This California Muni saved millions by watering – and more is following suit

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Three years ago, Matteo Serena knew the difference between a beaker and a bunker. Today, a native of Italy can be the most important person to ever visit your golf grounds.

Sporting a history of Academia and Turfgrass research on her CV, Southern California-based Serena has quickly risen to the forefront of water conservation efforts as a senior research manager with the USGA.

His ascent was ignited by intelligence, in the reach and European charm of Europe (“Golf’a”), the efforts of the descending Serena achieved the results of everyone starving and more. In one particularly popular public asset, his research and methodology has produced a credit laden with cost savings and sustainability.

Turf and volleyball

The first 18-Hole North Course was the Public Lof Serranos Golf Club in Chino Hills, Calif., followed by the South Course in 1964. Last year, more than 120,000 rounds were played across all 36 bars.

Shortly after being hired by the USGA in 2022, Serena sought a regional public course where she could offer the HADET-15/30/4REMU program, a $30 million investment designed to help water use over a 15-year window. In 2025, the USGA launched its Water Conservation Playbook, an effort to provide courses with the latest tools and techniques to effectively manage water use.

Serena recalls: “I started looking for courses to save money, and one of the first things we found was that golf courses could do better with irrigation.”

What Serena was looking for was not the most luxurious or glorified property, but rather places where a little TLC can go a long way.

“The USGA operates a lot of great facilities with big budgets where we host tournaments,” Serena said. “In this project, I wanted to do something with the area, a public course to prove that an area with few resources can do some irrigation work and show real development.”

Serena Zeroted in the Chino Hills Acation officially marks “Jack Kramer’s Los Serranos GC.” Kramer was the 1940’s three tennis singles champion who joined the ownership group of Los Serranos in 1953; 8 years later, Kramer died, and the grounds have held the surname ever since. Participating in Vibe, Los Serranos is one of 14 properties owned by JC Golf, based in San Mateo, Calif.

“This is one of the properties we are most proud to own in our portfolio,” said Jon Christi Christian, corporate director of golf for JC Golf. “We love the fact that the Kramer family just wants to keep making things better.”

When opportunity knocked in the form of Serena, Christenson was quick to respond.

“Most superintendents at public golf courses don’t have the time or the teams to do this kind of work,” Christenson said. “So, when Matteo first contacted us about the project and suggested that Los Serranos be included, I was on board.”

Given the high rotational count, his stick also.

“There are many other subjects Matteo may choose to work with,” said Peter Lopez, Superintendent at Los Serranos for the past ten years. “We’re just thankful that it is.”

Before thanksgiving, there was research, in the way of catching can be tested.

“The test is basically placing (weighing) cups or plastic containers in a predetermined area,” Serena said. “Because, say, green, we’ll use 30-60 cups, and we’ll put it evenly. Then we’ll use the water collected from the cows and see if it’s related to the other side of the face.”

The first test in Los Serranos, the staff of Serena and Streints can make the catch can be tested with 10 heads each in the 19th hole of normal play, and teaching), and the fairways of the north and south.

The results? Show grip will not.

“We measure from 0-1,0,0, and if the system has 80 percent, or 0.8 similarity, then we are doing well,” Serena said. “When I first visited Los Serranos, the results were about 0.6 or less than the same, from the poor. Most of the sprinklers were leaking or healing or not circling me well.

Los Serranos followed Serena’s recommendation and hired an irrigation auditor, who checked every irrigation head of every property.

Serena repeated the test after this correction – and the similarity rose to about 0.75.

After Serena and the USGA Green Section offered 30 free sprinkler heads

“Not too bad for a 25-year-old irrigation system,” Serena said.

With Los Serranos, the similarities showed similarities in cost performance and water performance. Instead of a complete multimillion-dollar renovation, the club invested around $25,000 in new hardware.

“The icing on the cake was when we started installing the heads and saw the final results – Matteo showed that the improvements improved our efficiency,” said Lopez. “Most of the areas we have used together have improved, even after a difficult and dry summer when we tried to save as much water as possible.”

Faucet costs

While the USGA’s career takes him across the country, SoCal remains his home base.

Finding: A study from Multiple University of California Calmint Tanks detailed that the American West is currently experiencing its highest temperature in 1,200 years; Specific to the Golden State, UC studies have concluded that, during four decades of average warming, California can expect to experience a maximum water loss of 20 percent by 2050.

