Granite Bay Golf Club renovations help conserve water

In a time where a majority of California is experiencing an extreme drought, Granite Bay Golf Club is stepping up and doing its part to help conserve water. The club recently switched to Santa Ana Hybrid Bermudagrass for its fairways as part of an eight-month, multi-million dollar renovation to the course. Santa Ana Bermudagrass was first developed in 1956 at the University of California, Los Angeles and today is used in many dry areas as it's drought-tolerant and uses less water. Multiple other golf courses in California have switched to this kind of turf over the last few years such as Menlo Country Club and The Preserve Golf Club in the Bay Area, decreasing water usage by as much as 35-million gallons per year. According to the California Alliance for Golf, the average 18-hole golf course in California uses nearly 90-million gallons of water per year. "It will give us pristine playing conditions and it was nice to make a transition also with water conservation," said Kevin Marshall, Granite Bay Golf Club general manager. "Dealing with hot summers in the Sacramento area, I wouldn't be surprised to see more courses head in that direction." The new Santa Ana turf isn't the only upgrade the course has seen as it has also expanded three putting greens while adding two additional practice greens. Tee boxes have been resurfaced and bunkers have been renovated, including smoothing out the edges. The bunkers are from Better Billy Bunkers, a leader in drainage of bunkers. The white sand is angular and meshes together well with great durability. The club is in the process of converting to fescue, which is a cool season, durable grass that can withstand the heat with proper water management. In addition, a considerable amount of trimming trees has been completed for long-term health and care of the course. There has also been renovation to the driving range. The course has undergone a resurfacing of its putting surfaces and has completed irrigation repairs such as a replacement of the pump station. Lastly, certain holes have been lengthened to make the championship tees more than 7,000 yards. The renovations to the course began in 2021 and smaller projects such as a refresh of Tilly's Pub are being completed. "Everything has been extremely well-received and now that we're getting into our first growing season, the potential with how great it can be is really exciting," Marshall said. Granite Bay Golf Club is an 18-hole par-71 golf course that is at 9600 Golf Club Drive, Granite Bay.