For the second year, the Irrigation Association hopes to raise awareness of water conservation by proclaiming July Smart Irrigation Month. Increasingly harsh drought conditions in several regions of the country and the threat of a similar fate in others has made the call for efficient irrigation more urgent.
During the past decade, more homeowners have adopted “smart” irrigation systems for their homes. At the heart of these systems are controllers that take factors such as weather, location, plant type and soil type into account while watering lawns.
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This might sound like old news to members of the golf industry, says Dennis McKernan, the IA’s education director, because many in the industry have been using these water-conservation practices for decades.
“The systems with greatest ability to accurately deliver water are golf course irrigation systems,” says McKernan, who has worked with irrigation systems for more than 30 years. “Golf course managers are better than are residential and commercial (water users). Only now are residential and commercial sites getting smart technologies, compared with the golf industry, which has been using it for decades.”
The golf industry has pioneered water-conservation technology partly because it was the first to face restrictions.
“They’ve been facing restrictions in the golf industry for 30 years,” McKernan says. “Residential and commercial only have had the restrictions in past 15 years.”
It’s difficult to quantify how many courses face official restrictions.
“It’s safe to say all courses are coming into scrutiny about water consumption,” McKernan says, explaining there’s mounting pressure to take golf courses off potable water and require them to use reclaimed water.
McKernan predicts similar pressure eventually will be applied to residential and commercial systems.
Even among golf courses that are permitted to use potable water, there are some who are limited to a set amount. Those operating those courses look for efficient irrigation systems so they can get the most out of the water they have.
Weather stations are an example of the smart technology that has led to more efficient irrigation systems. They can be integrated with controllers and input the current conditions, including humidity and rainfall, to ensure the right amount of water is used. The weather stations are being improved to run more efficiently as they’re integrated into software systems that help make monitoring the moisture situation easier.
One of the best advancements for the golf industry has been the integration of weather stations with central control systems, McKernan says. The technology is becoming more accessible.
“It used to be that only the most expensive golf courses could afford the high cost of weather stations and computer integration software that allowed computer to talk to control software,” he says. “Weather stations have become more sophisticated, and prices have dropped, and now have mostly seamless application with software.”
Soil moisture sensors and rain gauges also are making the process easier, and more of these types of products are being used than have been in years, McKernan says.
One reason the typical homeowner’s irrigation system hasn’t been as technologically advanced as much as a golf course operators’ systems is that homeowners weren’t willing to pay as much for the systems as golf course operators have.
“When you spend $20,000 on a golf course control system, it’s sizeable investment, but most golf courses will invest in it,” McKernan says. “Homeowners wouldn’t spend that much. Why would they spend $5,000 just on a control package?”
But as most technology goes, so goes irrigation controllers.
“Smart technology is more cost effective now,” McKernan says. “Companies can produce controllers that won’t cost an exorbitant amount.”
The latest versions of homeowner and commercial irrigation systems allow the homeowner or building manager to plug in a few numbers and the controller schedules the system’s run times. These systems might be more sophisticated than the average golf course irrigation controller, which can’t schedule itself, but those operating the golf course systems have a more in-depth knowledge of agronomy and the amount of water needed than homeowners do, so they can often run the system more precisely without that level of sophistication.
McKernan, a former golf consultant and designer, says water conservation starts at the design level. More water-friendly design changes include switching from bluegrass to fescue in fairways and planting roughs with more drought-tolerant species.
“We’ve seen major swing away from water-loving intensive grass species to more water-tolerant, less nitrogen-dependent species in general,” he says.
The country club look is losing support. Instead, there’s a push toward older, links-style courses that require less maintenance. These links-style courses have been springing up throughout the Midwest and even through the coastal climates, McKernan says. However, turf varieties for greens are still bred with the No. 1 goal of playability, he says, adding all other parts of the fairway are giving way to drought-tolerant turf.
Those not closely involved in the industry might only see the well-manicured greens and not a course’s other specially bred turf varieties or its computerized irrigation system.
“A lot of people are saying that the golf industry is lagging behind,” McKernan says. “The golf industry should be proud of the fact that it’s been on leading edge of water conservation for decades. Only now is that coming to light.”