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Methods Of Golf Course Irrigation

By Virginia Bennett


Irrigation is the process by which a controlled quantity of water is supplied to plants at regular intervals for various purposes. For several centuries, human beings have used artificial means to support growth of plants by providing them with water. Mesopotamia, ancient Greece, Egypt, and the Roman Empire are some of the ancient civilizations that thrived on using irrigation to support plant growth to boost harvest.

Old methods used in ancient worlds were labor intensive and crude, but that has changed now with the many advancements in technology. The purposes for which irrigation is done have also evolved over time. Today, besides using irrigating system to support the growth and development of plants, the water is also supplied to maintain landscapes. Golf course irrigation is one of the examples where water is supplied to maintain the landscape rather than to support growth of plants.

Other reasons for irrigating land are to prevent the growth of weeds and to revegetate soils in arid areas. Additional reasons are prevention of consolidation of soil and protection of plants from frost. Systems used to deliver water can also be used for multiple purposes. For instance, they are used in mining, dust suppression, and sewage disposal.

Golf courses can be irrigated through all the three types of irrigation methods in existence. These methods are surface irrigating, sub-surface irrigating, and in-ground irrigating. Surface irrigating is the most common method used to irrigate land. In this method, the systems used for irrigation, such as sprinklers are passed on top of the ground. On golf courses, sprinklers are usually hidden below the surface so that they only come out when they are applying water. Drip irrigation is another form of surface irrigating, but it cannot be used in this setting.

Sub-surface irrigating is used rarely because of the way it works. Water supply to the ground is achieved through raising the water table. The water table in turn moistens the ground in which plants are grown. Moisture regulation is attained through drainage infrastructure that is incorporated into the landscape. Some of the places where this method is commonly used are permanent grasslands and along river banks.

In-ground irrigating system has all the components used for supplying water buried in the ground. Some of these components include pipes, emitters, sprinklers, and irrigating valves. Burying these components makes the landscape cleaner and more presentable. However, the fact that the components are buried below the ground makes maintenance and repair challenging. The landscape may have to be damaged during maintenance.

The irrigating system is normally subdivided into various zones, with the different zones connected through tubes and pipes. It is necessary to subdivide the irrigating system so that the required pressure level can be achieved in each zone. It would be difficult for the water to have an considerable pressure if the irrigating system is not subdivided. As such, it would be impossible to apply water in all the zones at once.

The supply of water in each zone is controlled through a solenoid valve. The control of the water is achieved through an irrigation controller. Which zone is irrigated and how long the water is supplied are usually determined by the irrigating controller.




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