The science of irrigation

Graceful arcs of water are distributed evenly to nourish the blades of grass that make up Fairwinds Golf Course. If you look closely, you can see each drop reflecting the morning sunlight and if you stand just right you may even see a rainbow.

Orchestrating this delicate balance is our assistant superintendent and resident irrigation expert, Rick Munro. He uses a remote control to adjust each arc for efficiency and effectiveness.

The process of setting up the new system began almost two years ago and continues as each sprinkler head is given its instructions from the computer. Each sprinkler is programmed to provide a certain amount of water, and the goal is to provide just enough to water the grass without too much overlap. That is how we save water.

Rick also looks after the changes underground. The switch from the old block irrigation system to a valve-in-head one can play havoc with nature and he must make sure that the change isn’t too drastic.

As if on cue, Rob Jensen, a member of the maintenance crew, drives up and starts to water a small section of one of our greens by hand. What the heck? We just installed a new high tech irrigation system, but too much water is just as bad as too little water and hand watering ensures that only the areas that need to be irrigated will be. Even courses on the PGA Tour turn their irrigation systems off for a month prior to the big event to ensure the exact amount of water is applied to the turf via a hose and nozzle.

It is this attention to detail that makes Fairwinds Golf Club just a little bit different from the rest. Maintaining that perfect balance of healthy and playable grass is definitely a science, with some good old traditional gut instinct thrown in.

We are enjoying a gorgeous golf course during this stretch of beautiful weather and it is comforting to know that it’s being provided by the best irrigation system and expertise available, thanks to Rick and our superintendent, Rod Siddons.

The outlook is optimistic

The crews continued working on the irrigation project on Monday, after the weather took a turn and delayed the project for a brief period. Hole 2 is expected to be finished by the end of the week, especially if the forecast stays true to its prediction of sunshine for the rest of the week. With only 35 sprinkler heads left to install, it is likely that we will finish the installation process by the end of January.

Next week the crews will focus on cleaning up the fairways, which includes rising up sunken grounds, laying the sod down, covering up bare ground, and fixing up the trenches. Once this is all complete, the testing of the new irrigation system will begin, before players can step out onto the improved course.

The final phase of the irrigation project will be the driving range, which will likely start in February. We are confident that this project will be finished on time and look forward to the 2013 golf season. We are excited for this two-year project to wrap up. We have come a long way in terms of experience and knowledge with the installation of a new irrigation system.

The future looks bright

Let’s catch up on the irrigation project. Due to the mild weather and the great efforts by our crew, who are mostly our regular grounds crew, the irrigation project is moving a lot faster than we expected. Like last year, they stepped up to the physical challenge that comes along with an irrigation project throughout the winter months. We are guided, to some extent, by an irrigation contractor who drops in every once in a while to keep us on track by laying out the routing on some of the bigger pipe and generally sharing his experiences. We also have a local irrigation expert overseeing the joining of the pipes and valves. It is definitely prudent to have these guys on the job but the work of trenching and re-filling trenches is done by our own staff. This is very helpful when it comes to repairing or replacing damaged drainage and, of course, the re-sodding.

Irrigation on the first hole

So we are roughly six weeks into the project and every green on the front nine is finished, except hole 2 which should be finished by the end of this week. Lateral lines are in except for a bit at the tee on hole 3 and the 9^th fairway. Lastly, the crews will start on the putting green.

The crew is planning on working up until the Christmas break (weather permitting) and then the clean up will be in the New Year. After that, we hope for an early warm spring so the healing process can begin and golfers can start playing on the front nine.

Have a happy holiday, where ever you are.

Is it just a pipe dream?

We are happy to say that the irrigation project is moving along very nicely. Holes 4 – 8 are now complete and crews are installing the pipe on the third fairway. This is exciting news and can give a person a real sense of optimism when it comes to predicting a completion date.

Piping on the third fairway

The weather will become a bigger factor as we creep into the end of November and we may run into a setback, but the work on the front nine has gone well for other reasons. Great preparation and an efficient team has allowed this project to move so smoothly. Rod and Rick have done a great job in scheduling and managing construction. The morale is high as the crew can literally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Can we get this done by Christmas or the end of January? That remains to be seen, but all things considered, it is a great success so far and the crews should be proud. Progress is moving quickly and that shouldn’t change, as long as the weather holds up. We will be playing on the front nine before we know it!

Day 18: A great start to the irrigation project

Today marks roughly the middle of October and the very impressive beginning of our front nine irrigation project. Hopefully you have noticed the excellent progress that Rod Siddons, Acting Golf Superintendent, and his crew have made in such a short time. The eighth hole is complete, and we are able to play it (with some care). The seventh hole is almost done and we will work back through the course to start on the sixth and then the fifth hole.

We have been lucky with the weather, but more so we are reaping the benefits of great preparation and greater experience. The biggest challenge so far has been replacing and repairing the drainage that inevitably becomes damaged in this process.

So far we have had a minimum of five holes open on the front nine all month, and with the completion of hole eight, we now have six holes open. We are lucky to have Rod Siddons, Rick Munro, and most of the crew what worked on the irrigation project last year. We will try to keep you updated on a regular basis, and for daily updates you can call the Golf Shop at 250.468.7666.

