U.S. golf courses used about 531 billion gallons of irrigation water in 2024 (about 1.63 million acre-feet of applied water).
NOT BSTOTAL BS
NOT BS — Verdict: True
Verified by Lenz ·
The Short Version
Available evidence supports the stated quantity. Multiple recent sources tied to the national GCSAA/USGA survey report about 1.63 million acre-feet of applied irrigation water in 2024, and that converts directly to roughly 531 billion gallons. The main caveat is terminology: this is applied irrigation water, not necessarily net consumptive water use.
Caveats
The 2024 number is a national survey-based estimate, not a complete meter-by-meter census of every U.S. golf course.
The figure refers to applied irrigation water; it should not be conflated with consumptive use, return flows, or water permanently lost.
Many public summaries come from golf-industry organizations, although the core estimate is also reflected in a peer-reviewed publication.