To the last drop

Between the vagaries of Mother Nature, increasing local governmental restrictions placed on water use during drought conditions and the cost of irrigation, superintendents are looking for any way to manage water usage more efficiently. Knowing how to strategically use weather data, soil moisture maps and establishing irrigation management zones can assist in precision management of water usage.
 

With an annual water budget of $243,000 for two golf courses, Gary Carls, superintendent at Sunnyvale Golf Course in California, figures if he can save 10 to 15 percent of that figure he will have more dollars to maintain the active playing areas of the course that “more significantly affect our customers and their enjoyment of the game.”

“In our case, water is a huge expense,” Carls says. “If we can reduce the area of the course that is watered throughout the year, we can save a lot of money in the long run and be less dependent on dwindling water supplies and resources.”

If the goal is irrigation management, then current weather data is more useful than historical data, says Dale Bremer, associate professor in the department of horticulture, forestry and recreation resources at Kansas State University. The National Weather Service defines climatic norms as the average over a 30-year period. “However,” adds Bremer, “on any given day, week, or even season the weather may deviate from those averages.”

This was illustrated by recent springs, which were dramatically different in many parts of the country. An on-site weather station is probably best for determining irrigation requirements (evapotranspiration or ET) for turfgrass, although it would be acceptable to use estimates of ET from a local off-site weather station or service.

“The caveat with using off-site ET data is that you will need to have an accurate measurement of rainfall on your course, because rainfall is much more variable across short distances than other climatic variables,” Bremer says.

Carls uses more recent weather patterns to gain a better understanding of basic trends. However, in his market, the weather changes so much that he prefers to keep a watch on what’s coming in the next 10 days versus what happened over a period of years.

The intrinsic value of historic, current or forecast data depends on the specific use or need, but in the case of precision water management accurate forecast information is the most important, says Dr. Van Cline, senior agronomist for Toro.

“Historical data is good for context, but being conscious of what’s going to happen in the next few days is most valuable for making water efficient irrigation decisions,” Cline says. Getting the most out of rainfall by factoring weather forecasts into irrigation planning is critical, he adds.
 

Map it out

Soil moisture maps are vital in developing a precision water management plan for golf courses, says Brian Vinchesi, a design engineer with Irrigation Consulting Inc.

“If soils or topography are not consistent, then the mapping may be helpful,” Vinchesi says. “If your irrigation system is poor, it would be helpful to demonstrate its inadequacies and possibly help to get a new or improved irrigation system.”

The maps can be time consuming to develop if superintendents want them to be accurate and helpful. The work can be hired out or can be done in-house.

“If you hire it out, it is expensive,” Vinchesi says. “If you do it in-house, you would need to purchase or rent equipment for measuring soil moisture and GPS mapping. This work is also very technical so some education on how to use the equipment, manipulate the data and present the data will be needed.” How an individual golf course prepares and utilizes a soil moisture map will depend upon its budget and how deep the superintendent wants to get into the theory versus the results, he adds.

According to Tim Cloninger, superintendent at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Nevada, it’s important for superintendents to understand three key factors when considering using a soil map for management decisions:

• What scale was the data collected – the number of data points for the area;
• What is the accuracy of the positioning equipment used to collect the data – which can range from 1 centimeter to 15 feet, GPS is not always accurate; and
• Is the soil data accurate and are there any soil factors influencing the data?

A soil moisture map is beneficial if superintendents have a soil texture map to compare it to, Cloninger says. “The soil moisture will be influenced by the soil texture,” he says. “It is important to understand how the map was produced and what influence the soil texture has on the soil moisture readings.”

A soil moisture map helps diagnose and correct problematic areas such as where turf is overly dry or wet, Bremer says. Anything from poor sprinkler patterns or leaky heads and pipes to compacted soils that have less water holding capacity can produce inconsistent or erroneous results.

Soil moisture maps give a superintendent a wealth of information on several fronts related to water management, Cline says. Soil moisture data collected and mapped during a period of significant rainfall when soils are at or near field capacity reflect inherent differences in soil attributes that determine its capacity to hold water, namely soil texture and soil organic matter. When soil moisture data is combined with soil compaction data and topographic data, both of which also affect soil moisture patterns, superintendents get an even clearer picture of natural site moisture dynamics. Soil moisture data collected during a dry period of significant irrigation can yield valuable information about irrigation system performance.

In addition, soil moisture distribution relative to the irrigation system layout can be used to calculate soil moisture uniformity as an index of irrigation performance in the same way that distribution uniformity is calculated from catch-can testing, Cline says. Data collected during irrigation also provides insight into irrigation scheduling practices.

“Because of natural variability in soil conditions and topography, all sprinkler heads on a golf course do not need to apply the same amount of water during a given irrigation cycle and over time,” Cline says. “Soil and topographic data, along with the use of properly located in-ground soil moisture sensors, allow golf courses to be zoned and monitored for precision irrigation management – only applying water where it’s needed at the right time and in the right amounts.” And, soil moisture maps can direct the installation of sub-surface drainage to remove excess water.

There are a few options for creating workable soil moisture maps, says Dr. Douglas Karcher, associate professor in the department of horticulture at the University of Arkansas. They range from contracting out services to map the entire facility to moisture probes with GPS capabilities that can be used by golf course personnel along with subscription services to upload the moisture/GPS data from the equipment to a server and generate moisture maps.

“Maps can also be created in-house with inexpensive software using the moisture data along with either GPS coordinates or X,Y coordinates from a simple grid system,“ Karcher says.

Accurate monitoring of rainfall and irrigation inputs, along with knowing the available water holding capacity of the soil, the current effective rooting depth, and the estimated rate of water loss from (daily ET estimates), can all be used to accurately schedule frequencies and run times for irrigated turf.

