Keep your head above water: evaluating and maximizing your golf course irrigation system.

There's nothing quite like the experience of walking a golf course--lush, rolling greens, the soft crunch of a thick mat of grass beneath one's feet--in fact, one of the most therapeutic aspects of golf is that experience of spending the day outside, on the links. A properly irrigated course, evenly watered and healthy, plays a key role in that positive golf experience.

The flipside--a badly irrigated course, marred by dry splotches and puddles, can leave players feeling cheated and miserable, and may convince them to have a word with the superintendent or club manager.

How do you avoid an onslaught of golfers who are aggravated with your irrigation system? What are the telltale signs that your club's irrigation system requires work? How do you ensure your golf course irrigation system is running at maximum efficiency enabling you to shrink growing water and electric bills? And, most importantly, to whom do you turn for advice?

Unlike the old days--when water was cheap and mule-drawn water wagons irrigated turf-grass--today's irrigation systems rely on sophisticated computer systems, satellite technology, and can cost millions of dollars. And with water and energy bills soaring all over the country, the maintenance of these systems is gaining importance.

"Water has become more expensive and it's a growing environmental issue," says Dave Davis, FASIC, a professional member of the American Society of Irrigation Consultants. In years past, golf course irrigation systems were the domain of the superintendent; today however, given the cost of water, and conservation being king, the club manager has no choice but to be up to speed on the issues. The manager has to know enough about irrigation to make good decisions, and part of that decision is knowing how and when to hire an irrigation expert."

Getting started

So where to begin? Naturally, your first move is to evaluate your current golf course irrigation system to determine whether or not it needs replacing. But to what specific aspects should you be attentive?

According to Davis, there are common signs that your golf course irrigation system may be in trouble.

"The most prominent symptoms of a golf course irrigation system that needs replacement are increasing costs due to water and power consumption, and turf-grass that looks as if it is suffering from too much, or not enough, water," Davis says. "And despite the fact that irrigation systems are quite sophisticated, the symptoms of a failing golf course irrigation system are pretty straight forward."

Signs your system needs evaluation

* Power and water consumption increases rapidly over a period of one or two seasons. And note, the increase has nothing to do with the price of power and water, but only the quantities consumed under average operating conditions.

* Irrigation system repair and services increase exponentially over a period of two to three seasons. Emergency repairs are required more frequently.

* Consumption of fertilizers, chemicals, etc., increases rapidly over a short period of time, perhaps two to three seasons.

* You lose irrigation technicians and/or golf course superintendents too frequently. Fewer individuals are willing to put up with worn out irrigation systems.

* Irrigation salespeople stop by more frequently. They no longer are content with supplying minor maintenance and service items. They recognize wear symptoms for the major components, namely controllers, sprinklers, pipe and wire.

* The superintendent is commenting on the condition of the course or problems with the irrigation system at each greens committee meeting when before it was only occasionally mentioned.

* The greens committee and the golf course committee begin to agree with the superintendent regarding turf-grass quality and irrigation coverage problems.

* In order to solve coverage problems it becomes necessary to employ additional people (say, more than two) to handle the hot spots during average summer weather conditions. These people also start to put in overtime to keep the course properly watered.

* In worse case scenarios, golf members threaten to abandon or sell memberships because of turf-grass conditions, which usually means you have consistently wet and/or dry spots, or a lack of grass.

* The golf course requires large quantities of turf-grass (sod) replacement as compared to spotted repair or replacement.

* The irrigation system is operating more during the day than it did previously.

* There is an increase in the amount of hand watering taking place on the golf course.

According to the irrigation consultants and the club managers who have been through the process of replacing an irrigation system, the bottom-line for club managers is to be attentive.

"With water becoming a precious commodity and the costs of irrigation systems increasing to match their complexity, club managers really need to be involved and pay attention to what has become of one the golf course's most important elements," says Davis. "Irrigation systems can make or break a golf course."

As any manager who has felt the wrath of club members because of irrigation problems will attest, it's best to avoid the membership's complaints by maintaining the irrigation system and watching for symptoms of failure.

"It's critical to keep the golf course and irrigation system in good shape to give the members that blissful, heavenly feeling after they've finished a round, which is why people golf at your club" notes Davis.

Brian Vinchesi, CID, is president of Irrigation Consulting Inc. in Peperell, MA. The firm specializes in the design of economical and water conserving irrigation systems for agricultural, residential, commercial and golf course projects. He also teaches irrigation design and water management seminars for the University of Massachusetts, Rutgers University, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Irrigation Association. His e-mail address is [e-mail].

RELATED ARTICLE: Hiring an irrigation consultant.

So you've seen the signs that your golf course irrigation system might need to be replaced. What's next?

Start by calling an independent irrigation consultant, one who has achieved membership in the American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC). An independent irrigation consultant can be your greatest ally and resource in getting golf course irrigation jobs done on time and within budget. Most members of ASIC will perform an initial review of a golf course at a reasonable consulting fee, help you evaluate what might be improved, and also help you prioritize your needs in a manner that is consistent with your budget.

And if you're thinking about tackling an irrigation project yourself or relying exclusively on your golf course superintendent, think again, because if you have not kept pace with recent developments in the market, two things will soon become apparent:

* Good irrigation systems are expensive and, unless you know exactly what you're doing, you might pay more than necessary by being oversold on a system with more bells and whistles than your course needs.

* Irrigation technology is both sophisticated and confusing and the technology is advancing at a rate that makes it nearly impossible for harried club managers, and even golf course superintendents to keep up.

In many areas of the country, irrigation equipment distributors routinely provide free design services for the prospective customers before any deal is completed or equipment is purchased. These design services can be adequate. But, often dealers cut design costs or take design short cuts to preserve their margins on the entire project. Since they know they need to beat their competitors' prices, dealers are pressured to come in with the lowest bid.

Unfortunately, cheap, poorly researched golf course irrigation designs can lead to problems and plan revisions, and, eventually, increased costs and an imperfect irrigation system.

Hiring an irrigation consultant is the best way to ensure clubs are getting the best irrigation system for their course at the best price. Professional irrigation consultants get paid a flat professional fee, which is predetermined based on the scope of the project. They don't have proprietary interests in the products either, which means the professional consultant's interest is in helping club managers achieve their goals.

For more information on finding a professional irrigation consultant near your club, check out www.asic.org, the website of the American Society of Irrigation Consultants, or contact the organization at 312/372-7090. The American Society of Irrigation Consultants was founded in 1970 to provide a forum wherein irrigation design professionals can meet to exchange information and advance skills and techniques in irrigation design, installation and product application.