Real Club de Golf Valderrama has been demonstrating for years its full commitment to the environment and the responsible and efficient use of natural resources. The course had already installed a fully computerised irrigation system by 2016 to control the flow of water on each sprinkler on the course. This was followed by hardness and humidity sensors on the greens to regulate water needs and many areas of grass on the course being replaced with mulch, which meant more than 300 sprinklers could be taken out of use.
RCG Valderrama is well aware that water is a finite and increasingly scarce resource. With that in mind, the course made a commitment to creating a lake to collect rainwater over the winter and provide irrigation water during the summer months when usage is at its peak. With a capacity of 58,000 m3 and an investment of 600.000 Euros, the lake will mean significant savings in energy costs over time and will serve as a habitat for the many birds that migrate over the Strait of Gibraltar.
RCG Valderrama had been finding it harder to water the course responsibly as each year went by and realised it needed to find a sustainable solution for the future. Fortunately, the club had the perfect piece of land on which to build a lake that could act as a reservoir for the hot summer months.
Before starting the earth movement to give the lake depth, the first step was to protect the cork oak trees growing in that area and remove them to other parts of the course. This complicated process was carried out with great care, with individual watering put in place for each of the 70 trees that were moved. Detailed photographs were also taken in all areas of the lake to ensure that each level was perfectly balanced.
To make the best use of available resources, most of the grit removed was used to build a dam at the southern end of the lake. In the event of any outflows of water, steps were taken to channel the water into an existing tunnel that flows into a natural stream and, to complete the operation, a chute was built to connect the dam with the tunnel.
An essential part of the project which took more than four weeks to complete was fitting the hundreds of drainage pipes under the lake to ensure that all potential water losses would go directly into the natural course of the stream.
Along with drainage, the insulation of the lake walls with heavy-duty plastic liner was a critical part of the construction. Piping was connected so that water could be pumped into the irrigation system, recouping both external water from the wells and recycled water from future wastewater-treatment plants. Lastly, to improve the appearance of the lake all parts were embellished with stones.
Valderrama has long been a benchmark for environmental good practice in the golf industry and building this lake will have a long-term positive impact on the way irrigation water is managed, reducing future energy costs.
Javier Reviriego, CEO of RCG Valderrama: “All of us running golf courses have a duty to better our commitment to environmental sustainability. As an industry, we must stay ahead of the critics and improve our ways of working in order to be leaders in the management of natural resources. Golf courses’ commitment should not just be limited to environmental certifications; we must reinforce our message through investments that clearly demonstrate how we mean to go on managing our surroundings and resources.”