Irrigation Issues:Irrigation consultants revisit roots

I just returned from the American Society of Irrigation Consultants’ 2009 Annual Conference in St. Augustine, Fla., where there was a lot of talk about the society revisiting its roots.

The ASIC was established in 1970 to provide a wide range of water resource development and irrigation consulting services. One of the primary motivating factors was – and still is – preserving the independence of professional members from the influence of equipment manufacturers and their agents.

It’s an organization I truly believe in and serve. True irrigation consultants strive to develop resources and create the best performing irrigation systems according to individual sites, budgets, water, staffs and other available resources. We represent the best interests of golf and land developers, institutional and municipal bodies and private owners and operators by specifying irrigation products that are most appropriate for the project.

The other primary motivating factor for its Northern California roots was – ironically – regulation. Wow, how things always manage to come full circle.

Nearly 40 years ago, the California State legislature was considering restricting independent irrigation design. ASIC’s newly minted professional group of irrigation design and consulting specialists was successful in proving to the state that they possess the true expertise and knowledge to deliver an efficient and effective set of construction documents resulting in successful water delivery projects.

To achieve this level of irrigation performance, ASIC maintains water delivery and product management selection and application are integral to an overall system design and should be based on:
• Regional area climate data and trends;
• Site-specific weather, exposure, plant selection and soil conditions;
• Product availability and service support;
• Current and projected human fiscal resources;
• Current and projected site water quality and availability;
• Property/turf and landscape management capabilities; and
• Numerous other factors pertaining to an efficient and effective design.

This year’s meeting was extra special with the presentation of our Roy Williams Award, given in recognition of an individual’s or an organization’s significant contributions to the irrigation industry.

This year’s recipient is Bill Kubly with Landscapes Unlimited. Bill has been in our golf industry for more than three decades and got his start in the irrigation side of golf construction.

Bill’s accomplishments include the following:    
• With landscape architecture degree in hand, he started LUI in 1976 and has grown it to arguably the largest golf course builder in North America with more than a thousand employees.
• Owning/managing 18 different golf courses.
• Three-time appearance on Inc. Magazine’s list of Top 500 fastest-growing privately held companies.
• Completion of more than 800 golf course projects from coast to coast.
• Perennially being named by Golf Inc. as one of the Top 25 Influential People.
• Serving as past president of the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA).

Thanks, Bill, for all your contributions – not only for our golf industry but for letting ASIC recognize you with the Roy Williams Award. We were pleased to have you participate in our conference. GCI