With increased emphasis on water usage and conservation, golf superintendents are finding eco-friendly ways to manage their irrigation inputs while still maintaining top-notch course conditions.
Water is as old as Earth itself, but modern technology is changing the way golf course superintendents manage this precious natural resource. Whether they update their irrigation systems or rely on reclaimed water, properties are looking for the most cost-effective and eco-friendly ways to curb water usage and lead water-conservation efforts in their communities.
Of course, regardless of the tools superintendents may now use to keep their heads above water issues, one objective still reigns supreme as the driving force behind their actions—maintaining course conditions that meet golfers’ expectations.
SUMMING IT UP
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“First and foremost, our goal is better, firmer playing conditions,” says Certified Golf Course Superintendent Steve Cook, Director of Agronomy at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Oakland Hills upgraded the irrigation systems on its South Course in 2002 and its North Course in 2005. “They replaced systems that were at least 50 years old and not designed for turf conditions that are demanded by the membership,” Cook says.
The current systems, which have individual head controls, nearly tripled the number of heads on the property. Each course has a pump station, and each of the property’s four wells has the capacity to produce 500 gallons of water per minute.
“Our average water usage per year continues to go down,” says Cook. “Our [annual] target is always 10 percent less than our average, and for the last 10 years we’ve been on target.”
Oakland Hills CC also spends resources on computer software and maintenance to make sure the system is functioning properly, he adds.
Thinking Without the Box
As part of an overall renovation plan, the 45-hole Philadelphia (Pa.) Cricket Club (PCC) replaced the irrigation systems on all three of its courses the past three seasons. The property replaced the irrigation system on its city golf course, the nine-hole St. Martins course in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood, two years ago. PCC, one of the oldest clubs in the U.S. (founded in 1854), replaced the systems on its two suburban 18-hole courses—Wissahickon in Flourtown and Militia Hill in Plymouth Meeting—last year.
Even though the property is spread out across seven miles on two campuses, reports Director of Grounds Dan Meersman, “Via Internet, we can sync up all three of our courses under one system.”
The system sends communications from the computers to the sprinkler heads, and as part of the renovation process, the satellite boxes were also removed from the historic property. Eliminating the boxes, which acted as an intermediary communication tool, has brought practical and aesthetic benefits, Meersman says.
“We’ve taken one step out of the process,” he notes. “The boxes also were distracting to the eye.” In addition, he reveals, diagnostics are quicker and simpler without them.
PCC obtains its water from a quarry that is adjacent to the property, and it reuses discharge water from the quarry for irrigation purposes. However, the new irrigation systems have affected water usage as well.
“We have so many more heads, we’re turning on a lot less water to irrigate the areas that we need to,” Meersman says. The maintenance crews continue to hand-water as needed at various times throughout the day, he notes.
Being Diligent About Maintenance
The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, Calif., which features an Ocean North Course and an Ocean South Course, has used less water since it installed its irrigation system in the mid-2000s, reports Director of Golf Course Maintenance Steve Thomas.
“You can log on anywhere in the world to shut off or turn on the system, and it provides real-time data,” he says.
While Pelican Hill now uses less water, Thomas adds, overall costs have been about the same because of the maintenance that an irrigation system requires. “Repair is a big part of the job,” he explains.
The system has more than 10,000 heads and 70 miles of pipe, and sometimes pipes leak and heads get hit during aerifications.
“The irrigation pumps are on a monthly preventative maintenance plan,” reports Thomas. “We have to keep the heads clean and trim the grass around them to keep out weeds and dirt.”
Pelican Hill has used reclaimed water, purchased from the Irvine Ranch Water District, since the early 1990s. The wastewater from homes and businesses goes through a three-stage cleaning process. Still, notes Thomas, “It’s challenging water to deal with, because it’s high in chlorine and salt.”
Because of the high salt content, Pelican Hill flushes or deep-waters its greens to minimize the salt levels on putting surfaces and to keep the salt from disrupting the root systems.