Between the report of the Colorado River, Fickle Sierra Nevada Snowpacks, depleted Aquifers and rising costs, water is not a dry topic in California.

“It always comes back to the same story: We’re on a trajectory to have less water available in California and, at the same time, we estimate we’re going to have more,” said Kevin Fitzgerald, director of public affairs for the Southern California Association. “And the challenges are very different in California than in many parts of the country, because we have many, many water suppliers.”

Eventually, all turf, like all water, becomes a place.

“The water situation is very concerning,” Christenson said. “Even though we’re on reclaimed water in Los Serranos, and as technology improves and what we can do with reclaimed water, we’re going to use more and more of our water.”

A renewable resource can be an asset but it is not a major answer.

“Looking to the future is looking at water availability,” Christenson said. “We’re starting to see that reclaimed (water) agencies are now getting more (non-golf) of this water, whether that’s in street medians, parks or reclamation basins.”

Lopez, “It’s not easy. With 36 holes and 3,600 sprinklers, there are a lot of costs, and nothing comes cheap.”

While the challenges (and operating costs) are extensive ROSTS, the costal of golf & water work – from Los Angeles to San Diego County in the Coachella Valley – is the hunt for savings and solutions.

In the middle of such an important conversation? Its trunk sports a USGA TOOL KIT instead of a toolbox.

“I learned a lot from Matteo – he’s always been an asset to golf, especially in our region,” Fitzgerald said. “He has been an important part of the golf & water project we have, our expert. The water districts also appreciate having his input when working with the waterways, as well as the golf community.”

Real world results

It’s early morning on a weekday when summer approaches Los Serranos, and the parking lot is full.

Serena is back on the property, and although she has been learning the game during her three years with the USGA, her cart does not carry clubs but the esoteric tools of her trade; Water Pressure Gauge; Stimpmeter and the patented PS3 Ball; A case of holding can appear in containers.

After two academic efforts and water conservation research efforts at the University of Padua in his home country and Uc-Riverside in the US, as you can see the smile under his bucket hat.

“I see this USGA job as an opportunity to do something else,” Serena said. “This project is almost trying to make a difference in the real world. And it’s amazing here – open air, natural light. So enjoy the practicality of what we’re doing, making changes and improvements.”

The Golf Cart Roll continuously, the passengers knowing that the exit of each one and the expertise saved their courses to invest $ 8 Million in the Irrigation averhaul money fight.

“Maybe Matteo didn’t get into this because of a passion for golf,” Fitzgerald said, “but because of his passion for helping communities make better use of their water.”

The view from the kikuyugrass of the earth emphasizes the emotions.

“From the first practice session until today, he is always completely ready to go, with all his tools and materials,” said Lopez of Serena. “We helped him, but at the same time he guided us, because we have never done this before.”

Boots on the ground are important.

“What’s great about what he’s doing in this study is that the data from the sprapnkler manufacturers was collected mostly in a closed room,” Christenson said. “But being here in the field – with 30- to 100-year-old pipes in the ground, 25- to 30-year-old heads – what people can glean from his work is real knowledge.”

To spin these results at Los Serranos, JC Golf uses what can be called “Matteo Domino.”

“I like the fact that he’s looking at it from a course correction perspective, not that it’s a new construction idea,” Christenson said. “This aspect of the irrigation system renovation really surprised me. We are now using this system on several golf courses, based on Matteo’s work here at Los Serranos.”

Putting 16 cans to hold the penis of the 19 hole Fairway, sprinklers splashing his shirts and slacks, Serena understands the nature of the test. No remote sensors, no ai, no wi-fi, no plugs, no wires.

Anyone can do it, which is the point.

“This process, this test, is not something you can call a ‘sexy’ job, but that’s why it’s so memorable,” Serena said. “Part of my job is to find this low-hanging fruit and let people know that, yes, it takes time — but just look at all the things you can get out of it.”

The test of the consistency of the sprinklers and the consistency concluded, Serena The eyes around, his views far away in the nearest home hole and the struggles of those who want to break 80 or 100.

“Here, I see retirees in the morning, groups of children in the afternoon, groups, all kinds of people,” he concluded. “This is a sport for everyone. This is a community. And when a golf course can save water, that same water can be used for something else in the community.”