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Superintendents are using the latest
irrigation technology
Mike Perrault A retired homeowner's backyard and patio near a Palm Springs, Calif., golf course used to get doused with effluent irrigation water from the facility when the desert winds whipped through the Coachella Valley at more than 20 miles per hour. The homeowner's dog would get wet and stinky and, inevitably, there would be an irate phone call to the golf course superintendent.
No more. Now the golf course irrigation system incorporates T.Weather with WeatherLogic software to automatically shut down sprinklers when winds reach a specified speed. Sprinklers automatically start up when winds die down. The software has not only improved relations, it has conserved water.
At Merion Golf Club (East) in Ardmore, Pa., StormWatch software detects lightning and responds by automatically disconnecting the irrigation power source. La Cantera Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas, uses Cycle + Soak software to apply water in a series of short bursts and to automatically prevent over-watering and runoff on slopes and poor drainage areas. Las Vegas Paiute Resort invested $1.2 million in the latest irrigation system not only to reap the agronomic benefits for its turf, but also to more efficiently manage precious water resources. Superintendent Willie Lopez, a three-year GCSAA member, has cut daily water use on the 36-hole layout by 5 percent -- equal to nearly 60,000 gallons a day. Managing an irrigation system is a key issue in superintendents' efforts to detect problems and become better environmental stewards, agronomists and businessmen. They can now choose options from state-of-the-art $1 million-plus irrigation systems to simple flow monitors added to an existing system. Here's a look at how some of the latest irrigation system innovations came about and how they're being used to conserve water, save money and time, and improve turf watering practices. Technological
evolution
At The Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, superintendent Dale Davenport's computer lights up his office like a Christmas tree to warn him of system errors and the status of each station. The 10-year GCSAA member uses a customized, computerized course map on his SitePro central control system to view sprinklers, piping, wiring isolation paths and other components. Blue dots on the computer screen inform Davenport which stations are running. Black dots signal a lack of activity and red dots warn of system errors. Car paths and bunkers are included in a detailed graphical map that features virtually every curve, hot spot, tee, fairway and green. More than 100 golf courses have selected the SitePro central control system since The Toro Co. rolled it out nearly a year and a half ago and began extensive field-site testing. In March, St. Andrews Links in Scotland began implementing SitePro. "I like the extra capacity SitePro gives us to store and manage our irrigation system and other types of information," says Ian Forbes, Links manager. "Keeping track of fertigation rates is a good example. In the past, this has typically been kept by individuals in their heads. That works fine until the individual leaves." An Electro-Flow automated management system at Davenport's Ohio course controls both hydraulic flow and electric current demands to make optimal use of available watering time. The on-site weather station feeds the central computer the latest temperatures, evapotranspiration (ET) rates, humidity and other vital information. The newest capabilities and features dazzle even superintendents who have been using central control systems for years. At the 1998 GCSAA trade show, many superintendents carefully checked out new sensors, sprinklers, decoders and the new incredibly strong plastic irrigation system components to improve their systems. How did all this state-of-the-art irrigation equipment on golf courses worldwide become so innovative, multifaceted and complex? The answer lies with people like Carl Kah, a rocket scientist back in NASA's early days. While he worked alongside German-born scientist Werner von Braun in the race to develop liquid hydrogen rocket engines for the United States in response to the Russians' launch of Sputnik, Kah spent his free time tinkering with a homemade sprinkler system for his half-acre lawn in Palm Beach, Fla. He took used and broken sprinklers and applied a little old-fashioned ingenuity and elbow grease to make his own parts. "I put these sprinklers all over the yard and had three zones," recalls Kah, now chief executive officer of K-Rain Manufacturing Corp., a Florida-based maker of gear-driven sprinklers. "I ran it with a horse-and-a-half pump or something. Then I got an old time clock from my dad's office. I put it on the pump so it would turn on the pump every day. So now I had an automatic system." Kah, who now holds more than 50 patents, went on to create many other sprinkler system innovations. He worked with another irrigation pioneer, Edwin Hunter, who eventually earned more than 150 U.S. patents for turf and landscape irrigation products before he died in January at the age of 80 (see "Irrigation innovators"). These and hundreds of other inventors, researchers and businessmen have contributed to an evolution of irrigation technological advancements that are helping superintendents manage their water more effectively while creating a seemingly endless flurry of irrigation equipment choices. In recent years the technological changes have come so fast that even irrigation consultants have had to work extra hard to stay abreast of developments. "It's very exciting -- the change in technology," admits Jim Barrett, president of the Montclair, N.J.-based irrigation consulting firm James Barrett Associates Inc. "But I've spent all my life doing this and I'm barely keeping up."
