By Robert Earle Howells
You know times have changed when a golf course receives an award for water conservation. Such was the case when El Caballero CC of Tarzana was honored by the Metropolitan Water District at the annual One Water Awards ceremony on May 2, as part of California’s Water Awareness Month. El Cab was among four SoCal award winners honored for practicing innovative water efficiencies, and together conserving more than 200 million gallons of water annually.
In presenting the award to El Cab GM/COO Phil Lopez, MWD’s Gary Tilkian said, “El Caballero conserved 28 million gallons of water just in 2023 alone, a third of their yearly water use. Their commitment to equity and environmental stewardship has positioned this course to withstand not only our current situation, but our future drought challenge, while still providing high-caliber playability for their membership.”
Lopez recounted how El Cab’s remarkable water savings was largely the result of an ambitious 2021 turf conversion, from water-hogging rye grass to drought-tolerant, warm-season hybrid Bermuda. When Lopez came to the club in 2017, he recalled, “We started a conversation about the sustainability of what we were doing from a water-usage standpoint. It was too expensive and our course conditions and product we were delivering were subpar.”
Lopez and his team at El Cab concluded that the turf conversion was the best route to take. But how to sell that to the club membership? The cost would exceed $9 million, and would require shutting down the course for nine months.
His pitch to membership cited the availability of cost incentives through MWD’s Water Savings Incentive Program (WISP), as well as some astute outside expertise.
“It was one thing for me to stand in front of the membership and say we were going to save all this money and we were going to save all this water.
“It was another thing for the preeminent turf research specialist on the entire West Coast — Dr. Jim Baird of UC Riverside — to show up at our club and tell the membership that what we were saying was true. He was fantastic for that.”
As for WISP, Lopez added, “The incentive that the program gave us was critical to what we considered and what the membership considered.”
The proposal carried with a 68% approval vote. Nine months later, in November 2021, the course reopened with new turf, drought-tolerant and native trees and shrubs, and improved playability.
“It turned out to be everything we wanted it to be,” said Lopez, who added that members are now asking how to similarly convert their own lawns.
“I think our experience can show other golf courses that there is a way for golf courses to be really good environmental stewards.”