The Club is looking at installing a new state of the art Irrigation system.  I know there will be a lot of question concerning why we would need a new system.  Below I have written a synopsis of our current systems faults and the proposed new system advantages.  I hope this will give you some idea of what we have here a FCCC.  The new system that is propose will transform this golf course to a higher level.  All playing areas will be elevated to a higher level.  Washouts, rough areas with no or little grass will be transformed to health turf.  If you have any question please don't hesitate to contact me.

Our current irrigation system has a total of 434 heads. Holes #1-2, and #4-6 have Toro electric heads that were installed in 1992, and holes #8-17 have Rain Bird Impact heads that were installed in 1989. Holes #3, #7 and #18 have the original Toro hydraulic heads that were installed around 1965. These heads are installed in a mixed configuration. We have some holes that are double rowed, with irrigation heads running down both sides of the fairway supplying water to both the fairway as well as the rough. The remaining holes are setup with either single rowed configuration – a single row of heads down the fairway – or a mix of single and double. All of the supply lines running into these heads are PVC pipe starting with a 10” mainline that runs from the pump station, which reduces down to 8”, and then 6”, and then eventually 3”. The current limitations of this setup are as follows:

 

• The spacing between irrigation heads is too far apart leaving areas of the golf course without adequate coverage. The fairway heads are separated by 80-90’ and the green heads by 70’.
• The mainlines are undersized. This makes it difficult and in some cases impossible to run multiple heads simultaneously without losing pressure. This reduction of pressure correlates to a reduction in water coverage.
• A proper irrigation system is installed in loops, meaning each point on the golf course has water being fed from at least two directions. This creates a more efficient system overall. How is our current system setup?

◦     Holes #1-3 are looped together, but water is only being fed from one direction. The farther you get from the mainline the less pressure there is.

◦     #4-6 are not looped and each result in a dead end. Water comes in and stops once it reaches the end.

◦     #7 is not looped (dead end).

◦     #8, #9, and #18 are looped with water coming from two directions (good!).

◦     #10 is not looped (dead end).

◦     #11-13 is looped together but again water is only being fed from one direction.

◦     #14 and #15 are not looped (dead end).

◦     #16 and #17 are looped with water coming from two directions (good!).

            As you can see our current irrigation system is a mixture of dead ends and single fed loops with   only a few holes setup with proper loops. Having water come from at least two directions       allows for the entire golf course to be irrigated more efficiently without a loss of pressure. 

• There are very little isolation points for our current system. Any leaks in a fairway require shutting down entire holes, if not multiple holes, just to make a repair. If an extensive repair is required this means large areas of the golf course could go without adequate irrigation.
• PVC pipe has to be installed in sections, and these sections need to be glued together. Over time this glue eventually breaks down causing leaks and blow outs. We spend on average $5000-$6000 a year on mainline repairs. The average lifespan of PVC is 20 years.
• We have a mixture of irrigation heads on the course. While most are electric heads we still have 3 holes that are older hydraulic heads. The front 9 are Toro and the back 9 are Rainbird. Having 2 different brands and also different styles of heads causes us to have to stock separate replacement parts for each.

 

 

The new proposed irrigation system will include roughly 1000 RainBird heads allowing for a more efficient “wall to wall” irrigation setup, making sure every playable area on the golf course gets adequate coverage. Every head in the system can be individually controlled allowing for a more versatile system. This eliminates the need to have multiple heads running for a single dry area. This also adds the flexibility of running multiple heads for different durations. There will also be a considerable increase in the amount of valves on the course making it much easier to isolate a repair. Instead of closing down entire holes, we would be able to close off just a single line of heads. All supply lines and mainlines will be replaced with HDPE piping (high density polyethylene). This pipe is more flexible and all the joints are welded together allowing for it to be installed in one piece instead of in sections. This removes the need for glue which creates a much more robust system overall. The lifespan of HDPE pipe is 50 years. The mainlines for the new system will not only be larger in diameter, but they will also extend farther out from the pump station. This will increase water volume and pressure allowing us to irrigate multiple areas of the golf course simultaneously. Below are some general questions regarding the new proposed system:

 

• What are the head spacing's of the new system?

◦     Fairways – 70’

◦     Roughs – 70’

◦     Greens – 50’

◦     Tees – 50’

• What are the diameters of the new piping?

◦     12” from the pump house, reducing to 8”, down to 6”, and then eventually 4”.

• How does HDPE pipe compare to PVC?

◦     HDPE pipe is more flexible. As water surges through the system the pipe will naturally expand and contract slightly; HDPE pipe can handle this stress while PVC, being a stiffer plastic, will weaken over time.

◦     The joints of PVC are also glued together. This glue tends to break down first. HDPE pipe is “heat fused” together essentially creating one long piece of pipe. This heat fusing seals the pipe together like a weld and this seal is actually stronger than the pipe itself.

• How are the pipes installed?

◦     12”, 8”, and 6” pipes will be trenched. The 4” and 2” pipes will be pulled in by a vibratory plow

• How long will the installation take?

◦     Weather permitting, 2-3 months.

• How disruptive will the installation be to playing conditions?

◦     Using a vibratory plow on the 2” – 4”  pipe makes for a cleaner end result, eliminating the need to back fill a trench. The plow essentially pulls the pipe into the ground and the remaining hump is smashed down. This means there will be no trenching through fairways.

 

• Will the old system be removed?

◦     All the old heads, valves, and satellite boxes will be removed. All the old PVC pipe will remain in the ground (unused).  

• Will the existing wells have the capability to supply the new system?

◦     Yes, as long as all three pumps are operational.

• Does the new system come with a warranty?

◦     All heads and swing joints have a 1 year warranty. Pump station has a 3 year warranty. All workmanship is warrantied up to 10 years depending on the installer.

• Are there any other golf courses in the area that have this system?

◦     Meadowbrook Country Club

◦     Berry Hill

◦     Ballwin

◦     West Wood Country Club