Making sense of it
all
"We put in parallel systems, one using well water and the other using effluent water from a treatment plant," recalls Barrett, who believes such systems will become more common. "There were certain areas that could be watered with effluent and others that couldn't because of wetlands, approximated well fields and proximity to surrounding neighbors. So there were really two separate systems running around." Barrett has learned that irrigation system options must be carefully analyzed before the equipment is purchased. One common mistake golf course owners and superintendents make is budgeting a specific amount for a retrofitted or new irrigation system before gathering enough input from everyone involved. Some superintendents set up definite parameters for a proposed irrigation system, only to find out later that there were other factors they should have considered. A superintendent may plan for a control system with minimal flexibility when more flexibility would make them better water managers. "The guy in Michigan, Ohio or Georgia or someplace who every day has a difference in temperature and humidity, wind and so forth, he's the guy who needs the super flexibility," Barrett says. "Now the guy in the desert needs the reliability. Absolutely. He's dead if he doesn't water one night. But he doesn't need the sophisticated (control system) flexibility really as much as the other guy does." Barrett worked with CGCS Joe Flaherty, a 33-year GCSAA member, to set up a system at the 100-year-old Baltusrol Golf Course in Springfield, N.J. Although the irrigation system is fed by wells, the course must comply with periodic rain-shortage-related restrictions that can mean water reductions of 20 to 30 percent. Baltusrol's new system provides control system flexibility and has given Flaherty the ability to tailor his facility's varying water needs. Gear-driven rotors using part- and full-circle heads conserve water and provide accurate water delivery. Water-lubricated, gear-driven rotors can rotate 360 degrees in approximately two minutes, with part-circle rotors designed to make a 180-degree turn in half the time. Like Flaherty, more superintendents are finding it worthwhile to work closely with irrigation consultants, contractors, architects and distributors to sift through the sometimes confusing maze of irrigation equipment options. It's one way to avoid making costly mistakes, Barrett says.
Bob Scott, whose Conyers, Ga.-based Irrigation Consultant Services Inc. helped design a $3.5 million irrigation system for an 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and the massive neighboring 1996 Olympic equestrian facility near Atlanta, suggests superintendents work with an independent consultant. "Choose someone who's not tied to one manufacturer," Scott says. "Someone who will put their knowledge to work to make it cost effective for the client." Barrett recommends that superintendents who seek advice from irrigation consultants and other specialists do their homework before making a selection. "Especially when times are pretty flush, like they are now," he says. "People come out from under rocks and do their thing, then when times get a little tougher, they go back under the rocks." Look for someone who can provide evidence of qualifications, experience and integrity, suggests Tom Kimmell, executive director of the Fairfax, Va.-based Irrigation Association (see "What to look for in a consultant"). Independent irrigation consultants can help superintendents integrate effective design, efficient equipment and proper installation, three key components to setting up an irrigation system that works well and stands the test of time, Kimmell says. Conscientious system maintenance and good water management practices round out the key factors that ensure smart water management, he says. Precision,
conservation in Santa Fe
"Really, in this area, water is king," Campbell says. "The only place you have turf here is where you can irrigate." Campbell uses one of Rain Bird Golf Division's most advanced centralized computer control systems because he likes the flow controls and because he's successfully used similar systems at other courses. "I think you're really only limited by your imagination and the computer programs they provide us," Campbell says. Rain Bird's Cirrus control system, which was introduced in February, incorporates Global Positioning System and Computer-Aided Design technology to offer detailed, on-screen golf course images. It has the capability to simultaneously manage irrigation of 54 holes, including designations on greens, tees, fairways, roughs, approaches and perimeters.
