Golf Course Irrigation System Maintenance: 5 Best Practices You Should Be Using in 2020

Spring is here, which means that golf courses throughout Indiana and Kentucky are turning on their irrigation systems for the first time in a few months.  At least some of them will be in for some unpleasant surprises as they discover various problems with their systems.  In order to help you be prepared for potential problems—and hopefully avoid them altogether—we’ve compiled a list of five best practices for golf course irrigation system maintenance.  Follow these best practices to keep your system running smoothly throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

1: Don’t wait until something breaks to think about irrigation system maintenance

Just like other turf equipment such as mowers and sprayers, irrigation systems need preventative maintenance.  Not only does regular preventative maintenance help keep your repair costs down, it also helps you catch potential problems before they become a big issue.  Preventative maintenance for your irrigation system includes the following:

• Do a daily communication check on the system, as well as checks after thunderstorms. Lightning strikes can cause blown fuses in an irrigation system—better to discover those right after a storm rather than a few days later when you go to run the system.
• Run through your entire irrigation system at least once every two weeks during the summer. Check all the sprinkler heads for proper operation, check the controllers, and make sure no system components have been damaged by mowers or other equipment.
• Level all sprinkler heads before running the system for the first time in the spring. Check to make sure they are not recessed into the ground due to sand or thatch build-up, and make sure they aren’t cocked at an angle.

By planning ahead and making irrigation system maintenance part of your staff’s routine, you’ll save yourself many maintenance headaches.

2: Carry sufficient replacement parts

It’s inevitable that eventually you’ll need to replace or repair some parts in your irrigation system.  When that occurs, it will help minimize delays if you have the necessary replacements parts on hand instead of having to order them from your supplier.  The further away you’re located from your supplier, the more parts you’ll want to have in stock.

If you don’t currently have an inventory of all your replacement parts, start by creating one.  Once you know what parts you have on your shelf, if you are lacking in any areas you can put in an early order with your supplier.  That way you’ll have replacement parts in hand before you need them.

3: Keep an inventory of your irrigation equipment

Speaking of inventory, in addition to having a list of replacement parts you have in stock, you should also have an inventory of all the irrigation equipment you have on your golf course.  At any given time, you should know all the different types of sprinkler heads and controllers that you are using, and have the proper reference materials for that equipment.

There are good reasons for this other than irrigation system maintenance (although it certainly helps with that).  If you are considering a system upgrade, it will be much easier to determine whether or not it would be cost effective if you can supply a vendor with the part numbers and quantities for all your current equipment.  With that information, you should be able to get a very accurate quote for a system upgrade—something your supervisor or board of directors will appreciate.

4: Assign responsibilities for irrigation system maintenance

It’s important that you have staff members who are properly trained on irrigation system maintenance.  Larger facilities will usually have one full-time irrigation technician whose only job is to maintain the irrigation system.  For smaller golf courses, this responsibility will probably have to be shared by several staff members who also have other responsibilities.  The important thing is that the maintenance tasks are assigned to somebody who is held accountable for completing them.  Also, all staff members should be trained to look for and report problems like dry areas or broken equipment.

5: Become familiar with your voltmeter

Between fuses, controllers, and solid state satellites, there are many electrical components in a typical golf course irrigation system.  Knowing how to properly use a voltmeter really comes in handy when attempting to troubleshoot problems with a system, but unfortunately this is somewhat of a lost art.  Do yourself a big favor and get some training on how to use a voltmeter to check fuses and other system components—it’s a valuable skill that will really come in handy.

Starting up your system in the spring

The best practices for golf course irrigation systems listed above will help you maintain your equipment year-round, but there’s also a few specific things you should keep in mind as you start your system up for the first time this spring:

• Begin by fixing any known problems such as piping breaks or electrical breaks—do this before you need to start mowing.
• Start pressurizing your system with water early, before it’s time to start irrigating, and do it as slowly as possible. Make certain to utilize quick couplers, pond fills, and sprinklers to evacuate excess air to avoid damaging the system.
• Visually check every sprinkler head for damage and to make sure it’s level before using the system.

If, as you implement the best practices we’ve outlined above, you realize that your irrigation system might be due for an upgrade, be sure to check out some of the new golf irrigation products Toro introduced earlier this year.  Of course, if you have questions you can always contact a Toro distributor like Kenney Machinery Corporation for assistance or advice—just ask for one of our Golf Irrigation Team Members – Grant Smith, Andrew Reynolds, and Tom Bolton.