“We can’t control the water from the district, but we have it tested on a quarterly basis to make sure it’s consistent,” explains Thomas.
The staff can also treat the turf to minimize the adverse effects of the salt levels. Gypsum and wetting agents are applied to improve the water’s soil penetration and lower the salt levels. While the poa annua on the greens is sensitive to salt, notes Thomas, the hardier, more durable Bermuda grass on the tees, fairways, and some of the rough stands up to it better.
The topography at Pelican Hill can present difficulties as well. “We have hilly golf courses, which can be a challenge to irrigate,” notes Thomas. “The knobs get dry, and the low spots can get too wet. The moisture can be inconsistent because of the way the water actually flows.”
While Pelican Hill purchases its water about 98 percent of the year, Thomas reveals, the property also supplements its irrigation needs with run-off water. The Pelican Hill golf courses capture their run-off water, which goes into cistern tanks on the grounds, and pump it into the five lakes on the property to use to irrigate the grounds.
However, because the 504-acre Pelican Hill property is on the Pacific Ocean, the staff monitors the run-off closely. “The first rain picks up a lot of pollutants off of the asphalt and roofs,” says Thomas.
Pelican Hill’s use of run-off water depends on the weather patterns during the rainy season from November to February. According to Thomas, the run-off can make the property’s water supply cleaner when it mixes with the reclaimed water in the property’s lakes. This supplemental water source, coupled with the maintenance staff’s efforts, has other benefits as well.
Based on features such as acreage, grass type and topography, the water district allocates the amount of water that an entity should use each month. According to Thomas, the local water district consistently recognizes Pelican Hill for always using less than its monthly allocation.
“We’re looked at as being a pioneer,” he adds. “A lot of people have come here and asked about our system of capturing water.”
Going Natural
Golf courses also are switching to hardier varieties of grasses and increasing the acreage of native areas on their properties to conserve water, says Thomas.
About seven years ago, Pelican Hill converted a total of 30 acres on its courses to native areas that now receive less water, as well as fewer pesticide and fertilizer applications. “We don’t mow those areas as much, and they look really natural, too,” reports Thomas. “They are on the perimeter of holes and were previously maintained as primary rough.”
While the native areas can turn brown, Thomas believes the trade-off is worthwhile. “We have to keep the golfers happy with their visual expectations and keep it firm, and keep it healthy,” he says. “Golf purists don’t care what color it is.”
The Pelican Hill grounds crew uses wetting agents to help water penetrate the soil better, and gypsum to manage the salt content. “We’re always on the lookout for disease when the salts are high,” notes Thomas.
In addition, he says, Pelican Hill collects soil samples twice a year and sends them to a lab to check the nutrient levels.
As part of its renovation, PCC also expanded its native areas for aesthetic and economic purposes, Meersman reports.
Experience Counts
Superintendents also depend on their irrigation technicians to stay on top of system operations through hands-on experience, as well as annual training sessions.
Closing the Deal
As vital as irrigation systems are to golf course operations, they typically do not create a buzz among golfers. However, Dan Meersman, Director of Grounds at Philadelphia (Pa.) Cricket Club, believes that it is the superintendent’s responsibility to do just that—particularly if he hopes to convince the membership to install a new system. When Philadelphia Cricket Club replaced the irrigation systems on its three golf courses, Meersman packaged them with golf course improvements to get them included in the overall project. He gained Board approval and funding by identifying the irrigation systems as a need, which resonated with members, and by presenting thorough research to key decision-makers. If a property that is undergoing a renovation needs an updated irrigation system, Meersman advises superintendents to get irrigation into the conversation early in the process. He also recommends that superintendents keep themselves out of the “politics” of a property by limiting their communications to discussions with leaders and key decision-makers, who then can advocate for a capital improvement and share the message with the rest of the membership. Meersman assembled a strong team, which included vendors and an irrigation consultant, to support his research. He also advises superintendents to visit other properties and talk to their superintendents—and sometimes take club leaders with them. In addition, he believes, there’s nothing like a thank-you luncheon for the staff and property leadership to celebrate victories along the way. Source: “Upgrade Your Irrigation System,” Golf Course Industry webinar |
“We trained all of our superintendents and assistants with the new system,” says Meersman. Because PCC assistants typically transition to superintendent positions at other courses after three to five years at the course, he adds, the club holds yearly training sessions to educate new personnel about the irrigation system.
