The Irrigation Association recognizes July as Smart Water Month each year. IGM applauds that and makes every effort to be smart about water usage all year round.
As the country veers from droughts and fires to massive storms and flooding, the golf industry faces greater pressure to implement water conservation measures and sustainable water usage plans for golf courses in all climates. One of IGM’s founding priorities is to be a leader in environmental stewardship for golf course maintenance.
Fortunately, technology is transforming the way golf courses monitor water usage and implement irrigation plans. IGM has been pleased to adopt these technological advances that use sophisticated sensors, weather data, and computer algorithms to help manage irrigation schedules and minimize waste.
Of course, first and foremost, IGM invests in superintendents who are educated in agronomics and can implement environmentally friendly maintenance plans. We select climate-appropriate turfgrass for each golf course we maintain. We also water courses based on evapotranspiration instead of simple time-based systems.
“At some IGM-maintained properties, weather stations track temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, and solar radiation,” said Steve Gano, Vice President of Operations.
By integrating this real-time data into irrigation management software, courses can automatically adjust watering schedules to account for natural conditions and conserve water.
IGM Regional Manager Jon Dodds said “at Reflection Bay in Nevada, the team also relies on daily visual inspections. Irrigation is running six days a week at prescribed water limits.”
In addition to using warm weather turf, the maintenance crew overseeds fewer than three acres of tees each year and has saved a significant amount of water as a result.
At Lake Las Vegas, the IGM maintenance team is in the process of converting approximately one million square feet of turf into landscape that will be on low volume drip irrigation, added Dodds. They recently converted the course’s existing satellite irrigation controllers to the Weather Trak system. This system operates over a cellular network, with an app that irrigators and management can access, that uses a network of thousands of weather stations to provide accurate evapotranspiration for each location.
By embracing these advances in the industry, IGM not only preserves the appearance and playability of the golf courses we serve, but it also achieves a goal of sustainable resource management.
IGM is a leading contractor for comprehensive golf course maintenance and management. For more information on IGM and the professional golf course services offered, please contact Greg Plotner, Executive Vice President, 407-589-7200. Additional information may be obtained by visiting IGM’s website at golfmaintenance.com.