“Considering all of these factors allow for the most efficient use of irrigation water in the absence of direct soil moisture measurement via a soil probe,” Karcher says.

Paul Roche, national sales manager for the golf division at Rain Bird, points to one of the biggest trends in the industry – the installation of in-ground soil sensors to monitor soil moisture, temperature and salinity.

“Many superintendents supplement this data with data collected from portable units, especially on greens,” Roche says. “Superintendents then create their own area groupings or site-specific management zones to help group like areas together to aid in the management of the course.”

If there are areas with waterlogged conditions or poor drainage, then those would need to be dealt with. If an area tends to be consistently wet, then it may need less irrigation, or the irrigation system may need to be adjusted or tweaked, Bremer says.

“If an area is low or has poor drainage, then you may need to consider cultivation or perhaps adding tiles to improve drainage,” Bremer says. “Valves and heads should be regularly inspected in all zones on your course and irrigation audits may help diagnose problems with poor sprinkler patterns and irrigation efficiency.”
 

Planning ahead

More and more golf course superintendents are developing and implementing drought management plans so they are prepared for water restrictions when and if they occur. Many of these plans include the use of circle sprinklers that can quickly be set to a “part circle” arc when management requires it. Central control systems can be set up with specific programs that adjust water requirements in certain areas due to water availability.

As far as coverage and management issues, many superintendents have taken the Irrigation Associations and the Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor program. This program was developed jointly between the Irrigation Association and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. It is a detailed program on how to measure water distribution uniformity and includes strategies to identify problems and make adjustments that will help improve water distribution uniformity.

“There are also many services offered by irrigation consultants and some distributors that can help a superintendent measure uniformity and help formulate strategies to make improvements to the application of water,” Roche says.

Improving water distribution uniformity leads to saving water and energy due to the reduction of operating time at the pump station and labor due to a decrease in hand watering. “These are all areas that are a top priority of golf course superintendents,” Roche says. “A result is a drier, healthier and firmer golf course.”

As regulations or drought curtails the amount of available water, Vinchesi says a superintendent should not be dealing with it on the fly. Instead, they should have their approach in place with certain triggers based on water flow, water level or weather so that they will always have some water available.

When they are not having issues, they should implement water-saving technologies such as soil moisture sensors, part/full circle sprinklers and newer nozzles of sprinklers, he adds. Updated controls can also provide water savings by providing more control of existing irrigation sprinklers.

Saving water saves on the cost of the water if you’re paying for it, or if you’re not paying for it, then the financial savings are realized through lower energy costs. Additionally, managing water will provide for more consistent playing conditions on a day-to-day and season-to-season basis.

Beyond these savings, Cline says efficient water use can also enhance course operations, save resources and improve environmental fitness in a number of other ways. “A significant portion of a course’s contribution to CO₂ emissions comes from electricity used for pumping irrigation,” he says. “Reducing water use reduces electricity use which reduces CO₂ emissions.”

Efficient water use through precision irrigation allows the turf manager to keep course conditions drier, Cline says. And drier turf is better conditioned against stresses, and less hospitable for turf diseases that can result in reduced pesticide use. Reduced water use leads to fewer nutrient losses through runoff and leaching.

“And in the interest of the popular movement toward `firm and fast,’ precision irrigation control enhances course uniformity and playability,” he adds.

Precision water management can help diagnose problematic areas and indicate where adjustments to an irrigation system are needed.

“This could result in significant savings on water costs as well as minimizing water stress on your turfgrass – stress that can result in poor visual quality and perhaps even costly reestablishment,” Bremer says.

Carls is one of many superintendents involved in the ongoing efforts to use and manage water more efficiently. “We are trying to identify areas of our course where water may not be as critical and we can reduce use without impacting the playability of our course. Over time we are trying to convert these areas to either more natural plant materials or in some cases simply creating mulched areas. This process can take some time to complete because it is not as simple as just turning the water off and letting it all go.” He adds that there may also be an expense involved in the conversion but in the long run, it will pay off. “Less green turf areas also still continues to have a negative perception among many players as well,” he says.

And, in the end, the customer’s perception of your product – your golf course – can be just as vital as conserving and using water in an enlightened and educated manner and helping your turf maintenance budget’s bottom line.

John Torsiello is a Torington, Conn.-based writer and frequent GCI contributor.

West coast in crisis

Superintendent Radio Network tells the stories of California turf professionals when golf goes dry.

California has been one of the states hardest hit by drought and water restrictions in recent years. Not only has the cost of water skyrocketed, but the availability of water is constrained, or low-quality. And with the additional stress on water usage in a drought comes an even higher level of media attention focusing on golf as sources of water waste in the community.

But California superintendents aren’t taking this on alone. We’ve collected some great stories from experts and superintendents through the Superintendent Radio Network to show how they’re dealing with water issues, and what could be coming in the future:

Pat Gross, director for the USGA southwest region, talks about how superintendents are coping with water restrictions both on the local and state level. The pressure is on for superintendents to continue to provide green turf while watering responsibly.

Craig Kessler, director of governmental affairs for the Southern California Golf Association, discusses the politics and legal issues behind water availability. Legal issues and local complications are tough to unwind, but organizing to meet with major districts has started some responsible changes that work for golf businesses.

Todd Lyijynen, superintendent at Diablo Country Club, couldn’t wait any longer for effluent water plans to come through his local water district. His course developed a bold plan to build a water treatment plant to make use of wastewater to proactively provide a water source for the course in the future, despite scarcity.

Check out these stories as well as more from the west coast as they deal with water issues all in one place by visiting http://bit.ly/WCcrisis. Never miss an episode by subscribing to the Superintendent Radio Network on iTunes.