On a sad note….

We are all very saddened with the recent passing of our long-time Golf Superintendent,  Jim Dafoe. Jim lost his battle with cancer on October 7,2012. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Clubhouse on November 1, at 2pm. Those of us who worked with Jim cannot believe his is gone, and he will never be forgotten. He leaves behind a golf course that he considered “his”, we will never be able to think of one without the other. We will miss you Jim.

Fall brings new strategies to old games

Once again, we are gearing up to start the irrigation project, this time on the front nine. We started installing the irrigation system last October and closed the back nine while grounds crew installed the new piping. The improved irrigation system was completed by the end of April and the course was opened in time for the golf season.  Golfers are already able to notice the improvements on the back nine, including reduced wet spots.

As of October 1, the front nine will be closed for improvement through the fall and winter season, which gives golfers the opportunity to become familiar with the back nine and practice some of the challenges such as getting a par on hole 13. The uphill slope makes it the second hardest hole on the course with a number two handicap. At 546 yards from the blue tees, the par five hole is a great way to test your patience. If you can get a par, you deserve a beer!

Another challenge on the back nine is the tee shot on hole 18. Looks can be deceiving on this par five hole, but most people try to avoid the water on the right and going out of bounds to the left. The secret – aim at the bunker.

Playing the same nine holes allows you to focus on your weaknesses and improve in areas you consistently have trouble with. It lets you get to know the course better and discover ways to overcome the challenging, yet forgiving barriers that you may not notice when you aren’t playing the same holes as often.

Fairwinds’ Storm Management and Irrigation System

You may be surprised to know that Fairwinds Golf Club doesn’t use any municipal water on the golf course. Rainwater is collected from Dolphin Lake, fed through to the pump station on the golf course and pumped around to various ponds on the course.  On hole number two there is a dam that stores the water, and after heavy rainfalls, excess water overflows into the ocean. The water that remains in the pond is then circulated to other ponds throughout the course and used for watering. This process allows us to preserve water, especially during summer months when the course is more likely to become dry. The constant flow of water also helps create cleaner water ways on the course.

Water from Dolphin Lake flows down the creek through the golf course to the ponds located between the 11^th and 18^th fairways. These ponds feed the irrigation pump station. In the summer months, water flowing into the pond on the second hole is pumped up to the pond near the tees on the 4^th hole back through to the ponds on the 11^th and 18^th fairways. This prevents the water from flowing out to the ocean.

This network of the ponds and creek are part of Fairwinds’ integrated storm management system. The series of ponds detains rainwater by providing storage and therefore slowing the flow of water as it passes through the golf course on its way to the ocean.

The final days

In most cases, hearing the words “the final days” would indicate some sort of negative connotation. In this case, it’s exciting news because next week the entire back nine will finally open to golfers. The irrigation project is coming to an end as crews work diligently to clean up the remaining holes and continue with testing the pipes. The installation phase of the irrigation system was completed as scheduled on April 1^st. We hoped to open the back nine on April 21^st; however, due to recent heavy rains and the logistics of golf cart travel on the course, we decided that we would open the entire back nine on Saturday, April 28^th to ensure the clean-up is properly done and not rushed.

Holes 10, 11, and 18 are now open. Golfers can expect some grounds under repair and a few roped off areas until next week. Dust your clubs off (if you haven’t already) and get ready for a great 2012 golf season!

Are we there yet?

We have had several inquiries about how far along we are and when we expect to complete the irrigation work on the back nine. Between rain, frost, and the occasional light snowfall, we are progressing on the scheduled irrigation project and can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Crews have installed over 300 irrigation heads in the ground, with only the 11^th fairway remaining. Even with ninety percent of the actual installation complete, there is still a substantial amount of cleanup to do, including filling the irrigation lines and leveling the grounds. Our goal is to have everything in the ground by early April, with two or three week to clean up before opening the back 9 on April 21^st.

Correction: Crews have currently installed 430 sprinker heads in the ground.

Progress on the back nine

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”  – Joseph P. Kennedy

We have had a couple of setbacks to the irrigation project, but it is moving along nicely. Crews managed to install 10 heads before the snow in January delayed the project. The great thing about living on the west coast is when the snow falls, it doesn’t last long. Shortly after the snow melted, crews were working on the installation of the heads, and the installation of the sprinkler heads on holes 15 and 16 are now completed.

Our biggest and saddest set back is the news that Jim Dafoe, our Superintendent and friend, is battling cancer. His attitude is positive and we are sending him our best wishes each and every day. In the interim, the project is under the watchful eyes of Rod Siddons.

This week crews are working on the installation of the mainline across the driving range. The driving range is closed for the week, and we expect it to re-open on Wednesday, February 15^th. This mainline will eventually feed the front nine holes. We have added two extra crew members to increase production so we can keep stay on schedule.

We have now installed 123 irrigation heads in the ground to date, but there is still a fair amount of backfilling and clean-up to do. A lot has been accomplished since October, and we are confident this portion of the irrigation project will be finished in time for the 2012 golf season (weather permitting).