The Year In Pictures

Stowe Country Club 15th Tee Renovation Start to Finish

Looking back from 15 tee

Standing on tee looking toward green

Standing on 14 approach looking at dead white pine trees

More before looks

White pines growing into 14 green

Construction starts with removal of 35 white pine trees

 Hauling pulp wood off course

Burning limbs and stumps was an important part of the project to stay on budget

Mark Finch standing on the location of future blue tee

Looking back at future fescue mound

Start hauling fill for fescue mound

Shaper arrives to start shaping the fescue mound 

Shaper starts shaping tee complex and new cart path

Cart path cut in

SCC crew starts grading tee surfaces

Tee complex rough graded and cart path gravel installed

Mark Finch and crew start irrigation installation

Hydroseed the fescue mound with Sheep and Hard Fescue seed blend

SCC crew hauls asphalt to pavers for cart path installation

Fescue mound waiting for germination

SCC placing tee mix

On-Course Golf Construction arrives to laser level tee surfaces

Sean Hanley working his magic

Tees are level and ready for creeping bentgrass sod

SCC crew starts laying sod on a rainy day

The pursuit of perfection

Almost done, a lot of sore backs

Sodding done, now start finishing edges

hydroseed Kentucky bluegrass rough

Split rail fence installed

Done!

Stowe Country Club 2nd and 15th Bunker Renovation

Hole 2 left side before

Left side after

Hole 2 right side before

Hole 2 right side after

SCC crew starts Hole 2 bunker renovation

Plywood is used to minimize damage to existing turf 

Drainage installation

New sand installed

Hole 15 right side before

Right side after

Hole 15 left side before

Left side after

SCC crew starts renovation

New outside contours excavated, bunker had significantly shrunk 

SCC crew fine grading bottom contour

New sand installed

No drainage installed due to pure river gravel being found

Various Other Photos

SCC Fall fescue cutting

SMC 4th hole on a Fall day

SMC fescue cutting

 Annual 5th grade class field trip to SMC, 13 years running!

Nice look at SCC 4th hole

Pine needles are one of many reasons to remove white pine trees

It rained a little bit this year

The day of the Vermont PGA Stroke Play Championship

And it rained a little more

SMC greens aeration

SMC Wildflowers, find the bee...

SCC cart path paving on Hole 15

SCC Irrigation pond dredge

Verticutting greens at SMC

Much deserved crew BBQ

2017 Golf Grounds Team

A Stowe double rainbow

Cheers to a bright 2018!

2017 In Review

Typical storm front this spring/early summer headed for Stowe!

The 2017 golf season did not disappoint with any lack of storyline. When reviewing a golf season in the northeast the weather will always be the main topic. The months of May, June and July brought copious amounts of rain. This period set records with rainfall amounts and most continuous days with rainfall. The total rainfall for this three month period was 25 inches. Compare that number to the annual average rainfall in Vermont of 36 inches and you realize the abnormality. While rain is not good for playing golf, working in it is equally not good. I applaud the agronomic teams for pushing through all those days working in the rain. It became the norm to put your raingear on when leaving the house in the early morning and still have it on arriving home from work. Let's just say Gore-Tex and rubber boots were your friend!

Moving into late summer we experienced some great weather. When fall arrived it was the complete opposite of the spring. The fall period set a new record for the most continuous days without rainfall. It was great golfing and working weather. While drainage systems were important in the spring, in the fall the irrigation system became a crucial tool for great conditions.

White pine blow down next to 12 green

As to not disappoint before year end, Mother Nature unleashed a powerful windstorm on October 31st that caused significant damage in Stowe and surrounding towns. Stowe Mountain Club received very little damage from the storm. At Stowe Country Club it was another story. Many mature pine trees were broken in half and uprooted. Multiple pines lost large limbs and there was a massive amounts of tree litter that fell everywhere. There is no doubt we will be cleaning up from this storm well into the spring of next year.  I've been working on golf courses for close to 30 years and Mother Nature continues to be the one true challenge year after year. There are some years when she plays nice but there are just as many when she lets everyone know who is in charge.