The Pelican Hill golf maintenance staff includes an irrigation supervisor, as well as two irrigation technicians for each golf course. Another irrigation technician takes care of the landscaping on the property. The duties of the irrigation supervisor include setting up and updating computer programs for the irrigation system, as well as ordering parts.
Each morning the irrigation technicians at Pelican Hill insert a moisture meter into the greens to find wet or dry spots. “They know what percentage of moisture is in each area they’re maintaining,” notes Thomas. “They can fine-tune it based on what the moisture meter says. The goal is to have consistent moisture from a playability standpoint.”
At Oakland Hills CC, one irrigation technician oversees inputs at both golf courses. “He’s been doing it awhile, and he has a lot of hands-on experience,” notes Cook.
Rain or Shine, Hot or Cold
While Mother Nature dictates nearly everything, including irrigation, that a golf course maintenance staff does, superintendents use as many tools as they can to predict weather patterns.
Pelican Hill has used a weather-tracking system throughout the property for the past eight years. The advanced irrigation technology system uses controllers and Cloud-based applications to automate irrigation schedules based on plant needs and local weather conditions.
“The system works off the weather patterns we have,” says Thomas. “When it’s dry and windy, we water more. If it’s overcast and rainy, we water less. We can go online and log into each individual controller.”
The system is zoned for the type of vegetation being irrigated, such as grass, plants, and trees. “Within each controller there’s a map that shows what’s watering what,” Thomas says.
Each Pelican Hill golf course has its own weather station, which is tied into the courses’ irrigation systems and collects data. The system measures evapotranspiration numbers, wind, temperature, and humidity, and it has a computerized central control system in the superintendent’s office.
“It tells us how much irrigation is needed nightly to keep the soil hydrated,” notes Thomas.
Despite all of the available tools, however, superintendents still can’t dictate weather conditions, and Thomas says this past winter in Newport Coast was drier than usual. While the area averages 10 to 12 inches of rain during the rainy season, he reports, this winter brought only 4.5 inches.
“When you don’t get that rain, you don’t get a good flushing,” he explains. “We have heavy clay soil, and it locks up the salt.”
Meanwhile, in Michigan, “We had the harshest winter in recorded history since they have been keeping records in the 1800s,” Cook reports. “It was cold, long, and wet.”
The good news, he adds, is that “We’re used to winterizing everything, so our irrigation system came through in pretty good shape.” In addition, he reveals, a wet spring has enabled the property to use less water so far this season.
At PCC, Meersman reports, “We had a record cold winter, but it did not affect us. We have bentgrass mostly, and it came through just fine. During the restoration we went to the bentgrass surface, and that helped us a lot.”
Telling the True Story
Keeping golfers informed about irrigation practices—and resulting course conditions—is a vital responsibility for superintendents. “We try to educate the members that green is not always better,” notes Cook. “That helps them understand, when I show them the numbers, what we’re trying to accomplish.
“In general, brown is a difficult product to sell, but people are understanding that not every square inch has to be green,” he adds. “As long as it’s firm, they understand that a little less color is OK.”
Cook tracks water usage and reports it to Oakland Hills’ greens committee quarterly. He also files a required annual report about the property’s water usage to help the state Department of Natural Resources build a database. Oakland Hills is currently not under any water restrictions, but Cook expects they may eventually come “in some form or fashion.”
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