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As communities weigh proposals for new data centers, concerns about water consumption have become a flashpoint. Yet another major water user often escapes scrutiny: golf courses.
A comparison reveals the answer to whether golf courses or data centers use more water depends on where facilities are located, how they're operated and what metrics are used.
Data centers are increasingly important to AI and cloud computing, while golf courses remain fixtures of tourism and recreation economy. Data centers can require significant water resources, especially during hot summers and droughts.
What uses more water: golf courses or data centers?
Nationally, golf courses use more water than data centers.
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America estimates golf courses use about 2.08 billion gallons of water per day for irrigation, compared with an estimated 449 million gallons per day used by U.S. data centers for cooling, according to the Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators Association.
However, water consumption varies widely among individual facilities and regions.
How much water do data centers use?
Water use varies widely depending on a data center’s size, location and cooling system.
According to a 2026 report from the Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators Association, a medium-sized data center may use about 100 million gallons of water annually, while large hyperscale facilities can consume between 1 million and 5 million gallons per day during peak conditions.
Most of that water is used to cool servers via evaporative cooling systems, which are more energy-efficient than air cooling but consume significantly more water.
Some newer facilities are reducing freshwater use by adopting closed-loop cooling systems or using reclaimed wastewater instead of drinking water.
How much water do golf courses use?
Water use on golf courses varies by climate and course size, but irrigation accounts for a significant share of their water demand.
According to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, U.S. golf courses use an estimated 2.08 billion gallons of water per day for irrigation, about 0.5 percent of the nation’s total water withdrawals.
Most courses draw water from ponds, lakes or on-site wells, while a smaller share uses municipal or recycled water.
In the Southeast agronomic region, golf courses are more likely than the national average to face recurring water allocations because of irrigation demands.
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What uses more water: golf courses or data centers?