Mark Finch, SCC Superintendent, dormant seeding greens

Even with the wet start both Stowe Country Club and Stowe Mountain Club continued to improve the turf quality and overall playability of the golf courses. It is our goal to always improve and never settle for average. I have always believed in the saying that "good is the enemy of great" and the agronomic team operates in such a way. Each golf course continues to improve by adhering to solid agronomic practices. The ongoing effort to topdress and verticut greens on a regular basis is crucial to providing smooth putting surfaces. Proper aerification practices continue to firm up the playing surface by removing thatch. Turf health is maintained through the use of best available nutrition and pest control products. One agronomic focus that continues at Stowe Mountain Club and Stowe Country Club is the push to grow and promote our creeping bentgrass populations. Creeping bentgrass provides a great playing surface on the greens and fairways. At SMC it is a matter of maintaining the existing bentgrass while at SCC it is about promoting bentgrass. A new process was initiated at SCC this fall to promote bentgrass on the greens. After the course closed for the year the greens were aerated with an eight inch deep solid tine then core aerated with a traditional 3/8 inch hollow tine followed by a topdressing with sand. After this process was complete a specialized seeder planted a high quality creeping bentgrass seed. This type of seeding is referred to as "dormant" seeding. The process involves the seed overwintering as seed and then germinating in the spring when conditions become conducive to growth. This agronomic practice will increase the bentgrass populations on the greens at SCC leading to a better putting surface in the long term.

Sean Hanley laser grading 15 tee tops

At Stowe Country Club, there were multiple projects that occurred this year. The biggest was the renovation of the fifteenth tee complex. This area had been overrun with white pine trees and the teeing surface was mounded due to years of divot mix accumulation. While local and regional contractors were used on the job much of the work was done by the SCC team. Myself, Mark Finch, and crew members worked tirelessly to get this job done on time for the Kirkwood tournament. Much of the work was done in ankle deep mud during the pouring rain. This in-house work included irrigation/drainage installation, sodding, cart path preparation, and finish detail work. In-house construction projects are difficult because of the effort needed to simultaneously stay on top of the routine course maintenance work. We did also rely on the expertise of two regional golf course contractors. NMP Golf  Construction provided a shaper to do the major site work. A good "shaper" is the key to any successful golf construction job. These bulldozer operators have the eye for how a golf hole should look and play. Sean Hanley from On-Course Golf came in for the final laser grading of the tee surfaces. Sean is the contractor that built our upper driving range tee. This new tee and fourteenth green surround has received much praise from the players. As the area matures it will become an even better playing experience. Thanks to all involved in a great project.

Renovation of 15 bunker

Other projects at SCC included the renovation of the second and fifteenth bunkers, four bunkers in total. These projects were completed by the SCC crew. It has been a priority in recent years to renovate a few bunkers every year. The reason for these renovations include poor drainage, continued washout of bunker sand, and loss of contours due to time.  The renovation process involves establishing new outside contour lines, removing old sand, shaping out new bunker floor contours, installing drainage if needed, and  adding new sand that is specified for bunkers. Additional projects included a new cart path on the fifteenth hole that complemented the renovation of the tee and repairing the cart path around the practice green at the clubhouse. The clubhouse landscaping was renovated. Much of the landscaping lost all interest due to over grown lilac trees. Finally, the irrigation pond was dredged.

Spectacular course conditions at SMC

While SMC was not as active with projects, the season was defined by superb conditions. The agronomic team headed by assistant superintendent Zach Fleeger pushed for championship conditions on a daily basis. We heard great comments from the members and players all season. The winter brush cutting done by Zach and fellow assistant Jerry Elliott on the fourteenth and third hole were well received and gave these two holes a fresh new look and feel. Look for more of this great work during the upcoming winter.

As we move into the winter season there are some great projects we plan to accomplish that will continue to improve the golfing experience at both Stowe Mountain Club and Stowe Country Club. I will update the blog through the winter to discuss these projects. Be sure to enter your email on the blog homepage for up to date blog posts. Thanks to all who made the 2017 a successful year on the golf course. All the best to everyone during this holiday season. See you on the slopes or someplace warm playing some golf!

Winter Update

Turf Health

As winter fades away and spring arrives the agronomic team is always focused on how well the golf course turf has survived the harsh winter weather. You may be surprised to learn that this winter was one of the warmest on record. It is hard to believe because December was exceptionally snowy, and showed signs of a long winter ahead, but January ended up having little snowfall and warmer temperatures. February had some snowy weather but was also fairly mild. Now March has been frigid and snowy.

