More or less?

Brian Vinchesi

Over the last few years there’s been discussion, some might say controversy, regarding whether our industry uses too much water because newer irrigation systems have too many sprinklers.

This has been fueled by Pinehurst’s recent remodel and its decision to remove a large number of sprinklers and to go with what is basically a single-row fairway system. I’ve never bought into the less-sprinklers-is-a-good-thing premise, or that it’s the easiest way to save water. I believe more sprinklers provide more control and provide greater overall efficiencies which save water. Throughout my career, my design premise has been “control is the key.” So let’s look at a well-documented example of adding sprinklers and saving water.

Essex County Club is an 18-hole course located in Manchester by the Sea (Manchester), Mass. Established in 1893, it was Donald Ross’s second course. Ross was actually the pro at Essex CC at one time. It also hosted the first Curtis Cup, the Curtis sisters being club members. Essex is a links-style course located near, but not on, the ocean. Superintendent Eric Richardson started at Essex CC in 2007.

The club’s first irrigation system was quick couplers. It was upgraded to an automatic system from 1989-1991 utilizing mechanical controllers. The controllers were upgraded to solid state in 1995. The system Eric inherited didn’t irrigate some areas of play, threw water on many of the fescue areas and had inconsistent sprinkler rotation speeds and unreliable controls. In 2008, Essex CC decided it was time to upgrade and planned for new irrigation and pump systems.

The existing system utilized 355 sprinklers to water the Par 70, 18-hole course, a practice facility, 11 grass and 10 clay tennis courts. The irrigation system operates from the beginning of May to the end of September. From 2002 to 2012, Essex CC received an average rainfall of 20.92 inches. In 2008 (old system), with 25.43 inches of rainfall (wet year), the irrigation system used 9,486,100 gallons of water. In 2007 (old system), with 16.05 inches of rainfall (dry year), the irrigation system used 14,723,100 gallons.

The new system, completed in spring 2011, consists of 1,100 valve-in-head sprinklers, along with bunker spray zones and many other smaller blocked irrigation zones to keep the water off the fescues. Along with the course, practice facility and tennis courts, additional rough areas and the clubhouse and pool-area landscapes were irrigated. In 2011, the system’s first year, with 26.62 inches of rainfall (wet year); the system used 7,070,974 gallons of water. In 2012, with 18.75 inches of rainfall (dry year), the irrigation system used 11,892,660 gallons.

Doing the math, the new system added 745 large golf-course-type sprinklers to the system and reduced water use in the wet year by 2,416,126 gallons (25.5 percent) and in the dry year by 3,831,340 gallons (26 percent). Although Essex CC does not pay for water, groundwater is pumped into their irrigation pond and then out to the course through its new pump station, so electrical savings are realized. But having more sprinklers does not just save water. The added sprinklers allow targeted water applications and greater control of water placement.

Additionally, before the system was installed, Essex CC was spending $20,000 a year in parts. And even with 1,000 hours of labor expended, the staff was not keeping up with repairs.

As many as 250 hours irrigation labor were spent in one week alone. The staff also spent 2,000 hours in 2007 hand watering.

At the same time, irrigation and water management issues were taking 80 percent of Eric’s time. With the new system, irrigation materials and labor repair costs dropped to $2,500 annually and hand-watering hours dipped to 500 hours (50 percent less). The greens are now hand watered, which they were not previously, and accounts for the majority of the hand watering. This decrease in labor has allowed the staff to concentrate on other course improvements.

The new irrigation system has greatly improved the consistency of the course playability, not only on a hole-to-hole basis, but from a month-to-month basis throughout the golf season. It has also been a major factor in the aesthetics of this link-style course allowing it to be dry where and when it is supposed to be, which has brought out the original design intent. GCI