Shawn Emerson is director of
agronomy at Desert Mountain, a
property in Arizona with six Jack
Nicklaus, ASGCA-designed Signature
courses. Emerson, an early adopter
of soil sensing technology, has been
experimenting with sensors for several
years. Emerson started by installing
sensors on three greens. “We chose an
average, good and bad location on a
green, then monitored the results to
develop a relationship between the three
locations,” he says. “We developed a
baseline and then tried to understand
the variability between locations. The
more we tried to find and understand
key indicators in the data, the more
precise our actions became.”
Emerson has added to his sensing
system over time and now has 60–70
sensors per course. He adds: “But you
could start really small and develop your
understanding of the technology. With
less than 24 sensors, a superintendent
could really make a good impact on his
course.” Because of their location in the
desert, Emerson was already aggressively
managing water consumption, yet he
estimates that Desert Mountain saves,
on average, an additional 10 percent of
water and power as a result of sensors,
saving an additional 15 million gallons
per course per year.
The philosophy of starting with
a few sensors and expanding
the system each year is easy to
implement. The key to phasing in
additional sensors is having the
communication network established
on the golf course. The network
automatically detects new sensors
and data loggers installed within
the coverage area, making it easy to
expand the system over time.
Superintendents point to a variety
of factors that can be managed with
a sensor system: When to syringe?
When to irrigate? When are salts high
in the soil profile, requiring flushing of
the soil profile? When are conditions
right for weed seed germination? What
are indicators to help manage disease
pressure? With a sensor system, each
superintendent learns something unique
and different about their golf course.
The biggest advantage a soil sensing
system offers for water management is
the answer to the huge question: ‘when
do I need to irrigate?’ As an example,
the user can decide when to irrigate
based on a minimum soil moisture
percentage rather than a simple every
second night watering schedule. If the
soil moisture has not declined to a
critical threshold, the user can choose
to delay irrigation until the next night.
For a golf course located in a cool
season climate and irrigating 300,000
gallons per night, the effect of delaying
irrigation on a few occasions can
quickly save a million gallons a year.
Soil sensing technology is gaining
interest outside the United States.
Shanqin Bay Golf Club on Hainan
Island, China is designed by architects
Bill Coore, ASGCA, and Ben Crenshaw.
Superintendent Chris May installed
one of the first Rain Bird Integrated
Sensor Systems in China at Shanqin Bay
earlier in 2013. He is excited about the
technology. “Hainan is a high humidity
climate similar to the Caribbean,” he says.
“We have significant disease pressure
and soil sensors let us manage soil
moisture closely to prevent disease and
conserve water. I think this is going to be
a very useful tool for superintendents in
China and throughout South-East Asia.”
The sensor system uses a 2.4 GHz radio
signal which enabled it to be the first
sensor system to receive licensing for use
in China.
ASGCA Past President Erik Larsen
summed matters up well during a
recent ASGCA Annual Meeting when
he commented: “I am excited about soil
sensing technology. This is important
and something that everyone should
consider for their course. It’s not just
for high-end properties, even the $25
green fee municipal course should
be looking at soil sensors to conserve
water and improve playability.”
•
Stuart Hackwell
As International Sales Manager with
Rain Bird Corporation, Stuart Hackwell
works with golf course specifiers on
water management projects worldwide.
Based in Tucson, Arizona, he has been
with Rain Bird for 21 years.
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One of the first Rain Bird Integrated Sensor Systems in China was installed at Shanqin Bay
