WATERSOLV™ TURF · GOLF COURSE CASE STUDIES
Real courses. Measured water, soil, and turf results.
Four turf case studies with the numbers as they were reported: a Texas course whose drain water cleared, a Florida split-greens trial, a rebuild-candidate green at the Country Club at The Legends, and an Eagles Nest Country Club soil program on difficult water. Skim the overviews, then open the study closest to your conditions for the full details.
4 studies · Greens and fairways · Infiltration, sodium, flushing, and soil chemistry · Figures as reported by each source
BROWSE CASE STUDIES
Choose the study you want to explore.
Each row is a one-minute overview. Open it for the situation, the treatment, what was measured, and the source the figures came from.
TEXAS · WILDHORSE GOLF CLUB
Texas Transformation
Drain water cleared and the squish was gone 90 days in.
EC 0.9
drain water, lowest on record
Open ↓
CASE STUDY 01 · TEXAS TRANSFORMATION
A Texas course with eight years of French drains found the fix in the water.
Wildhorse Golf Club, Texas. Originally reported in 2018 and published by HCT in August 2023. The figures below are as the superintendent reported them.
THE SITUATION
Over eight years the course had installed several thousand feet of French drains, yet wet fairway areas still squished under cart tires after rain and the greens mower marked the turf.
WHAT HAPPENED AT 90 DAYS
Ninety days into the WaterSOLV™ program, the superintendent drove a cart through the fairway drainage areas after a rainfall: no squish from the tires, and the greens mower passed through without damaging the turf. The treated areas drained better than the areas that had been given added drainage infrastructure.
WHAT WAS MEASURED
Drain water tested at pH 7.8 and an EC of 0.9, the lowest recorded during the superintendent’s tenure. Pigment in the drain discharge dropped dramatically and salt accumulation stopped. Once the pigment stopped showing in the drain water, salt buildup eased and standard maintenance could handle the remaining water-related issues.
CONTEXT FROM HCT
Across its customer base HCT reports typical results of roughly 15% lower water demand and 18%+ higher yields (an HCT-stated aggregate; the underlying dataset is not published and per-site results vary), with long-term users maintaining their program at 3–6 ppm injected through the irrigation system.
EC 0.9
drain water, lowest of the superintendent’s tenure
pH 7.8
drain water after treatment
90 days
from program start to the reported observations
8 years
of French drains before the program
“No squish from the tires.”
GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT, WILDHORSE GOLF CLUB
FLORIDA · PALM BEACH GARDENS
Florida Split Greens
Treated vs. check on three greens at 1X, 2X, and 3X rates.
3 greens
soil, solution, and tissue tracked
Open ↓
CASE STUDY 02 · FLORIDA SPLIT GREENS
Show me the data: three split greens in Florida, treated against check.
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, 2019. Published by HCT in October 2020. A rate comparison run through the hardest part of the season.
THE SITUATION
Three golf greens with substantial fairy ring and fusarium presence and a poor saturation index.
HOW THE TRIAL WAS SET UP
Each green was split into a treated area and an untreated check. WaterSOLV™ was applied weekly for about two months during peak rain and growth season, with the three greens receiving 1X, 2X, and 3X rates.
WHAT THE DATA SHOWED
Saturation index and organic matter fluctuated for the first four weeks, then both improved within the two-month window. In weeks one to three the soil solution showed higher sodium and lower calcium, the opposite of what was expected; from week three on, the calcium-to-sodium ratio improved consistently. Soil reserve changes were more gradual than solution changes, and plant tissue analysis mirrored the reserve pattern (apart from early results on green one), which the authors called proof of the overall positive changes to the soil and plant.
DOSAGE INSIGHT
Higher rates produced quicker results, but all three rates reached the desired outcome. Disease incidence was not the measured outcome; this is a soil-chemistry and tissue evaluation. Use higher rates where a critical soil problem risks turf loss; use the recommended rate for maintenance and allow more time.
3 greens
each split into treated and check areas
1X · 2X · 3X
weekly rates compared side by side
~2 months
peak rain and growth season
Week 3
when the calcium-to-sodium ratio turned
THE LEGENDS · GREEN #3
Flushing Greens
A rebuild-candidate green reopened in 12 days.
3.92 → 17.31
infiltration, in/hr
Open ↓
CASE STUDY 03 · FLUSHING GREENS
A rebuild-candidate green reopened in 12 days.