"Because Cirrus provides such highly detailed environmental information and can be customized to meet the needs of specific courses, it encourages more timely applications of herbicides and pesticides," says Pat Loper, central control brand manager for Rain Bird. The system can alert superintendents if conditions are favorable for pests and various turf diseases. Like Davenport's SitePro central control system, Cirrus' computer has access to weather information, connections to soil-moisture sensors and detailed controller programming to match hydrozones of plantings. The weather station feeds constantly changing information on temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind velocity and ET rates to the central control system, which adjusts automatically to conditions and manages water flow accordingly. While a typical 18-hole course includes between 1,500 and 2,000 sprinkler heads, Las Campanas has more than 7,000. Three full-time irrigation technicians not only tend to the mechanical needs of three separate sections of the irrigation system, they also hand water when necessary in lieu of shotgunning water on the course. "What I find interesting is that even with 7,000 heads and a computer and the weather station and relying on ET, the human factor is still there," Campbell says. "We still have to go out and eyeball it and be extremely site specific with hoses on occasion. I don't think you'll ever totally replace hand watering if you're really into conservation." The emphasis on water conservation and using the centralized control system for precise water management was driven home in 1996, the driest year on record for the Santa Fe region since recordkeeping began in 1850. "We came through that real well," Campbell says. "I really attribute that to the finesse of the irrigation system." Efficient water management will be even more critical in the months ahead as Las Campanas adds another 18-hole course. Construction has already begun, and plans include a similar irrigation system to handle unique characteristics of the new course.
"We're at 7,000 feet, and in the summertime it's not unusual to get humidity of 8 to 10 percent," Campbell says. "We don't get much over 90 degrees, but we do have high winds and a very high ET. We monitor that constantly. All our irrigation is definitely based on ET. You really could never accomplish what I feel we accomplish without a computer." Amid such weather conditions, Campbell is charged with taking care of bentgrass greens, tees and fairways. "It's not like we're out here in the low desert where they have bermudagrasses," he says. "We're a cool-season grass course. There are very few of them at this altitude." Even though access to water is predicated on water rights, Las Campanas still pays to have its water pumped to the property. "We have to conserve as much as we possibly can," Campbell says. "As much as we utilize the ET, we always try to under-water what the ET is calling for. Then we monitor it during the day. I don't feel comfortable unless I'm out there sometime during the day analyzing the situation." Campbell rarely leaves the maintenance facility without checking irrigation system run times and the ET for the day. He keeps an eye on the irrigation system from home, too, partly because computers fascinate him and partly because the system alerts him at home if it goes down. Campbell keeps abreast of computer industry developments and believes innovations to irrigation systems directly parallel the fast-changing mainstream computer industry. "Their (Rain Bird's) latest Cirrus system is just phenomenal compared to the early '90s," Campbell says, "even if you're just looking at memory alone." As far as Campbell is concerned, manufacturers can't add too many features. "It's like anything else," he says. "You take it a step at a time and just keep building." Solutions at
Pebble Beach
Michaud and Holt also wanted to get away from the old system of scheduling watering from each sprinkler head in a linear fashion, which sometimes resulted in under or overwatering, depending on pressure and water availability on a given night. The new system takes into account the water and pressures available and runs the program accordingly. Another solution for Pebble Beach was to purchase a system with such pinpoint control of irrigation water that even adjacent areas can have completely different watering applications. The custom-designed combination of part- and full-circle sprinkler heads separately water greens, roughs and tee boxes. Pebble Beach's irrigation system also had to be flexible enough to allow Michaud and Holt to easily change the style of application when weather and course conditions changed. They purchased remote control capabilities to manage the irrigation system from the field, which has cut down on the amount of time staff spends traveling to and from the central control unit. A variety of software options at Pebble Beach also makes water conservation and management easier. Irrigation can be scheduled without concerns about pump limitations, pipe size and pipe routing. By staging pump cycles, Flo-Manager software balances demand and maximizes output without causing stress to the pump station, pipes and sprinkler heads. This lowers water demand and helps eliminate system shock, surge and overloading. Cycle + Soak software factors in the soil's capacity to absorb and prevents overwatering of slopes and poor drainage areas that previously had been subject to flooding. Bottom-line
