David Dore-Smith, director of golf and gounds maintenance at Copperleaf Golf Club, Bonita Springs, Fla., relies on Toro’s Turf Guard Wireless Soil Monitoring System to provide him with daily, real-time updates. Even when he’s away from the course, he can still check the condition of his greens using his mobile phone. He finds this feature incredibly helpful for relaying information and instructions back to his staff.
“Turf Guard gives me one less thing to worry about,” he says. “In the past, I would tend to err on the side of caution and water my greens even if I didn’t necessarily have to. I’d do it to make sure the greens would still be okay on Monday. Things can change so quickly from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.
“But the Turf Guard system interface is so easy to use, I can rely on others who will be there during the weekends I’m away to make sure the greens are taken care of,” says Dore-Smith. “Even my mechanic can come in, click on the screen, see where the moisture levels are and make adjustments. It’s great.”
In addition to unexpected changes that can happen over the weekend, Copperleaf is always subject to a variety of weather events, including drought-like conditions in some months and up to 15-plus inches of rain in other months. Excess water and salt as a result of hurricane activity can also be an issue.
“Our course is open every day except Christmas,” says Dore-Smith. “As such, we have a wide fluctuation in rain events throughout the year. We may have no rain in February compared to 16 inches in August. I rely on the Turf Guard system to help me determine when the greens need to be watered, how much water they need, and how effective that watering is.”
Dore-Smith sees many advantages to using the Turf Guard system, especially as it relates to maximizing one’s efficiency.
“Without a doubt, you can quantify the need and the volume of water and products like fertilizers required to keep your greens healthy,” says Dore-Smith. “Instead of guessing, you can actually look at graphical data [on the computer] to determine what you need to do. It’s more precise than just looking at the turf.”
Because his turf management program is based on real-time, real-use data, Dore-Smith is able to use his resources, especially water, more efficiently. He is quick to point out that the water he uses does more good now than before Turf Guard because it’s actually penetrating the root system more deeply.
“In the past, I would only water to a certain depth but with the Turf Guard system, I can see when the water has or hasn’t gotten to the level I need it to in order to give me a better root profile,” says Dore-Smith. “Turf Guard showed me that I needed to vary how I water so that the water gets absorbed better.
“As a result I have much deeper roots and more uniform greens. Everything is more consistent—there’s no hodge-podge of colors, hot spots or wet spots.”
Installing Turf Guard was no problem, says Dore-Smith. “There were no disruptions in play. I would recommend putting your sensors in your toughest spots. If you can get those spots healthy, the rest of the green will be healthy, too.
“Also, I recommend purchasing a metal detector so you can easily locate the sensors before spiking, aerifying or hydro-jecting.”
Dore-Smith held an open house and as part of that event, he showed club members how effective his turf management program is with the help of the Turf Guard system. With their support, he plans to expand the system to include all his greens, his tees and other high-profile areas.
“I tell everyone about it,” he says of Turf Guard. “I show vendors, club members—pretty much anyone’s who interested. They were all just so impressed that this technology exists and that I was using it.”
