American Golf Corp. is working with California officials to conserve thousands of gallons of water on southern California courses by retrofitting sprinklers with efficient metal nozzles.

"We are working with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), which is offering rebates to golf courses that switch out plastic nozzles to FCI Profile metal nozzles," said Scott Bourgeois, American Golf's southern California director of maintenance and a GCSAA Class A member. "This program is an excellent opportunity to participate in a beneficial partnership with the MWD to help achieve water conservation goal."

Launched last summer at the Sea Cliff Country Club in Huntington Beach, Calif., the American Golf retrofit replaces factory-installed plastic nozzles with FCI Profile metal nozzles with stainless steel orifices, proven to increase distribution uniformity and save water.

The American Golf retrofit is projected to include facilities in four southern California counties and encompass more than 20,000 nozzle switch-outs. American Golf manages more than 110 private, resort and daily fee courses in the U.S.

At Sea Cliff, Bourgeois anticipates water savings at a rate of 5 percent per year, which translates to six to 10 million gallons annually. With nearly 20 American Golf courses scheduled for nozzle retrofits, the water savings is projected to add up to hundreds of millions of gallons per year.

For information on the nozzle rebates, call the Southern California water conservation coordinator at 877-728-2282 or visit the MWD Web site at www.bewaterwise.com.