efficiencies
Installation of part-circle heads around the perimeter of the turfgrass at Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples, Fla., eliminated excess water from being thrown into lakes or the bordering natural vegetation. "In addition to saving water, the part-circle heads save electricity compared with running the sprinklers full circle," says Darren Davis, superintendent at the club and an eight-year GCSAA member. "They allow us to fertigate without waste and without endangering wildlife or increasing the growth of weeds in the native vegetation." At Palm-Aire Country Club in Palm Beach, Fla., it used to take 15 to 20 hours to irrigate five courses. But after converting from a valve-in-line system to a valve-in-head Osmac system, the 94-hole resort cut watering time to between 10 and 12 hours. The 23-year-old Jack Nicklaus-designed Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, a suburb of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, replaced large sprinklers that were putting out 80 to 90 gallons per minute with rotors that deliver 20 to 30 gallons per minute. That's helped prevent overwatering. On holes where high winds are often a factor, new rotors were installed to better manage water. Superintendent Dean Baker, a 14-year GCSAA member, has noted water savings of 30 percent or better. The irrigation system also extends beyond the golf course to flower beds, so the course horticulturist can manipulate the central control system to more carefully manage water resources. The Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco replaced its antiquated irrigation system with a system that factors in rain, humidity, fog, wind, elevation, solar radiation and other weather conditions when calibrating control heads for optimal watering. The course's more efficient irrigation system has meant a 20 percent reduction in electricity bills. The Flow Manager feature of the irrigation system at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., brings irrigation pumps to efficient speed and keeps them there by turning sprinklers on and off throughout the irrigation cycle. Flow Manager knows where the undersized pipes are and starts irrigating those areas early. The pumps run at maximum efficiency, lowering the costs to power the pumps. Improvements on a
budget
Smart Rain sensors allow superintendents to monitor water content and soil temperature at every station without leaving their desks. A glance at the computer screen tells a superintendent which greens need syringing and which fairways are too wet, says Sylvain Carrier, technical support manager for Smart Rain. The sensors are buried in zones at root level and communicate through existing power cables without wires or antennas.
At the United States' first environmental demonstration course, Widow's Walk Golf Course in Scituate, Mass., greens are outfitted with sensors to measure water use. CGCS Jeff Carlson has made a commitment to use half the water, fertilizer and pesticides of a typical golf course in the area. Sprinkler heads were carefully positioned to water only greens and to prevent over watering of green surrounds. Precise watering of tees alleviates unnecessary watering of surrounding naturalized vegetation. Carlson, a 13-year GCSAA member, also applies a preventive coating of wetting agents to keep water use low -- 50 percent of anticipated consumption. One superintendent reported adding flow-monitoring features to quickly detect main and head breaks at 35 controllers. Although the upgrades cost nearly $14,000, he anticipates a $3,000 to $5,000 annual savings on water costs, annual repairs and site inspection. Likewise, superintendents are using pressure-regulating stems on spray heads to prevent water waste when irrigation systems operate outside a designated window of pressure. High pressure can cause sprinkler heads to emit mist or fog rather than a stream of water. But pressure regulators, which add about a dollar to the price of a spray head, can save up to 40 percent of water in areas with high pressure and as much as 70 percent of the water when nozzles are broken off as a result of mower damage or vandalism. The latest impact series rotors and sprinklers are designed to keep out algae and debris, and low trajectory minimizes wind drift. Companies such as K-Rain make Dial-A-Nozzle sprinklers that allow superintendents to simply turn a nozzle ring to change the sprinkler's gallon-per-minute output and nozzle trajectory. That eliminates time changing out nozzles. K-Rain's gear-driven sprinklers feature patented arc set indicators that are adjustable from 35 degrees to 360 degrees. Its pop-up spray head features a 5-inch riser that can elevate above tall turf, and the K3 sprinkler throws water 65 feet at 20 gallons per minute. Some quick-rotate sprinklers now throw water 33 to 49 feet and cut down on water waste commonly associated with fairway-type rotors around greens and tees. These sprinklers can also syringe greens directly from controllers, which eliminates time and labor usually needed to perform the task with hoses and quick-coupler valves. Solid design in