Green #3, The Country Club at The Legends. An independent evaluation asked whether chemistry could restore a severely restricted sand-based green fast enough to change the management decision.
THE SITUATION
Severe infiltration and percolation failure, low air porosity, blackened anaerobic layers, and hardpan in the mid-profile. The green was being considered for strip-and-regrass renovation.
WHAT WAS FOUND
Standard soluble testing did not tell the full story. Very strong acid extraction showed iron above 4,400 ppm in the upper profile along with major calcium accumulation. Those crystalline materials were tied to higher bulk density, poorer oxygen movement, and less air-filled pore space.
THE TREATMENT
WaterSOLV™ Curative (buffered HCl) to dissolve carbonates and bicarbonates and break down crystalline structures, blended with WaterSOLV™ BC (hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid) to break down biofilm, reduce anaerobic bacterial activity, and supply oxygen to the root zone — applied together as WaterSOLV™ pHix, topically at 50–500 ppm. Neither component adds urea nitrogen, so there was no soft growth flush during remediation.
WHAT CHANGED IN 12 DAYS
Infiltration rose from 3.92 to 17.31 in/hr. Bulk density in the 8–12 inch zone fell from 1.72 to 1.54 g/cc, and air porosity and deep-profile movement improved. The study’s conclusion: the changes that occurred within a short time frame were substantial. The green moved from rebuild concern toward rehabilitation potential.
3.92 → 17.31
infiltration, in/hr
1.72 → 1.54
bulk density, g/cc, 8–12 inch zone
> 4,400 ppm
iron in the upper profile, very strong acid test
12 days
ISTRC evaluation window, one green, commissioned by HCT
“This was not compaction. It was chemical contamination.”
CORE STUDY MESSAGE
EAGLES NEST COUNTRY CLUB
Bad Water Made Valuable
Difficult water made usable in six months.
572 → 402
soil sodium, ppm
Open ↓
CASE STUDY 04 · BAD WATER MADE VALUABLE
Free, unlimited, difficult water turned into a usable asset in six months.
Eagles Nest Country Club. Program initiated May 2020; soil analysis compared June to October 2020. Report prepared by T. Eden, HCT, LLC, November 2020.
THE SITUATION
The course had a free and unlimited water supply, but the water itself was the problem. The course was aerified and sanded before the program began.
THE PROGRAM
7.5 ppm WaterSOLV™ Curative and 0.25 ppm WaterSOLV™ BC, injected through the irrigation system.
WHAT THE SOIL ANALYSIS SHOWED
Between June and October 2020, sodium fell from 572 to 402 ppm and CEC rose from 42.8 to 62. Calcium rose sharply (6,659 to 10,813 ppm) while magnesium eased from 756 to 651 ppm. Potassium moved up from 271 to 307 ppm, phosphorus dropped from 42 to 13 ppm, organic matter went from 1.8% to 1.5%, and pH held at 7.8 to 7.9.
THE READ FROM THE COURSE
The visual improvement was summed up in one line: this turf is flourishing.
SOIL ANALYSIS · JUNE → OCTOBER 2020
Soil pH · 7.8 → 7.9 (+0.1)
Organic matter, % · 1.8 → 1.5 (−0.3)
Phosphorus, ppm · 42 → 13 (−29)
Potassium, ppm · 271 → 307 (+36)
Magnesium, ppm · 756 → 651 (−105)
Calcium, ppm · 6,659 → 10,813 (+4,154)
Sodium, ppm · 572 → 402 (−170)
CEC · 42.8 → 62 (+19.2)
572 → 402
sodium, ppm
42.8 → 62
cation exchange capacity
7.5 / 0.25
ppm Curative / ppm BC through irrigation
6 months
June to October 2020
“This turf is flourishing.”
EAGLES NEST COUNTRY CLUB
NEXT STEP
Need help applying these insights to your course?
Talk with HCT about your irrigation water, soil profile, and the turf performance issues you are trying to improve. Testing comes first, so the program is sized to your water rather than to a generic rate.
WHAT A CONVERSATION COVERS
✓ Your irrigation water and root-zone conditions
✓ How your course compares to these case studies
✓ A treatment approach built around your turf system
HCT, LLC · WaterSOLV™ Turf Case Studies · Scottsdale, Arizona