As the summer sun beats down upon us and the temperatures rise, water management on the golf course becomes even more critical. But even in this day of computer controlled automatic irrigation systems; sometimes the only way to put out just the right amount of water is by using an old-fashioned garden hose: handwatering. Believe it or not, handwatering is still the best way to place a specific quantity of water on a specific area of turf. All it takes is a practiced eye, a soil probe, a hose, nozzle and, of course, a water source.
There are many reasons for modern day handwatering. The main one might be to compensate for design limitations in the irrigation system. Other reasons include water conservation, soil textural differences, syringing to cool the grass plant and elevation changes on the course. The most important end result however, is it makes possible consistent quality putting surfaces.
Some of the reasons for handwatering deserve closer scrutiny.
Poor Sprinkler Coverage: The design of an irrigation system has its limitation. Sprinkler heads can’t always be perfectly placed since that placement might require them to be in a bunker, or on a green or tee. Even with the best design, changes in elevation, and the distance the sprinkler heads are from the pump station will affect water pressure and performance.
Soil Texture Differences: Areas of the golf course have different textured soils. To avoid overwatering one area we sometimes have to underwater an adjacent area. We must compensate, therefore, by handwatering the areas that do not receive enough water. Also, some of our soils take water so slowly we must water them until runoff occurs, then come back and water them again 30 to 60 minutes later.
Water Conservation: The course collects irrigation water primarily from rainfall run off and stores it in ponds for later use. There are also wells that can be run to assist with pond refill. But in the end the course will run short of water if it doesn’t rain for an extended time. Before that happens we’ll reduce the use of overhead sprinklers and rely more on handwatering to stretch out the use of the resource.
To Cool Grass Plants That Are Under Stress: Many times during the summer, high temperature, hours of intense sunlight and wind combine to dry out turf to the point that it literally wilts. So, we rely on experienced staff members who can recognize the condition and can take corrective action. Remember, we are only cooling off the leaf tissue at this point, not wetting the soil. Technically, this is called syringing.
To Keep Consistent Putting Greens: This might be the most important reason for handwatering. Our goal is to provide the best putting surfaces possible. We want surfaces that are smooth, true, of consistent speed, and that will hold a properly struck golf shot. Even the best-designed irrigation system will not produce a green with uniform moisture content throughout. After an irrigation cycle, one area of the green will always be wetter than another. So adding water selectively to the drier areas allows us to maximize playability without sacrificing plant health.
Occasionally, we will treat dry spots with wetting agents to aid water penetration. We might also spike areas with small aerifier tines to help the water penetrate and keep our greens as uniformly consistent as possible.
When we handwater, we are careful not to apply so much water it lies on the green for longer than one minute. It just so happens that the time of day we must be out handwatering coincides with the time of day our golf course tends to be the busiest, and we do not want to interfere with play any more than necessary.
Poor Sprinkler Coverage: The design of an irrigation system has its limitation. Sprinkler heads can’t always be perfectly placed since that placement might require them to be in a bunker, or on a green or tee. Even with the best design, changes in elevation, and the distance the sprinkler heads are from the pump station will affect water pressure and performance.
Soil Texture Differences: Areas of the golf course have different textured soils. To avoid overwatering one area we sometimes have to underwater an adjacent area. We must compensate, therefore, by handwatering the areas that do not receive enough water. Also, some of our soils take water so slowly we must water them until runoff occurs, then come back and water them again 30 to 60 minutes later.
Water Conservation: The course collects irrigation water primarily from rainfall run off and stores it in ponds for later use. There are also wells that can be run to assist with pond refill. But in the end the course will run short of water if it doesn’t rain for an extended time. Before that happens we’ll reduce the use of overhead sprinklers and rely more on handwatering to stretch out the use of the resource.
To Cool Grass Plants That Are Under Stress: Many times during the summer, high temperature, hours of intense sunlight and wind combine to dry out turf to the point that it literally wilts. So, we rely on experienced staff members who can recognize the condition and can take corrective action. Remember, we are only cooling off the leaf tissue at this point, not wetting the soil. Technically, this is called syringing.
To Keep Consistent Putting Greens: This might be the most important reason for handwatering. Our goal is to provide the best putting surfaces possible. We want surfaces that are smooth, true, of consistent speed, and that will hold a properly struck golf shot. Even the best-designed irrigation system will not produce a green with uniform moisture content throughout. After an irrigation cycle, one area of the green will always be wetter than another. So adding water selectively to the drier areas allows us to maximize playability without sacrificing plant health.
Occasionally, we will treat dry spots with wetting agents to aid water penetration. We might also spike areas with small aerifier tines to help the water penetrate and keep our greens as uniformly consistent as possible.
When we handwater, we are careful not to apply so much water it lies on the green for longer than one minute. It just so happens that the time of day we must be out handwatering coincides with the time of day our golf course tends to be the busiest, and we do not want to interfere with play any more than necessary.
To hear what the USGA has to say about handwatering click
here.
The bottom line is that to have consistent, playable greens, you must consider handwatering to be a routine part of putting green maintenance. For the best possible putting greens, it's an art worth perfecting.
The bottom line is that to have consistent, playable greens, you must consider handwatering to be a routine part of putting green maintenance. For the best possible putting greens, it's an art worth perfecting.
