Renovation Stories

Steve Lloyd, Course Manager, explains, “When I joined in 2014, irrigation was one of the areas that the club had wanted to address for some time. Installed 28 years ago, the system had reached the end of its useful life. We were turning the irrigation system on and off manually, the PVC pipework and glued joints had gradually deteriorated and been damaged by tree roots, sprinklers were poorly spaced and there was no pressure regulation. We approached Irritech in 2016 to carry out an independent appraisal of the existing system and make recommendations for upgrading and future-proofing irrigation to the greens, surrounds and approaches.”

Part of this larger redesign included bringing single-head control to the greens of the course, which had been redesigned with a new block satellite system in 2006. With the goal of irrigating more precisely and efficiently, he turned to Rain Bird for fresh thinking and an innovative plan.

Thai Country Club in Chacheongsao, Thailand, just outside Bangkok renovated their irrigation system by upgrading to a Rain Bird Par+ES Satellite system with a Rain Bird Stratus II Central Control. The course upgraded their irrigation control system in order to improve the system efficiency as well as course playability. An irrigation system analysis was completed showing the

Installing a new Rain Bird IC System helped Old Marsh Golf Club bring their irrigation system up to modern day technology while meeting several key criteria for their renovation.

Golf Environmental Organization (GEO) is an International not-for-profit dedicated to helping the golf community embrace sustainability; providing practical solutions and golf's ecolabel, GEO Certified. June 2017's Champions of the Green article from Golf Environment Organization highlighted Vidago Palace Golf Course in Portugal. In 2008-2010 the course was expanded from a 9-hole course into an 18-hole Par 72

Irrigation has gone through significant changes. Technological advances have kept pace with player expectations, course conditioning trends and the need for environmental responsibility. Given the costs of upgrading and modernization, many courses are forced to work with an inefficient irrigation system and try to minimize any negative effects on the turf and course playability.

With elevation changes up to 1,000 feet from the lowest to the highest point, the sprawling property is comprised of numerous microclimates. As rain and wind are captured in various pockets of the mountains, Desert Mountain often has areas of their course that receive heavy rainfall, while nearby areas get no rain at all.

The often unpredictable weather patterns of the Florida coast placed extra demands on the irrigation system for The Club at Admirals Cove. Some rain events would impact one section of the course while leaving other areas dry. Finding a system that could precisely analyze precipitation and respond to changing conditions by automatically adjusting irrigation was critical to establishing elite playing conditions.