Climate Change Impacts How Course Architects, Owners and Operators Work—and Costs Them More to Do So

Michael LoRé | mlore@bigswingmedia.news

July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous United States.

The average temperature for the 48 contiguous states last month was 76.9°F—3.3°F above the 20th-century average, marking the warmest month since record keeping began in 1895, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

While the increased temperatures resulted in below-average precipitation across the contiguous U.S., certain parts of the West and Southwest, central Plains, Mid-Atlantic and lower Northeast still experienced heavy rainfall, including major flash flooding events in the Texas Hill Country and eastern New York.

As Americans grapple with rising temperatures as well as the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, golf course architects, owners and operators are also seeking solutions to combat climate change and weather unpredictability.

“Sometimes you’re just a victim of it and there’s not much you can do,” said Jay Karen, National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) CEO. “But when you’re an entirely outdoor-dependent business, you obviously have to figure out ways to prepare for things like water shortage issues or catastrophic hurricanes every 15-20 years. Do I cross my fingers and risk that we make it through or do I spend incredible capital to try to prepare for that once-in-a-generation catastrophe? 

“These are tough decisions as a golf course owner. … It’s really the water issue that is the existential threat to golf and who gets access to water when it’s running out.”

Arguably the biggest battle for water is in the Southwest. The seven states that comprise the Colorado River basin and benefit from the water and power generated from the 1,450-mile river and associated reservoirs failed to meet a February 2026 deadline for an agreement that defines how water rights are managed.

With no agreement in place, the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency managing reservoirs and dams across the West, announced an outline of its cutback plans in July, giving the agency the ability to cut water for Arizona, California and Nevada by up to 40% each year through 2028.

The announced cuts will reduce the states’ annual water supply by about 20%. Arizona’s supply will be reduced by 760,000 acre-feet per year, while California’s will be reduced by 440,000 acre-feet per year and Nevada’s by 50,000 acre-feet per year.

Not only will major Arizona cities like Phoenix and Tucson be hit the hardest, but the state’s golf industry will have to deal with decreased gallons in the desert. The Arizona golf industry is responsible for more than $6 billion in economic impact annually, while supporting more than 325 facilities and 650,000 in-state golfers as well as many more through tourism.

An average 18-hole golf course in the U.S. uses approximately 150-200 million gallons of water a year—roughly 300,000 gallons per day—though usage varies on climate and region.

Initiatives and programs are already underway to combat water shortages, highlighted by the USGA’s 15-30-45 Initiative—a 15-year, $30 million investment announced in 2023.

U.S. golf facilities applied a projected 1.63 million acre-feet of water in 2024, representing a 3.2% reduction since 2020 and a 31% reduction since 2005, according to a 2025 survey of nearly 1,700 courses by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). The Southwest and Upper West/Mountain regions reported the highest reductions in water usage from 2020-24 at 16.9% and 7.8%, respectively.

“California and Arizona and those areas were the first really to put in more defined irrigation systems where you’re not watering areas and you’re turning those areas into more natural vegetation that doesn’t require water,” said Mark Mungeam, President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASCGA). “That’s moving to the Midwest and East and even here in New England, where we’re refining our irrigation systems and not watering areas, so we’re creating more native rough areas and fescue areas.”

As golf courses in certain parts of the country are grappling with water shortages and drought, others are trying to mitigate excessive water, whether through heavy rainfalls or coastal erosion.

Farm Neck Golf Club on Martha’s Vineyard features multiple holes on a brackish pond abutting the ocean. Rising tides and increasing water levels have already swept away 40-50 feet of bank with concerns over the course losing its 14th green entirely if erosion continues.

TPC Louisiana, home to the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, needed 10 months to reopen its doors following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Asheville Municipal Golf Course (N.C.) is still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene in 2024 as FEMA allocated $7.77 million to repair the historic Donald Ross course. Because 60 percent of Seminole Golf Club (Fla.) sits at a foot or less above sea level, the private club is in the middle of a significant two-phase renovation and restoration process to raise 14-20 acres of ground 8-12 inches to stave off a rising water table.

While golf course architects, owners and operators can’t predict future weather phenomena, they can do their best to prepare for it—at a significant cost. Irrigation systems can cost anywhere between $1.5 million to $3.5 million, with some eclipsing $4 million. Comprehensive drainage systems typically range between $200,000 to $500,000.

That’s just the cost to keep the course functioning whether it has too much or too little water. Add on top of that regular maintenance and operational costs including fertilizer and chemical applications, fuel for mowers and other equipment, and seed, sand and soil, and your municipal/public course is spending $500,000 to $650,000 annually just to operate. Costs only increase further for private clubs and at luxury resorts.

In 2023, the nationwide average maintenance budget for an 18-hole golf course was $999,585. In the Southwest, that figure jumped to approximately $1.5 million due to water scarcity and cost.

“The biggest difficulty is the cost—of land, of design, of construction and of maintenance,” Mungeam said. “The more we can make courses more naturalized and require less inputs, the better we will be in the future in my opinion.”

Despite varying climate change complexities resulting in greater financial investment from course owners and operators—and thus higher green fees for golfers—that has hardly deterred people from playing.

Peak 18-hole public playing fees in the U.S. have increased by approximately 29% between 2019-25 as golf participation continues to reach unprecedented heights. The average 18-hole green fee for municipal and daily-fee courses (just over $41) has risen 27% since 2019, according to the National Golf Foundation.

Overall play through the first seven months of 2026 continues to trend 2.5% ahead of last year’s record-setting rounds trajectory, per a recent NGF report. Rounds in July, the highest-volume month of the year for play, were down 3.6% on a national level, with some of the biggest year-over-year declines in Arizona (-7%), California (-6%), Michigan (-9%), New Jersey (-8%), New York (-13%) and Texas (-11%).

A 49% increase in precipitation in New England resulted in a 6.1% decrease in rounds played in July 2026 compared to July 2025, while a 2.9°F increase in July temperature in states like Colorado, Arizona, Utah and Nevada resulted in a 5.6% decrease in rounds played YoY.

“Even though we had the hottest July on record, I didn’t hear about golf courses closing,” Karen said. “Avid golfers are going to play if it’s 96 or 98 degrees out. If it’s hotter by half a degree, what does that mean to the golfer?

“If it’s a degree or two, that’s the frog boiling in the pot, possibly, and we just don’t feel it. It’s probably not going to change behavior unless the government says you shouldn’t be outside or the human condition won’t allow for it. Golfers are nuts.”