IRRIGATION ISSUES: Keep your eye on the ball

It has never been more important to sharpen your focus on your golf course irrigation project and not be distracted by short-term goals. Your goal should be nothing short of what’s right for the operation today, and more importantly, 30 years out. This will be your legacy; the foundation on which a great and fiscally healthy course ultimately is built.

We always say that our firm designs the system, the contractor installs it and the owner lives with the results for several decades. We constantly witness clubs considering a substantial investment to renovate their irrigation system that could easily have been avoided with better decisions 10 or 15 years ago.

Moreover, our office usually can track the need for system renovation to a design compromised by an outside influence in product selection or installation. These mistakes – primarily tied to saving a buck or two – are now coming home to roost, potentially costing the course millions to fix prematurely.

Nowadays, we are being bombarded with new products and applications that will "save you money." Some do, but quite frankly, most don’t live up to their promises. Recently I sat in on a contractor presentation, and the club was truly sold (by a person with no skin in the game) on the idea that there was a "cheaper" way to install the system.

"Why would you (the club) want to change the way we perform our craft to chase an elusive few thousand dollars, when I can guarantee that the way the system was specified will last 30 to 40 years?" the contractor asked flat out. "Why take that chance?" This "save-in-the-moment" trap is even more dangerous today, as everybody is looking for that diamond-in-the-rough deal of the century.

That being said, there are great opportunities out there to save that a professional irrigation consultant and contractor will maximize on your behalf – without compromising system performance short- or long-term.

During system design, irrigation consultants consider individual system components that will best perform for your site-specific conditions, resources and capabilities. Important issues of hydraulics, brand compatibility, durability, performance, warranty and service are carefully evaluated by professionals with intimate knowledge of irrigation suppliers and their current product makes and models.

Once these hybrid systems are dutifully installed to design specification, sound hydraulic principles beneath the ground ensure precision irrigation applications on the surface with minor seasonal maintenance for 30-plus years.

Maintain quality by using the following key points:

• Now more than ever, business is intensely competitive – your facility can purchase an affordable, high-quality irrigation system installed by a premier irrigation contractor. You can have your cake and eat it, too.

Because of today’s buying environment, we are seeing clubs obtaining higher-level irrigation system products with potentially more coverage and control – truly enhancing system performance.

• Money is actually available to courses that have been fiscally responsible. They are finding financing opportunities that didn’t exist two or three years ago.

• Clubs are realizing that keeping their infrastructure up gives them a competitive edge over local courses that have not.

• Finally, there are some applications that can save money, however any entity looking to spend half-a-million to $2 million dollars needs to seek the advice of a professional. This significant investment shouldn’t be taken lightly – your job may depend on it. We have yet to see anyone get a bonus for "saving mystery dollars," but we have seen a fair amount of people lose their jobs when the process of installing a new system goes poorly.

Certainly there’s a lot to consider when evaluating an irrigation rebuild, retrofit or upgrade. Capital investments face more scrutiny and accountability than ever before, and there truly are valuable irrigation system design and installation opportunities out there. Dismiss any advice that feels self-serving and keep your eye on the ball. GCI