the field
He selected Legacy Golf Irrigation's Genesis central control system a few years ago because he liked the flexibility it offered for his block system. What sold him on the double-row Buckner 10600 sprinkler heads and accompanying components were solid design characteristics in the field. "We're all into this bottom-line marketing now," Miller says. "But if you start cutting corners on installation or design of the system, you're in trouble. The computer can send the signal and if you're getting water hammer and the glued fittings are blowing, the computer isn't going to do you any good there." Miller recommends the use of irrigation consultants, who can help tailor a system to the specific needs of a course. "I know there's a lot of comparative shopping going on right now," Miller says. "I hope my colleagues are getting design people involved. Design people are open-minded enough to let the superintendents who know the course best show them the shortfalls. It becomes a nice little team." Miller worked with Connecticut-based irrigation consultant Dick Smith to evaluate the water distribution equipment that would be installed at Nashawtuc CC. They chose Buckner 10600 brass impact sprinklers because they were best suited to the terrain, Miller says, adding, "Being in New England, and being on a low flood plain -- it's a very low golf course with heavy soils -- we have a lot of heaving. So the brass head made all the difference in the world." Only in a few spots was the block system welded under pressure. "Everything under pressure was in out-of-play areas. Then we pulled all the laterals into the fairway and all the surrounds," Miller explains. "Naturally, those were glued. In the areas that were prone to flooding, we speced the poly pipe so if it did backfill during a flood situation and froze, then the pipe that was full could expand and wouldn't fracture like the PVC. "Another spec we went with: all the fittings were brass versus galvanized because we have a very acidic type situation in the clay soils. All the swing joints were Spear swing joint PVC, so there's a lot of flexibility and movement if there is, in fact, freezing." Virtually no maintenance has been required on the system, so Miller has been able to cut his irrigation budget in half. He's able to conserve water, too. "Every third fairway valve is a quick coupler valve so we can hand treat any hot spots on fairways without running heads," he says. Miller used a little ingenuity by taking the tops off the brass heads and having yardage engraved on the tops, "so it doesn't look like an afterthought, like a retrofit," as Miller says. "It makes it look like a customized yardage marker and it's really just the top of a sprinkler head." Product parade
continues to roll
Rain Bird's product improvement team continuously evaluates and eliminates product problems while separate teams develop new ideas on everything from central control features to rotors. "Besides the testing facilities we have at our plant in Azusa, Calif., Rain Bird also operates a world-class sprinkler-testing facility nearby in Glendora, Calif.," says Brent Thorley, rotor brand manager for Rain Bird. "There are currently over two years of future products and product enhancements in the rotor pipeline." Last year, for example, Rain Bird changed its Eagle rotor cases from a Cycolac material to reinforced polypropylene. "This material offers 35 percent greater tensile strength than ABS (Cycolac) and has excellent chemical resistance to 265 chemicals versus ABS's eight," Thorley says. "This can be important to anyone who is considering fertigation, chemical injection or acid injection for pH balance. We are striving to make every rotor we produce last at least 10 years without maintenance."
Such technological advancements in the years to come will be critical as water becomes a more precious and expensive commodity. Whether a superintendent relies on a night water person using manual snap valves or a top-of-the-line, radio-controlled, computer-managed system with automatic remote weather station adjustments, the emphasis on making the most of water resources will only increase. "These guys' (superintendents) responsibilities are increasing with financing, with budgets, with people, so they simply don't have a lot of time to deal with the sprinkler system," says Steve Snow, national sales director and marketing manager for The Toro Co.'s golf division. "Our goal is to make the sprinkler system as productive as possible and to increase uptime so that it's working more reliably, so that it's not taking a lot of extra time to maintain and service. It's about maximizing the use of your water." Mike Perrault is staff writer for GCM. |
