How Wildhorse Golf Course maintains tournament quality greens in a desert climate

PENDLETON, Ore. — Living in a desert climate presents unique challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining top-tier golf courses. The Wildhorse Golf Course, located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Pendleton, uses careful and precise maintenance to keep a course in pristine condition despite the heat and the dry environment.

Stretching over 7,000 yards, Wildhorse Golf Course features five lakes and 66 sand bunkers. During the golf season, a team of 19 groundskeepers works to keep the course at its best for both casual players and tournament competitors.

Sean Hoolehan, superintendent and head of grounds of Wildhorse Golf Course, stresses the skill and training needed to maintain the course’s turf.

“To cut the grass at 95 thousandths of an inch like we do out here, it takes specialized training. Those guys are people you never see,” Hoolehan said.

Water management is crucial in this arid part of the Columbia Basin. The course uses an advanced computerized weather station to monitor turf and grass conditions, ensuring irrigation is precise and efficient. Portable moisture meters are also employed to measure soil saturation, allowing the crew to water only what is necessary, avoiding waste.

“Water is precious, and we treat it that way. We manage our water to use what we absolutely need but not to exceed,” Hoolehan said. “For example, on windy days like today, we might have a few sprinklers running in some areas where there are dry spots.”

All the irrigation water comes from deep wells beneath the course, reaching about 1,000 feet underground, underscoring the importance of careful water usage.

With major golf events on the horizon, including the Epson Tour scheduled from August 15 to 17, the intensity of course maintenance is ramping up. Hoolehan emphasized their daily goal,

“What we do here on a daily basis is really try to have a tournament-ready golf course here at Wildhorse,” Hoolehan said.