Factors to Consider When Selecting a Suitable Golf Irrigation System

It takes excellent skills and the use of good sound engineering practices to be able to properly design and install a suitable irrigation system that can meet the needs of a large and complex area like a golf course.

Essentially, golf courses are green, open, and large, and they require maintenance to stay in excellent condition. That’s where a golf irrigation system comes in. But how do you select a suitable irrigation system?

Intense investigation, compromise, and understanding are required when selecting the system needed when it comes to choosing suitable components that fit the conditions involved plus the diversity wanted. Below are key factors that should be considered when it comes to the selection of the right golf irrigation systems.

Wind considerations

Sprinkler spray near the surface is less likely to be subjected to greater spray destruction and greater wind speeds than those ejected high into the air. To optimize the performance of these sprinklers, it is essential to select the type of sprinkler to work with carefully. For instance, it is important to choose sprinklers with trajectory angles that are low so as to minimize distortion of water application that optimize the radius while at the  trajectory angle of 220  to 270

In addition to that, It is also important to keep in mind the size of the radius of throw that one decides to select as it should be practically small so as to keep the water droplets close to the ground. Sprinklers should be spaced closer to each other in applications where the speed of wind exceeds five mph.

Slope considerations                                                                                                  

For sprinklers to be irrigated, installation should be done perpendicularly to the slope. Erosion problems might occur if the soil or water infiltration rate exceeds the precipitation rate of the system.  Every time the slope exceeds 10%, the sprinkler spacing across the slope should be carried out. For every 1% of slope increase over 10%, the reduction should be 1%.

Since the radius of the sprinkler is greater downslope and shorter upslope, it is essential to only adjust the spacing of the slope up and down at the crown and foot of the slope.

Spacing and configuration uniformity

In terms of distance and configuration, sprinkler spacing should be uniform. It is not recommended to work with spacing reduced to the same direction to compensate for wind since velocity and wind direction varies each day. In terms of then sprinkler spacing and uniformity, installation of the equilateral squares or triangles should be done within 5% of the designed spacing.

Golfer expectations

It is important to keep in mind the golfer’s expectations when choosing the system. Factors such as general turf quality, manual watering, wet and dry areas, and playing conditions should be prioritized. Additionally, it is important to note that the golfers prefer frequent spot watering on greens, fairways, and tees. The area should have excellent conditioning, and the golfers should have access to wet or dry areas.

The moderate numbers of wet or dry spots also help minimize problem areas since golfers accept daily spot watering of fairways, tees, and greens.

Comments are closed.