The early snow was good for the turf. Snow provides a layer of protection that allows the turf to breathe. The biggest obstacle to winter turf survival is ice formation. While snow allows for air exchange, the ice layer seals off any ability for the turf to breathe which smothers and kills the turf. There are many variables when it comes to winterkill but the biggest variable is  length of ice cover. The January weather did bring some rain and thaw creating ice. Stowe Country Club (SCC), being at a lower elevation, experienced greater thaws than Stowe Mountain Club (SMC). The eventual total loss of ice and snow due to these thaws has us believing winter damage at SCC will be minimal. SMC has had snow cover on most of the course since late November. The winter thaws produced some melt which created ice under the snow. This scenario provides a higher chance of damage. It is still too early to know with any certainty what we will look like in the spring. The creeping bentgrass varieties at SMC are tolerant of some ice cover. We will have a clearer picture at SMC as April arrives. To assist with survival the team will begin to remove snow from greens in the upcoming weeks. 

SMC Work

Hole 14 rock feature being exposed

Hole 14 brush pile ready to burn

This winter the team focused on two projects that will improve the playing experience. On the fourteenth hole underbrush to the left of the fairway landing area was cleared. There is a large outcropping of rock that was not exposed when the trees leafed out. Opening this area up will give the golfer a feel of width and provide a stunning visual of the beautiful rock formation. One of the goals is to expose and accentuate the natural features and great vistas that SMC golf course property provides. 

On the third hole, focus was placed on pushing back the tree line to the right of the teeing area. These trees and brush were growing in on the golf hole pushing the payers to the left and blocking sight lines to the right side of the fairway. With this area now clear, the player can see the whole fairway and have a visual on balls that land just of the fairway. The overall feeling on the third tee will be much less restrictive and provide a better experience. 

This hard work was conducted by assistant superintendents Zach Fleeger and Jerry Elliot. Winter brush and tree clearing is essential to the long term sustainability of the golfing experience at SMC. The golf course was built throughout a young forest and the perimeter continues to aggressively grow in on the course. Without this work our unique and breathtaking vistas will begin to disappear and the turf quality will suffer from shading and restricted air flow. Winter is the best time to conduct this work, but access is a real challenge. Zach and Jerry spent much of the winter hiking out to these areas pulling a sled full of logging gear. With a thermos full of coffee they would spend the day working hard cutting brush and felling trees, then burning what they cut. This is not easy work in the deep snow on a windy mountain golf course. The motivation for us to initiate this difficult work is knowing we are preserving the beauty of  Stowe Mountain Club golf course for our members and guests to enjoy.  

SCC Work

Olsen House locker room finished product

There was a big effort put forth this winter inside the Olsen house. The Olsen house is the single family house set within the maintenance facility compound. It was purchased fifteen years ago when it went up for sale for the purpose of protecting the future integrity of the golf maintenance compound. Without this property the maintenance operation is severely restricted. With the purchase of the house came the ability for the grounds crew to have running water, a bathroom, and a clean place for lunch. Prior to the house the crew ate lunch in the equipment repair shop that is attached to the red barn. While the addition of the house was a step forward, it is still an old house meant to be lived in. It was not set up to be a space for thirteen grown men to work out of. Our work is dirty. We spend long hours with machinery, maintaining turf, moving soil, cutting brush, etc. The set up of the house is far from ideal for these duties. To add to this, no major renovation has ever been done. To cover up the years of grime every square inch of wall space was painted, areas of floor that get heavy use were painted with grey industrial floor paint, and the upstairs carpet was removed and a laminate floor was installed. The work was done on a small budget and meant to be a quick, inexpensive way to make the space more efficient and demonstrate a professional work space. All of this work was done by our team and while it helped create a sense of pride, it is by no means a permanent solution.

Hole 1 Spruce tree removed (Notice die-back on top)

Hole 16 trees removed (Notice top die-back and thinning)

Great on-course work was also conducted this winter. When there was good snow cover, we ventured out on the course with our tractor that is outfitted with tire chains to continue the important tree removal program. The goal is to remove trees that are diseased or damaged, block vistas, create excessive man hours to clean up debris, negatively impact turf quality, or negatively impact shot quality and choice. This year we removed diseased trees on the first tee and sixteenth rough. Additionally, three large white pines were removed next to the 8th tee. On top of the issues described above, these trees were over gown and impeding any future renovation of the tee. Furthermore, they blocked a great vista of the Worcester Range ridge line from the third tee. 

