Technology and innovative ideas drive new irrigation product development

Golf Course News, Nov 2001 by Joyner, Joel

EDITORIAL FOCUS: Irrigation & Pump Stations

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The golf course irrigation industry has sunk millions into research and development to bring to market a slew of new products and services designed to improve efficiency, conservation and ease of operations.

Superintendents are continuously striving to conserve water and energy. Applying the right amount of water to turf where they need it, when they need it, is essential to course operations. Irrigation supply companies are looking to assist those efforts by developing products like wireless rotors, handheld control devices, upgraded central control systems and advanced software.

TORO

Headquartered here, the Toro Co.'s irrigation division is preparing to launch its first line of new sprinklers in 10 years. The 800 series will eventually be replacing the 700 series line and offers new features like alow-power solenoid.

"It requires less than half the amperage that the current solenoid requires," said Kristina Spindler, golf marketing manager for irrigation. "It means that golf courses can run more heads simultaneously than what they could before. Or they can reduce the size of their wiring."

The product also has more than twice the surge protection, according to Spindler. "Many currently offer up to 7,000 volts of protection. This product has been tested up to 20,000 volts and has yet to fail," she said.

Another new sprinkler, released last month, is the 7206 series. "It doesn't spray as far, and superintendents can adjust the trajectory," said Steve Snow, director of golf renovation and sales. "It provides more precision and control.

"They can dial in the amount of water to be used, the trajectory and radius of the sprinkler with a twist of a screwdriver," explained Snow. "It's perfect for tee boxed, between cart paths and greens and where superintendents need to water 15 feet to 20 feet rather than 60 feet."

SIGNATURE CONTROL SYSTEMS

Signature Control Systems, based in Irvine, Calif., is working to release software that integrates irrigation into more areas of the golf course. "We're now looking at our equipment as more of a management integrator rather than just an irrigation controller," said Bruce Smith, president.

Fertigation injection system software has been in testing for close to a year and is scheduled to be released toward the end of December. "It's capable of handling nine hole courses right through to 36-hole sites," said Smith. "As long as there is a pipe in the ground with water in it, we can put fertilizer in it."

There are superintendents across the nation professing that fertigation is the next step for agronomic engineering, said Smith. "Fertigation is a very sophisticated entity," he added. "It's very well to have a product, but without an experienced user there could be trouble."

Once established, the fertigation system can literally be put on autopilot and run, according to Smith. "But there's a lot of education provided up front," he said.

Costs are dependant on the size of the site and the fertilization regime the operator wants to maintain. "It can range from less than $10,000 upwards to $25,000," said Smith.

RAIN BIRD

The new wireless rotor by the Rain Bird Co. is set to be released in coming months. It will be a first generation product that communicates from a central control or hand-held unit without the use of underground wiring or additional satellite controllers.

The wireless rotor operates through a commercial paging system. "The electronic board is inside the head of the rotor," said Paula Knop, rotor brand manager. "There will be a small monthly cost paid to individual paging companies, and it will operate like a hand-held pager. There are around 700 to 800 heads that can operate off what we call a cap coder which is basically a pager number."

As far as storage capability, a superintendent may program the rotor to a 14-day schedule retaining up to 16 start times per day, according to Knop. "There's been discussion on the costs, but there hasn't been a price release yet," she said.

New accessories and mobile devices also have been added to Rain Bird's central control product line. The Freedom Pad pocket PC allows activation of the system from anywhere on the course with a range of twoto-five miles depending on terrain.

"It includes a map of the layout that allows a customer to identify a specific sprinkler, take notes, and make adjustments to the main central control system database," said Pat Loper, manager of central control. "When they return to the office, they drop the device into its cradle where it automatically makes the changes to the database."

The product has a list price of $5,000 and was made available in September. Another product called the Remote Video Display Unit [RVDU] functions like the Freedom Pad but works in real time. "It offers a larger screen and can be mounted to a maintenance vehicle," said Loper. "The exchange of data occurs as you are in the field."

The cost is between $10,000 and $15,000, according to Loper. "We have them at pilot sites today, and we anticipate having them at full release for the GCSAA show in Orlando."