Columnist Dean Juipe: Drought now affecting golf courses

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

Perhaps you've seen their ad in the newspaper. Or read the glowing feature on the course in a local golf magazine.

Described as plush and resort-like, the new Tuscany Golf Club between Henderson and Lake Mead strikes an attractive chord. And with an afternoon rate of $30 for locals, it's doubly enticing.

Yet I had a slightly different reaction upon playing the course, which was planted two years ago but has only been open two weeks. "Man, they're really hurting for water," I said to my playing partner early in the round.

And as the day went on, we became more and more sympathetic if not convinced that the Southern Nevada drought was not only in full swing but had finally made an impact at the grass-roots, golf-course level.

This new course with all its wonderful potential may some day live up to its advance portrayals, but it's not there yet. It needs water and needs it badly.

Regrettably, that water has been slow in forthcoming and will be impeded again when the revised Las Vegas Valley Water District restrictions and rates take effect in October. Use limits will be cut again and the water police are not about to let the golf courses slide.

Even the use of reclaimed water, which Tuscany is willing to use, is monitored and limited. The result: Not only Tuscany but many other local courses, which average 1 million gallons of water per day, are trying to adapt to the stringent quotients.

Siena, a fairly new course on the southwest side of the valley, has been ripping out turf in some rough and out-of-bounds areas and replacing it with desert landscaping. Likewise, Tuscany is already replacing grass with rocks in areas such as the rough alongside the 10th fairway.

Imagine, a course open only two weeks needing to be reconfigured. That's what's happening at Tuscany, which faced a double whammy of sorts this summer when a City of Henderson pump went down and the course was without outside water for a full month.

Word is, Tuscany was in better shape six months ago than it is today. But a problem with insect infestation, which, in turn, led to birds raiding the grub-infested greens, as well as the pump difficulties, led to a deterioration in the course's overall quality.

That said, it's fairly safe to predict the course will bounce back and mature into a beautiful layout that will likely command a $100 greens fee.

Tuscany is 6,906 yards from the tips but playing short these days as balls roll endlessly on the dry ground. It has a number of scenic, elevated tees, and will accommodate players of all abilities.

It also has room for 1,978 neighboring homes, which, if ever fully developed, will cut down on the drying influence of a prevailing wind that currently sweeps across the parched ground.

The course will also be overseeded and will close for two weeks next month, which will help alleviate its scorched condition.

I like the course enough to say I'll play it again, maybe even this week. When a mid-level player such as myself can reach a par-5 green in two, there are built-in incentives to return.

I can live with dry. But look at the irony: The world's largest man-made lake is just down the road, yet Tuscany is anything but oversaturated.

But maybe the valley itself is.