Two significant projects are currently under way and are scheduled to be substantially complete by opening day. The irrigation pond was dredged to increase storage capacity. The pond had a significant amount of silt accumulation due to the feeder stream dumping sediments into it. The warm winter weather forced our initial plan to be amended. Initially, the sediment was to be hauled off the golf course via an ice road across the first fairway. The ice road is created by packing the snow then plowing it for a few weeks. With the mild winter there was no snow to create the road. When we did get snow, by the time the road was ready it melted due to a thaw. The amended plan was to remove the sediment and stockpile it in between the first and ninth hole. This area of un-mown turf had little aesthetic quality. The sediment will be allowed to dry, shaped out with a bulldozer, and seeded to a good quality seed mix.

The second project is focused on the fourteenth green and fifteenth tee area. This area has been struggling for years because of the row of white pine trees growing close to the green and tee. These trees were planted to provide a border to the Village Green condominiums. At this point in time the pines have grown to a size that they negatively impact the golf course. The only option was their removal. With the pine trees gone, the fifteenth tee can be renovated. The turf on the tee has always struggled due to the close proximity of the trees. In addition, the tee suffers from mounding. This mounding is common in old par three tees because of years of divot mix building up in the middle of the tee. The new tee will have a sand based rootzone and be professionally leveled to provide an exceptional playing experience. The area behind the fourteenth green that was populated by the trees will be filled with dirt and a rolling mound will be installed. Fescue grass will be seeded on the mounds providing a great visual from the approach shot. While the new open look will be different it is the best decision for the long term enjoyment of these two golf holes.

With snow still on the ground, we are preparing for the first window of opportunity to complete these projects at both SMC and SCC. The entire agronomic team looks forward to presenting the final products to the players when the golf season arrives.

2016 Fall Recap

Wow! December has brought above average snowfall for Mount Mansfield this year. The skiing and riding is off to a great start. There are smiles all over the mountain. While the snow has everyone excited for early season fun on the slopes, it is a good time to take a look back at the 2016 golfing season and the activity of the grounds staff.

2016 Headline

The headline story for golf course conditions in Vermont and all of New England was the drought. Many golf courses suffered through the last part of the golf season with diminished to depleted irrigation water supplies. This lead to some turf loss due to extreme drought stress. Stowe Mountain Club (SMC) fared well with the drought. Our water supply comes from Peregrine Lake. Peregrine lake was designed for snow making reserves and holds 111 million gallons of water. For comparison, the golf course will only use 10 million on a very dry year. Coupled with a substantial reserve of water, the irrigation system was designed to cover all playing surfaces from the cart path to the edge of the fescue grass. While Stowe Mountain Club is in a good position to handle drought conditions, the situation at Stowe Country Club (SCC) is much different.

SCC Pond Drained and Ready For Winter Dredging

The pond on the ninth hole is the irrigation water source at SCC. This pond has a holding capacity of 1 million gallons. This size pond is a very small storage capacity for a golf course. What makes the pond usable is the fact that it is fed by a stream that enters the property from the first hole. The issue that occurs in the late summer is that the stream dries up and the pond cannot be recharged. This year we began rationing water in late August and continued through the dry September with minimal capacity to irrigate. Thanks to the hard work of Mark Finch and Matt Jung we hung on during these difficult times and the conditions did not suffer greatly. We did have to suspend the washing of equipment in mid-September because the equipment wash pad is fed by irrigation water. This became an operational challenge but we decided it was necessary to conserve the little water that was left in the pond for turf health.  

Strides are being made to eliminate this unfavorable scenario in the future. One very important water conservation tool installed this summer was the replacement of the old irrigation controllers (See prior blog post). The new controllers with centralized control allowed for precise programing of nightly irrigation cycles. This new system ensures very little waste in irrigation water and reduces the overall electrical consumption of the pump station. This winter we will be dredging the pond to regain water storage capacity. The stream that feeds the pond carries sediment that overtime has filled in the pond. The contractor will do this work in late winter to minimize the damage to the golf course. Lastly, we are designing a pumping system that will utilize the water from the West Branch of the Little River that runs along the fourteenth hole. This secondary water source will fill the irrigation pond when the feeder stream dries up. The pumping capacity of this pump is low enough to have no impact on the health of the river. These investments will assist us with providing great golf course conditions while using the latest technologies to conserve and use the water wisely.

Fall Projects

The fall is a great time to do small construction projects on the golf course. By this time of year  the grass has slowed so that mowing frequency has been reduced which frees up labor to be allocated to such projects. The bonus period for construction on the course occurs in November. By this time, the courses have closed and we have completed most of the winterization projects that are crucial for turf survival. November can be hit and miss when it comes to favorable working weather. This year the November weather gave us a small window to be productive on the golf courses.

