Water wars: as the battle for water heats up in many parts of the country, your club's golf course may need professional help.

In case you haven't noticed, things are drying up out West. A prolonged drought in an already arid climate has created a tense stand-off between competing groups of homeowners, golf course operators, and state and local governments. The situation has gotten so bad in places such as Las Vegas, NV and Scottsdale, AZ that development has come to a screeching halt--effectively ending a golf course development boom that lasted for over a decade.

"In Las Vegas, for example, some of the dammed-up areas are down by 40 to 50 feet," said Jim Barrett, president of the American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC). Lake Mead, the source of southern Nevada's drinking water, has dropped 60 feet to its lowest level since 1972. "In our business, golf courses are a big target for water use--among other things--since we're so highly visible."

The end result of this conflict over who gets how much water is that golf courses are inevitably slapped with watering restrictions--rules that often forsake basic agronomic principles in maintaining a healthy golf course. "Most states still restrict watering on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday basis," explained Jim Wells, vice president of operations for IGM, a golf maintenance management company that is a division of Meadowbrook Golf. "It is far better to reduce watering on a consumption basis, so at least you have a sustained, regular watering without skipping days."

Before an onslaught of storms this year brought an end to the droughts in the Southeast in recent years, Jim Wells had to find a way to deal with the lack of moisture for the courses he supervises in Florida through IGM. Interestingly, many of the same watering restrictions have been upheld even though the water shortage has abated.

"There are three or four management districts here in Florida that will set watering limits based upon the amount of rain we have," Wells explained. "And given those limits, the old method was to water tees on certain days and roughs not at all. They have permanent statewide restrictions where no irrigation is allowed at all between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m."

Wetting agents can be applied during times of non-watering to help alleviate some of the stress, but "it still doesn't help you develop a good, strong root system with your turf," Wells said.

Since there is still a lot of work to be done in influencing government policymakers to develop a more favorable system for golf course owners, it is up to the clubs themselves to make the best of a bad situation--by finding a more efficient way to use available water to yield the best results.

Irrigation Consultants

Barrett's group, the American Society of Irrigation Consultants, is an organization of independent contractors who specialize in helping new and existing golf courses design and improve their methods of irrigation. In existence since 1970, ASIC aims to advance skills and techniques in irrigation design, installation, and product application.

"An independent consultant is important because he's just that--independent," Barrett explained.

For years, many clubs have relied solely on the suggestions of manufacturer representatives in pushing whatever product might help a club to water their course. "If you're relying on manufacturer representatives to tell you how to install irrigation equipment, he or she might know all about their company's products," Barrett continued, "But in regards to what else is available, they may not be as informed."

IGM's Wells agreed with this statement. "A lot of times a superintendent is forced to go with flow because he is operating independently," Wells said, describing a scenario in which a course supervisor is without file resources of a management company. "They then end up going with what the salesperson brings through. They don't have the support that we can give, where you can call up another superintendent or regional manager that has 10-15 years of experience dealing with the same problems."

More than just a random sampling of different nozzles and sprinkler systems--or, as Barrett puts it, "the latest greatest thing to come along"--a golf course irrigation system is a complex operating system in which each component should be evaluated independently. Furthermore, the fact that each course has its own aesthetic design and weather conditions means that the watering plan must be uniquely fitted to each course's needs.

That's where the irrigation consultant comes into play. According to Barrett, most consultants currently in the field come from either an architectural/ design background or have worked for the manufacturers at some point in the past. Barrett has been involved in the irrigation industry since joining the golf course architecture firm of Robert Trent Jones as an irrigation designer in 1972. He later went on to start his own firm, James Barrett Associates, in 1985. Since then, his major projects have included work at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, PA; Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA; and Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY.

Developing an Irrigation Plan

The stark reality facing clubs is that today's irrigation systems rely on sophisticated computer systems and satellite technology--and can end up costing millions of dollars on the highest end of the scale. For the immaculately designed course, a fully-functional, cost-efficient irrigation system is paramount to maintaining the health of a beautiful green.

According to Barrett, an irrigation consulting project should usually begin on a timeframe with an August 1 start date. This is primarily for courses interrupted by seasonal temperature variations, but is a good idea for most clubs. "It takes around six to eight weeks for an irrigation consultant to come in and be able to map out the course with the proper topography. By the end of the eight weeks, the consultant will begin to turn out plans and start taking bids," he said.

The bidding process itself should take around a month. By now, the colder months are starting to arrive, so the contractor that wins the bid will order the pieces to begin work in May. "Once the contractor has all of the pieces and starts to work in the spring, it takes about 12 weeks to install the whole system, or the whole summer." All in all, Barrett believes it's a good idea for a club to hire a consultant a full year before they start to dig.

In the work Barrett did for Oakmont Country Club, the club was "100 percent dependent on city water before we got started," he said. "So one of the main things we did to help them out was to install a pond that allows them to have some storage capability, and therefore more self-sufficiency. Now, when there's a problem with the city's water distribution system, Oakmont has its own supply to fall back on."

Improved Technology

Another reason to consider revamping your club's irrigation system is that the technology has improved tremendously since many of the original systems were installed.

"Most of these systems we see are well over 20 years old," Barrett said. "Great advances have been made in nozzle and sprinkler technology that have helped to eliminate waste. Even though you're never going to eliminate waste 100 percent, you can minimize it by taking advantage of the newer systems."

In the particular instance of difficult to water areas such as steeply inclined bunker facings, highly efficient drip tubing can be placed beneath the sod, providing a targeted, sustained source of moisture. "Rotary sprinklers just won't do the job as well. Either that or spending hundreds and hundreds of hours on hand watering," he said.

While Mother Nature may provide the best solution when it comes to your club course's watering woes, it pays to look into improving your irrigation system. And by using an independent consultant to help pinpoint your unique problem areas, you're more likely to be able to deal with the occasional drought--and save some money at the same time.

CM

RELATED ARTICLE: Signs Your Irrigation System Needs To Be Evaluated.

* Power and water consumption increases rapidly over a period of one or two seasons.

* Consumption of fertilizers, chemicals, etc., increases rapidly over a short period of time.

* 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.

* 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.

* 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.

List courtesy of ASIC