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RESOURCES
Golf Course Cost Comps
A Breakdown of Today's Average
Material and Labor Costs for Golf and Irrigation
Houston Club 2023
The estimated price tag? Not quite $8 million, including $3 million for the irrigation system.
Example of Cary Bickler itemized budget estimate for golf course renovation at Tahoe Donner golf course
How golf courses can renovate at a reasonable cost: "in most places dramatic course improvements can be delivered at a fraction of the cost, if undertaken wisely."
Big jobs used to be $4 million; Now they’re in the $10 million to $20 million range. Neither of these courses needed a new irrigation system. If they had, costs for the system alone would have started at $2.5-$3 million; on the West Coast that figure is $4 million or more. Where irrigation systems are part of a major overhaul, it’s not uncommon to see total renovation costs running from $8 million to $16 million, especially when projects involve new greens, bunkers, cart paths and regrassing of large areas.
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Irrigation system upgrades … it doesn’t have to be all or nothing
Can’t afford a complete overhaul? Ian Williams shares where to look for deficiencies and how to find a solution within your course’s budget.
Park Board learns price tag to install irrigation system on all 27 holes at Westview is $2.8 millionLiving with Reality
The estimated price tag? Not quite $8 million, including $3 million for the irrigation system.
Jan 2021 Canyon Lake CA; bids ranged from $1.56 to $2.06 million, with an additional $320,000 for two pump stations and soil sensors that were outside of the posted scope of work
Managing the Rising Cost of Golf Course Renovations
$3.5M for new irrigation in Texas; $3.8M in Oregon; full redo in Atlanta mid $2M.
Say the design is 1,400 sprinklers at $1,300 each – that’s $1.82 million. You then add on other items, like pump station, pump house, wet well, lightning protection, demolition, electricity and the rock to give you the total project budget....... A superintendent and designer develop an irrigation plan that meets the requirements of the golf course and the wish list of the maintenance staff, approximately 2,025 sprinklers. Irrigation system costs $2.75 million; total project budget $2.79 million.
2017: at a cost of $1 to $1.5 million - A completely new irrigation system may include:
Pump house and pumping system
Pipe in the ground
Up to 1,200 sprinkler heads
Controllers
Radio controlled
Fertigation tanks
April 2023: Irrigation: "...if the cost is $2,500 per sprinkler you will see how a 100 acre golf course cost could go from $2.0 million to $4.0 million.”
Jan 2021 Canyon Lake CA; bids ranged from $1.56 to $2.06 million, with an additional $320,000 for two pump stations and soil sensors that were outside of the posted scope of work
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