SMC Hole 7 Curb Removal

13 Bunker Before

The difference in elevation between the two golf courses was very evident this fall. The weather turned cold and snowy much sooner at SMC than at SCC. As an early winter was setting in at SMC a project we were able to complete was the removal of the curb at the seventh tee. The curb was originally installed to manage cart traffic in order to minimize excessive wear to the turf. As time progressed it became clear that this curb was impacting play in a negative way. The ball from a long left tee shot on the sixth hole would end up catching this curb and rolling all the way to the eighth hole. While an errant shot should not be rewarded, a player should have the opportunity to find the ball and attempt a recovery shot. By removing the curb, a ball will now simply roll off the path onto the seventh tee surrounds providing a player with a manageable recovery opportunity.

13 Bunker During

With the weather window staying open for longer at SCC we initiated three projects. A drain line was installed at the practice facility to alleviate various standing water issues. This drainage project fixed a wet area near the closet target green from the upper tee. On this same pipe we connected a line that will capture water from Sinclair Road that would puddle near the newly paved parking lot. This was not a glamorous project but it was necessary to continue to improve our great practice facility. A second drainage project occurred at the fifth hole approach. A chronic wet area existed below the right green-side bunker. A drain line was installed to dry this area and various drainage laterals were installed to provide additional drainage in the approach. The final project was to repair the right side bunker at the thirteenth green. This bunker was one of the bunkers that puddled for a long period after a rain storm. Additionally, the size of the bunker had shrunk over time. To repair this bunker we installed a center drain line, expanded the contour lines, and added better performing bunker sand. This bunker repair is the continuation of our overall goal to provide great playing surfaces continuously across the entire golf course in all weather conditions.

13 Bunker Final

We look forward to presenting these improvements to the players this spring. Until then, enjoy this good old fashion winter weather!

Stowe Mountain Club Approaches

While night time temperatures are dropping and daytime humidity is somewhat disappearing, we know that the seasons are starting to change before our eyes. And even though we've had another tremendous summer, we are always looking to create conditions that provide the best golfing experience possible. This post will help describe how we do that on our "approaches" at Stowe Mountain Club.

My team has two primary focuses, health of turf, and playability for you the golfer. Increasing quality assists in providing exceptional aesthetics and playability helps you better enjoy your good, and maybe not so good, shots.

We have recently been giving added attention to the green approaches at SMC. The "approach" is a commonly overlooked facet of the golf hole because most golfers attempt to have their approach shots land on the putting surface - past the approach. But at SMC, with our small greens and backdrop of the mountains and trees, depth perception can sometimes be thrown off. Since we can't move mountains, we have opted to improve the surface where a great many shots are landing. By maintaining the approach, a greater variety of shots can be played from in front of the green.
At many courses the approach is maintained like a fairway. This means a higher (HOC) and less frequent fertility and turf treatment. While this may seem like an okay idea, in the long-term this frequently played -off turf can start to thin. At SMC, our focus is on providing golfers with many playing options, including putting, from the approach. With shorter cut turf, your approach shots experience no interference from the grass, giving you the ability to create more spin and control. And just like your careful shots around the green, our maintenance practices have to be handled with care. 

A look at the approaches being expanded back to the fairway.

Instead of using a typical triplex machine to mow the approach, we have employed a hand walk-behind mower. With this hand mowing effort, the attention to detail can increase immensely. The walk-behind can bring about it's own concerns, so for that reason we've provided some practices to offset these concerns. Walk-behind mowers require tight frequent turning in order to make the next pass. This tight turning can cause thinning and unnecessary wear on this short-cut turf. To offset this concern, we've started using turning mats for greens mowing and approach mowing. Whether it be for turning on the collars for a green or the primary cut for an approach, the turning mat allows for a firm place to turn. In addition, you may have even noticed that most of the approaches at SMC have been expanded out toward the fairways.

Using turning mats on the green surface while mowing hand mowing approaches.

We have also started topdressing more frequently. Expanding the lower height of cut (HOC), while advantageous for playability challenges the turf plant. The crown (heart) of the turf plant becomes more exposed with a shorter HOC. That is offset  with topdressing sand to insulate this crown. Even though the surface may seem more "sandy" immediately after its completed, with a few nights of overhead water and a day or two of mowing, this sand will settle right down to where it needs to be. However, insulation isn't the only reason to topdress. Topdressing also helps us achieve a decrease in thatch build up and an increase in surface soil porosity. This increase in porosity helps the root system maintain a consistent delivery of water and nutrients.

