There are more than 900 courses in Texas, but Maridoe Golf Club is a very special place. “In 2015, our owner Albert Huddleston bought the property and did a complete renovation,” says Director of Agronomy Tanner Westbrook. “It’s built to host championships.” 

Using Huddleston’s vision, architect Steve Smyers reinvented an old, out-of-date property that has, indeed, already hosted state and national events, including the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship and the USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball a few years back. But none of that could have happened without a new golf course irrigation system. Here’s what they did. 

Upgraded Their Golf Course Irrigation System

“Our Rain Bird system is an IC System made up of 2,300 heads ranging from 752s all the way up to 952s in the native areas,” says Westbrook. “We utilize full circles, part circles, and everything Rain Bird has to offer.”

First and foremost, he’s a fan of Rain Bird rotors. “Throughout my career, I’ve used both the competitor’s and Rain Bird’s rotors. I like Rain Bird better because the heads are really easy to work on.”

Westbrook also says the golf course IC System is easy to update or fix: “With the IC System it’s very easy for us to tap into the wire, run a line over, and just plug it into the system. And it’s seamless every time.”

Made Golf Course Maintenance Much Easier

Maridoe’s system runs off their recently updated CirrusPRO central control software, and Westbrook is a fan. “That (new golf course irrigation software) elevated our ability to make the course that much better playability-wise. We can really get things dialed in now.”

At the time they upgraded, it was only the second CirrusPRO system installed in Texas. “It’s a huge upgrade,” he says. “You can pretty much do anything with the new software. It’s easy to use and easy to teach your guys how to use.”

Why? “It’s very user-friendly. We’re able to look at the map, click on it, turn heads on or off, and tell how much it runs. And we can add notes anytime.”

Westbrook and his team find it “vastly easier” to add programs or stations. “Before it was hard. Now I can literally pull out my phone, add a station to a program, or make a station adjustment anywhere I am. If my assistant has a problem and I’m out of town, I can pull it up on my phone and make adjustments or walk them through it.”

He uses the new capabilities CirrusPRO gives him nearly every day. “After we get the guys going in the morning, I usually drive around and check everything, look for wet spots, and confirm what ran on the CirrusPRO.”

Westbrook and his team use those maps a lot. “We can turn on heads in the field. It gives you a guide to see where you are to turn on the right heads in the right area.”