The Associated Press

PULLMAN, Wash. - A Washington State University golf course that drew the ire of environmental groups opens to the public today, and will likely draw the ire of bad golfers.

The links course is designed to championship standards, meaning long holes, narrow fairways, difficult greens and lots of lost balls.

The 7,305-yard course is intended to improve the school's golf teams, provide a laboratory for students in turf grass courses and give boosters and alumni a new reason to visit the campus. It replaces a shabby 9-hole course built in 1923. It's part of a trend of building fancy golf courses in college towns.

The $12.3 million project, funded entirely from donations, had plenty of critics. Tops among them were environmental groups that contended the course will slurp up huge amounts of scarce groundwater.

The Center for Environmental Law & Policy contended WSU was "mining" the Grand Ronde Aquifer for an unnecessary amenity and is challenging the water usage in court.

The aquifer, a source of drinking water for 50,000 people in the area, has been dropping by more than a foot per year, and the golf course will accelerate that trend, CELP says.

University officials contend the new course is much more water-efficient than the old one, using drought-resistant grass and computerized programing for each of the 2,000 sprinkler heads. Operators plan to switch to recycled secondary waste water when a sewage treatment plant is built in town.

The course, designed by John Harbottle III of Tacoma, blends nicely into the rolling wheat fields that surround it. The rough off many of the fairways is thick wheat, which makes errant balls nearly impossible to find. The contrast of brown wheat and green fairways is stark.

The course also includes a 7,000-square foot clubhouse and extensive practice areas.