Water Sustainability at La Cumbre

Good Morning La Cumbre! We are starting to transition from spring to early summer. The property is transitioning too. So, the Greens and Kikuyu are taking on a different look and feel in fairways. Both need constant irrigation, so less roll on both surfaces than in winter. Ball marks and divots repair faster this time of year, but we still need your support in fixing these blemishes from your execution of that perfect shot. This year's weather is very eradicated, and everything seems to be a month to two ahead of historical growth patterns. But all our contractors and material suppliers are a month or two behind. So, the work we have slated for this year will get done, but it looks like the window of June to early September is when this will be completed. On the waterfront, the deliveries of reclaimed have been steady. Again, this came online just as the State and local agencies beat the drought drums. They are looking for a 35% reduction in water usage throughout the system. Agriculture rates are being adjusted way up with the mandated reduction. As this intensifies, different groups will be pointing fingers at each other. Being a private club, they would love to point them at us. With the continued drought, certain tree species show signs of heavy stress and decline. Mainly the Redwoods and Monterey Cypress currently. Using water with lower qualities will only add to this if we do not get heavy winter rains to clean the soils. But the property is in good shape with some excellent additions planned for the season. See you on the course. I'll be somewhere behind Rusty.

Spring has come early this year, and it feels like it started on January 1st! Our greens are trying to produce seed heads, a typical March through April event. Our fairways have good color and are growing. Our native planting areas are trying to bloom, and the bugs are out! Nothing is following our typical patterns. I know we are enjoying some of the best-golfing weather, as the rest of the country is frozen stiff. So, I hope you enjoy the facility, as it may be the best weather days for golf over any place in the United States.

“I don’t use the word ‘sustainability,’” said Wayne Mills, superintendent at La Cumbre CC in Santa Barbara. “I use the words ‘reduced inputs that benefit society.’ Potable water is a fluid people need to sustain life,and we were using it to irrigate turf. If we use reclaimed water, we use less potable water and still employ people, create living wages, and give people a place to enjoy themselves.”

Some of these changes are brought on by passion or ethos—from supers, board members or players—and others are dictated by nature. Such is the case in drought-stricken California. Wayne Mills manages La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara, where cutting down on water is not only the right thing to do but is state-mandated.

Members, Just an update from the trenches. Last week was a big week—some highlights of what has been completed and what to expect. Completed: 320 ft of 8in HDPE delivery piping bored from 6 cart paths under bunker to the point of connection behind the green. This was done to meet water control board requirements of separation from domestic water and reclaimed systems. Connection to city supply and all hardware installed. 1,200 lin ft. of piping installed from 4th green to the 15th hole. Irrigation and drainage installed on Holes 11 and 12 teeing grounds. Grading and sand cap on all teeing grounds to finish the grade. 16,000 sq ft of Kikuyu Sod installed from 6th green to 5th green. 7,500 sq ft. of cart path installed. 16,000 sq ft. Of Bandera Bermuda installed on the 11th and 12th teeing areas. As you can see from the list above, it was a hectic week, and many of you witnessed it. Again, I can thank you for the overall positive support during this wild phase of the project. Work in the next phase will be. Complete piping to the irrigation reservoir approximately 600ft. Start 6in pipe run on 10th hole primarily working in the deep rough area. Hook up drainage from cart path drains to existing systems. Complete repairs and on 5th and 6th Holes (Sodding, Irrigation Planting natives and Mulching). Complete sodding Kikuyu surrounds on the 11th and 12th holes. Add drip irrigation and plant 11th and 12th holes with natives and mulch. Sod old path area on 10th hole plus start work on the transition from cart path end to the turf. This is approximately a two-week work plan. Things change as supply chains are very difficult right now. Now we will get to what you, as a member, really want to know. WHEN will this be over, and when can we play the new areas? In two weeks, most of the crews and machinery will be leaving for Nebraska. A small crew will be around installing hardware for 3 to 4 more weeks, but this work will not be very intrusive. The 11th and 12 holes should be open to play by mid-September, just in time for the clubs’ major events and one of the best times of year in the fall months. Again, thank you. This has been an enormous undertaking in a short amount of time. But with a drought that seems not to want to go away and no ceiling in domestic water prices and its lack of availability. This connection could not come at a better time as negations for this resource could and would only get more complex. Plus, its pricing and availability are more stable than the alternatives. With the bonus of public perception that a non-potable source is being used for irrigation. Wayne

Once again, thank you for your understanding and patience with this work. Todd Eckenrode, the club’s consultant, visited all areas and reviewed the ongoing work.

I've been getting asked while in the field what we are doing on the 11th hole. So here is an overview of the changes in various areas.

Reclaimed water project update for the week of 8/4/21

Reclaimed water project update for the week of 7/26/21