Current Irrigation Practices

The majority of UK golf courses have some form of automatic irrigation. This can range from pop up sprinklers located on key areas such as greens and tees, all the way through to wall-to-wall irrigation of all managed turf areas. Water is supplied to these systems from a range of sources, including mains water, borehole, river abstraction or onsite harvested water. Many clubs will utilise a combination of these typical supplies. Depending on the scale and condition of the irrigation system, geographical location, water supply and experience, clubs operate a range of different irrigation strategies. Most of these utilise automatic irrigation cycles for different areas of the golf course. These can be modified to a certain extent in response to recent weather. Modern irrigation systems allow in-head valve control, which allows individual irrigation heads to be operated independently from one another. This gives a large amount of flexibility and targeted irrigation, which can result in large water savings. Some courses still operate irrigation systems which have much more basic block systems, which only allow specific areas to be operated in turn. This can lead to excessive watering of some areas and underwatering of others. Generally, this type of system is older, and less efficient with water application. More information can be found in the irrigation section.

It is currently not common for golf course irrigation to be informed by data generated onsite, for example soil moisture readings/mapping or Evapotranspiration (ET) losses. A number of tools now exist in the golf market which allow rapid and accurate moisture monitoring of turf surfaces. Some of these are GPS enabled to allow mapping to be conducted, whilst others are simpler handheld point moisture meters. In general, many golf courses have a large amount of scope to optimise irrigation practices, through system upgrades, system monitoring and informed water delivery. However, this may not always be easy to implement for a variety of reasons. A common issue is the old age of irrigation system components, which results in water loss through leaks, or inefficient delivery of water. The GC2030 survey has highlighted this, with the majority of clubs surveyed having key irrigation components at least 10 years old. A major barrier to solve this issue is the major cost and disruption of upgrading irrigation systems. In addition, a general lack of long-term water management plans for golf courses to help budget for these necessary infrastructure projects, can result in a cycle of under investment and lack of knowledge of the importance of irrigation for the long-term security of a golf club.

The amount of irrigation required by UK golf courses is very much dependent on underlying ground conditions, grass type, geographical location and management ethos. However, a few general volumes of water can be assumed for standard 18-hole UK golf courses. Basic greens and tees irrigation system – 3000 - 10,000 m3 year-1 Greens, tees and approaches – 5000 - 15,000 m3 year-1 Greens, tees, approaches and basic fairways – 15,000 – 30,000 m3 year-1 Greens, tees, approaches and extensive fairways – 20,000 – 50,000 m3 year-1 GC2030 Survey results Question: In the last 24 months have you had to limit water to areas of the course due to water shortages? Yes = 27.6 % No = 72.4 % Question: What is the age of your irrigation system? Pump <5 years = 34.0 % 5-10 years = 12.4 % 10-20 years = 25.8 % 20-30 years = 17.5 % 30 + years = 12.4 % Mainline <5 years = 9.5% 5-10 years = 9.5% 10-20 years = 28.4% 20-30 years = 33.7 % 30 + years = 21.1% Storage tank <5 years = 18.6 % 5-10 years = 18.6 % 10-20 years = 27.9 % 20-30 years = 20.9 % 30 + years = 15.1 % Sprinkler heads <5 years = 16.8 % 5-10 years = 24.2 % 10-20 years = 39.0 % 20-30 years = 16.8 % 30 + years = 8.4 % Control panel <5 years = 40.4 % 5-10 years = 20.1 % 10-20 years = 22.3 % 20-30 years = 11.7 % 30 + years = 6.4 % Question: Where is your main water supply from? Mains water = 28.3 % Onsite Borehole = 38.4% Stream or river abstraction = 7.1 % Onsite reservoir (unspecified how this is filled) = 7.1% Recapture rainwater = 0.0 % Onsite pond = 13.1 % Other = 6.1 %