Wilmington Municipal Golf Course adapts irrigation system to manage water use during dry conditions

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Extreme drought conditions across much of North Carolina are beginning to take a toll on golf courses, as operators work to conserve water while keeping greens in playable condition.

Many golfers might not be aware of the work that goes into keeping the courses green.

At the Wilmington Municipal Golf Course, superintendent Matthew Smith said the facility, commonly known as “the Muni,” has taken proactive steps to prepare for periods of drought.

Last year, the course installed a new irrigation system that measures watering levels by inches of water applied rather than by run time, allowing for more precise and efficient use.

Smith said the course uses roughly 200,000 gallons of water each night across the entire property, but emphasized that none of it comes from the city’s municipal supply.

“The golf course is built to drain all of our runoff into our irrigation pond, and that irrigation pond is a natural spring-fed pond,” Smith said. “Whereas some of these golf courses that run off of municipal or city water supplies are going into water restrictions right now.”

He added that, despite the dry conditions, the course is designed to handle limited rainfall — and may even benefit from it.

“We actually prefer the course as dry as possible,” Smith said, noting that firmer conditions can improve play for golfers.

As drought conditions persist, course managers across the state are expected to continue balancing conservation efforts with maintaining quality playing surfaces.