Chorley Golf Club

A detailed drainage ditch network across the course captures water in two ponds located at the low point of the site. This allows the Club to be entirely self sufficient in terms of irrigation water.

Map

Chorley Golf Club is located in the north west of England. Rainfall is generally not a problem here, with the course receiving between 1000-1500mm a year. However, the course still requires greens and tees irrigation to assist through dry spells. When the current irrigation system was fitted in 1999, an associated pond water capture system was also fitted in order to allow the Club to be fully self-sufficient in irrigation water.

Approximately 9-10 holes of the site drain directly into a ditch system which serves the east of the site. This ditch network then drains into a large pond (approximately 6000-8000m³) which stores water throughout the winter. Water is then drained from this pond into a smaller pond (2000m³) located further down the watercourse which runs through the site. Water is then pumped from this small pond directly into the irrigation system. The whole pond system fills up extremely quickly after heavy rainfall, with the majority of water from the drainage network still leaving the system. Thus, there is ample capacity to expand in the future. In addition, the club have an ecological responsibility to the water course which drains from the site and are required to maintain a minimum flow level during the summer to prevent the whole system from drying out.

The Club added to the system by adding a reedbed washdown facility in 2016. This allows machines to be washed down with captured water from the site. Water then drains through the reedbed where it is treated to remove excess nutrients before being passed back into the main site drainage system for ultimate reuse.

Key figures

Water demand = 1500-3200m³ a year or 100m³ in full irrigation cycle (8 hours)
Small pond capacity = 2000m³
Large pond capacity = 6000-8000m³

If you would like more information or advice on these water security projects implemented at the Chorley Golf Club, contact details are found below: Head Greenkeeper Tony Grayson:- Email: admin@chorleygolfclub.co.uk with the subject heading "FAO Tony Grayson Head Greenkeeper".