Golfers at Journey at Pechanga received a 15-percent discount on their rounds in early June. It wasn’t a promotion director of golf Scott Mallory had on his calendar at the beginning of the year but one that was necessitated by a course closure for two days in May for aeration, which was the second time the practice was used on the greens since March.
“We’ve been extremely fortunate with our cool weather patterns so far this year,” Mallory said in mid-May. “But we’re not about to take chances with the health of the greens for the rest of the year.”
Mallory said aerating an additional time this year, as opposed to twice in previous years, would enable the course’s greens to withstand more foot traffic and ball marks – in addition to the likeliness of summer heat and dryness – without adding more water.
“A higher quotient of late spring storms means Journey can utilize the best scientific resource-saving practices,” he said in reference to the ability of Journey staffers to watch weather forecasts like the red-tail hawks that often circle the 7,219-yard course and swoop in when they see an opportunity for food.
“The small, though unusual, storms that produced rainfall in March, April and May allowed us to predict moisture amounts we’d receive,” Mallory added. “It’s a scientific and really reliable process whereby we can determine if we can turn irrigation off completely for a given number of days prior to and following a storm.”
Even with statewide efforts and golf course initiatives implemented to reduce water usage, Journey has yet to experience any stress points because of the dry weather. Part of the reason for that is Journey’s overall design, which was constructed with the intention of having a smaller footprint than most courses.
“We were built to be efficient,” said Danny Ibanez, who took over Journey’s superintendent tasks this spring. “We’ve got 75 acres of turf grass. That’s a number a lot of courses are trying to reduce to and we’re there already. And we’re in a valley. What water we get naturally filters down to the course instead of running off. The course was built to retain water that way.”
Other drought-resistant practices at Journey, Mallory said, are a new irrigation system that makes use of weather data technology and the application of surfactants, or compounds, that lower the surface tension and allows the staff to cut down on the frequency of watering. Also, seeding of the native areas has encouraged the growth of drought-resistant native wildflowers that have resulted in pleasant patches of orange, yellow and purple.
Like Ibanez, Mallory sees the footprint and course’s terrain as a gift for water conservation.
“Journey occupies 75 turf grass acres. The rest encompasses native landscape, trees, flowers and shrubs,” he said. “It’s also fantastic that when it does rain, the little valley our course sits in holds on to water, keeping conditions moist for days longer at a time.”
Although the Journey staff is equipped with technology to predict aspects of approaching weather, there’s no predictor for Mother Nature’s long-term outlook in the Southland.
“We know she won’t always deal the best hands,” Mallory said, “but we’re ready with a lot of chips on our side.”
