SCOTTSDALE, Ariz– During times of water scarcity, Scottsdale golf courses adapt and thrive with new technology and inputs.

Water scarcity touches many places across the world, and the availability of water has recently been a priority for Western states in the U.S. as states negotiate for rights to the Colorado River water.

One major stakeholder in water use across Arizona, and in Scottsdale in particular, is golf courses.

Scottsdale is ranked by “Travel and Leisure” as one of the best golf cities in 2026, and adequate water is needed to maintain the lush fairways that draw golfers. As a result, the city’s golf courses face the constant problem of water conservation.

According to the Arizona Alliance for Golf, the golf industry in 2021 generated $6 billion for the Arizona economy, 66,200 jobs, and $518 million in tax revenue. On any given day, golf courses use 2% of the water in the state.

“Golf is baked into the Scottsdale identity”, Arizona Alliance for Golf spokesperson Katie Prendergast said. “It is part of the city's brand and what it has to offer.”

Water conservation has important consequences for the golf industry in Scottsdale. Without the water that the City of Scottsdale supplies, many courses could shut down and tourism in Scottsdale would decline heavily.

Continuous improvement of water usage has long been a goal in Scottsdale. According to the City of Scottsdale’s Golf Course Policy in 1997, both the management of existing courses and design of new courses were expected to be guided by environmental performance, including water resources.

“The City of Scottsdale does a pretty good job on the treatment of water and pulling out the sodium molecule. Sodium is a big killer of your soil structure and your root systems in your grass”, Director of Agronomy at Grayhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale Ernie Pock said. “All the new work we have done has allowed us to see the course in ways we never thought possible.”

Some Scottsdale golf courses use reclaimed water. According to the City of Scottsdale website, the Reclaimed Water Distribution System (RWDS) was established in Scottsdale to bring non-potable water to 23 Scottsdale golf courses, first starting in 1990.

“In Arizona specifically, I’ve noticed a few different strategies. A big one is using artificial turf on driving range tee boxes. That helps reduce water use, but it’s also more practical”, ASU Landscape Architecture student and President of Club Golf at ASU Abby Schmidt said. “That being said, I do think water is becoming a bigger concern and will continue to be in the future, especially in places like Arizona.”

The architecture of golf courses affects their water usage. For many courses that involves using different types of grass such as rye and bermuda depending on when they want the grass to go dormant.

“We ultimately transition golf courses onto a grass that needs, you know, up to 30% less water like, that's a huge win, win. And that's the kind of investment that the industry is constantly making”, Prendergast said. “I also think we need to do a better job of sharing those stories and talk about what golf has meant for people of any background.”

Dormant grasses help with conserving water in different areas as the grass does not need to be watered. With the grass being easy to maintain, the courses can focus on their grass and how much water is used on important parts of the course such as the fairways and greens.

“For reducing water usage, a big strategy is simply limiting how much irrigated turf you have”, Schmidt said. “That creates a playable surface without needing grass, which cuts down on irrigation.”

Other practical steps that golf courses can use are advocated by the USGA include regularly maintaining the irrigation system to prevent leaks and delivering irrigation to the root zone of the grass and bushes so that less water is lost through evaporation. Careful attention is needed to prevent overwatering.

In recent years, innovations have led to better water management at golf courses. This has led experts into using these technologies to further evolve golf courses to combat different challenges.

“I see new technology that's probably going to be taking off in the next handful of years, and especially with how fast AI is starting to advance”, Pock said. “I foresee some massive jumps in water management on golf courses in the near future.”

Courses are using innovations such as TurfRad, which uses satellite imaging and radar to allow superintendents to control the soil, water and other uses from the touch of an ipad.

In addition to Scottsdale’s use of reclaimed water and golf courses managing their soil, some golf courses now are being renovated or have been built with the added tech in mind, including using Artificial Intelligence.

According to the “Wall Street Journal,” Artificial Intelligence is being used on golf courses mainly to collect and organize data so superintendents and staff are able to better maintain the golf course. AI is being used to show how courses can be designed based on the property size and topography and creating new ways for workers to better manage different areas on the property.

In a similar way, AI is helping to treat weeds in a more efficient way so that fewer chemicals are used, which will affect groundwater. According to the USGA, with machines to take images of the surface of the turf, and advanced graphics processing units, models can then be built to process those images and mark locations of growing weeds.

Courses across Arizona want to optimize water management because without that, it will be hard for courses to continue operating at an efficient level. Golf courses have even been concerned with being inefficient in places where money and resources are wasted.

“I think we need to be really aware of an industry that has a large segment of the population that doesn't play golf and understand that water efficiency is at the heart of the industry and its current innovations”, Prendergast said. “A lot of golf courses in Arizona are using reclaimed water and the foundations have been placed in many golf courses to be more sustainable.”

Many golf courses in Arizona have faced sustainability and have triumphed by using the new technology that is available to them and great critical thinking as well. There is even evidence that courses take great care to further provide a well maintained course and Scottsdale is among the leaders in this innovation.

With golf course water management using new approaches and technologies, the game of golf itself will need to catch up. As swing speed is getting faster, and the ball is flying further, AI and other technologies will be needed to match the players’ abilities to the course conditions.

Golf courses continue to evolve and grow before our eyes as technology advances. Now that golf in Scottsdale is finding new ways to save water, golf can be more sustainable for the next generation.