Ultimately, we are maintaining the approach playing surface more like a green. This new focus on approaches takes a little more effort to maintain, but with the right practices and the right focus in place, you will continue to see exceptional conditions at SMC!

Thanks for your continued support! See you on the course!

Topdressing approaches for crown insulation.

Stowe Country Club Irrigation Update

Twenty-first Century Irrigation... What is it?

Golf course irrigation systems consist of three major infrastructure components.  At Stowe Country Club, we recently completed an overhaul and upgrade of one of these components; the control system.  The pumping system and the delivery system are the other two.  The means to deliver water to the turf is one of the most valuable tools a golf course has.  The superintendent is responsible for managing water usage to yield optimal conditions of playing surfaces.  Executing this simple principle requires that the superintendent relies on all three major components to be flawlessly operable.

A basic approach to appropriate watering practices is simply to not over-water.  This is done for many reasons that include playing conditions, disease management, resource conservation, and more. It is crucial that watering occurs only when necessary and not only when convenient.  This brings to light the importance of the system and its components to be functional during crucial demand periods.

The irrigation system that is in use at Stowe Country Club is over twenty-five years old which poses great concern for possible failure.  We had the opportunity to upgrade the control portion of the system this summer. This is essentially the brain of the system and consists of a series of electrical field controllers that transmit electricity to each of the hundreds of sprinkler valves throughout the golf course to deliver water.  Using the seven former field controllers at SCC as stand-alone programmable controllers is an example of the most basic application of automated irrigation.  Until a week ago our assistant superintendent, Matt Jung, would make a visit to each field controller nearly every day and manually program the watering schedule.  This is analogous to setting 168 alarm clocks each evening but they cannot all go off at once, they have to be spread apart so as not to get so loud it wakes the neighbors.

Previous stand-alone controller on hole 10






Installation in progress



 

Newly installed controller with new concrete pad and surge grounding

The pumping system has a maximum supply threshold of delivering 450 gallons per minute (GPM).  If there is too much overlap in the number of open valves that are demanding water during the nightly watering schedule, an alarm is activated and the pumps shut off before they are damaged.  The pumps will live to see another day but the irrigation schedule that was interrupted is now incomplete.  Most full watering cycles take 5-10 hours to run which is why an automated night time schedule is the only feasible run time.

The control system that we installed this July incorporates a central controller in the form of a computer that communicates to each of the seven new field controllers via radio frequency.  The central computer uses smart technology to schedule and facilitate the automated watering.  The central component creates a cycle schedule based on our daily parameters that maximizes the efficiency of the pumping system and its electricity consumption.  It monitors theoretical GPM flow in real time and adjusts watering in the field to consolidate running time while also avoiding overuse of the pumps.

burying surge grounding rod

Previous controller on hole 1 in area of play.

Newly located controller site out of play.  
(We anticipated this relocation and dropped a sleeve tube
underground to run wires through prior to cart path paving in May.)

The entire irrigation system benefits from this technology.  Knowing that all three major system components are aging and their reliability is questionable, we concluded that the smart features of the central control will help preserve the longevity of the system as a whole.  By prioritizing the control system upgrade we can confidently rely on the pumps to run at a more consistent speed or RPM, reducing wear and tear and reducing run time hours.  By maintaining a constant pumping speed and maximizing the demand of the available GPM flow, our underground piping system is moving a more steady flow and a holding a more static pressure level. Without central monitoring, water flow in the underground pipe can be variable and sporadic and can cause stress fractures and catastrophic breaks, especially in 25 year old PVC pipe.

Left: the central control computer set up in the maintenance office.  
Right: a screenshot of my cell phone utilizing an app that can communicate
with the central control computer remotely.

The control system is up and running and programming is as simple as a mouse click or as complex as we can fathom.  In an industry where water is a diminishing resource in some regions, it is our responsibility as superintendents to be conservative, efficient, and accurate in our watering practices.  There is an endless amount of data that we have begun uploading to our central control that will make our system operate optimally.  As we build our database we will begin to employ features of the control that communicate with our weather station to maximize water use efficiency.  For example, the watering schedule can be set to pause or end at the detection of rain.  The weather station will also feed data that measures the amount of evapotranspiration (plant moisture loss during day) and determine the amount of irrigation to apply to replenish vapor loss.  These are good examples of technology opening up a whole realm of new ways to increase accuracy and efficiency.  Not to mention, the ability to operate the sprinklers on the golf course remotely from anywhere in the world with our cell phones!

Mark Finch, Golf Course Superintendent