Summit provides education for owners, operators, managers, and superintendents being affected by drought in the Colorado River Basin

The Colorado River Basin Golf & Water Summit was held Oct. 12 at Vdara Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas, Nev. Presented by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA), the summit was attended by over 100 of golf’s top industry representatives. 

NGCOA CEO Jay Karen, GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans, PGA of America Vice President Don Rea, SCGA Director of Public Affairs Craig Kessler, and USGA Green Section Managing Director Matt Pringle welcomed the group and spoke about the importance of water management and conservation to each of their respective associations and the industry as a whole. 

The first panel of the day proved to be the most popular. Lower Colorado River Basin Deputy Director Stacy Wade and Southern Nevada Water Authority Deputy General Manager Colby Pellegrino discussed issues pertaining to the Colorado River and its structural deficit while focusing on what efforts are occurring to address the situation on the river and at Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The discussion opened many eyes to the difficulties of the situation as well as the pressure on Las Vegas-area golf courses to comply with very stringent water standards. 

The second panel was composed of leading water experts throughout the Southwest including Robert Cheng, Ph.D., assistant general manager of the Coachella Valley Water District; Deven Upadhyay, assistant general manager of the Metropolitan Water District and Katie Prendergast, executive director of the Arizona Golf Alliance. The group discussed state-level policies concerning Colorado River water use and policy as well as programs and rebates available to assist golf courses in reducing water use. 

Following lunch, Best Management Practices panels highlighted the afternoon. Speakers consisted of GCSAA members Pat Christoffer, CGCS, director of agronomy at Red Ledges Golf Club; Tyler Truman, director of agronomy at Mountain Vista Golf Club; Curtis Tyrrell, CGCS, MG, director of agronomy at Desert Highlands Golf Club; James Symons, director of agronomy at Anthem Country Club; Parker Cohn, founder and CEO of Performance Resource Management; Thom Blinkinsop, general manager of Red Rock Country Club and Siena Golf Club; Shelley Caiazzo, general manager of Anthem Country Club; and Kevin Fitzgerald, assistant director of public affairs with the SCGA.

After remarks from Rain Bird Southwest District Sales Manager John Pollock, the day concluded with a panel on turfgrass research featuring Jim Baird, Ph.D., turfgrass specialist at the University of California Riverside; Tony Koski, Ph.D, professor and extension turf specialist at Colorado State University; Bernd Leinauer, Ph.D., regents and turfgrass extension specialist at New Mexico State University; and Matteo Serena, Ph.D., senior manager of irrigation and research services with the USGA.

Thank you to Presenting Sponsors Rain Bird, PGA of America and the USGA for their support, as well as Participating Sponsors CapillaryFlow and Supporting Sponsors American Golf, American Golf Industry Coalition, Arizona Golf Association, CourseCo, Invited, NGCOA Arizona, SCGA, Touchstone Golf and Troon.   

More information on the summit is available at the Golf Business TechCon website.