supply concerns are creating an overdue sense of urgency in the Coachella Valley golf community. The days of limitless water might be numbered.
Golf’s environmental problems are acute in California, but they’re national issues. Golf is a global sport, but the US is home to 43% of the world’s golf courses. It makes sense. Golf is the ultimate sprawling land use, and nobody sprawls like Americans.