Tag Archive for: Irrigation

Dubai Creek installs state-of-the-art irrigation system

/in , /by

Dubai Creek installs state-of-the-art irrigation system: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club is nearing the completion of a significant investment to totally overhaul and modernise its on-course irrigation system, and further enhance course conditioning. 

This extensive project is set to be completed by October 2024 and will revolutionise the way the golf course is managed and maintained, in addition to taking a crucial step in the club’s journey towards greater sustainability.

Dubai Creek installs state-of-the-art irrigation system

Dubai Creek installs state-of-the-art irrigation system

The advanced upgrade includes the installation of new main lines, lateral lines, a cutting-edge sprinkler system, and a state-of-the-art computer system. In total, more than 3,000 sprinklers and 40 kilometres of pipe will be laid to ensure full irrigation coverage across all 18 holes, encompassing all tees, fairways, approaches, and greens.

“The irrigation overhaul provides Dubai Creek with the most advanced automated irrigation system available,” said David Taggart, Club Manager at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. “The golf course is our most important asset and water is our most important resource. By installing this new system, Dubai Golf is showing its commitment to providing the best possible playing conditions for members and guests, for many years to come. What’s more, we will be able to target our resources in much greater detail, saving significant time and more importantly 30,000,000 litres of water a year.”

One of the standout features of this new system, installed in partnership with Rain Bird, is the ability to control and monitor irrigation in real-time through tablets and smart phones. This level of intelligence and insight allows golf course maintenance managers to efficiently adapt to the changing conditions and apply the minimum amount of water required to produce excellent playing surfaces.

“Dubai Creek was named the number one golf resort in the UAE last year, and we are keen to continue driving the club forward and enhancing the playing experience even further. With this significant investment, the maintenance team at Dubai Creek will be able to work more accurately and efficiently, and ultimately deliver a golf course that is better conditioned than ever before,” said Chris May, CEO of Dubai Golf.

“This isn’t just an incremental improvement; it’s a total overhaul designed to bring Dubai Creek to the forefront of sustainable agronomy practices but also to the attention of golfers worldwide as a must-visit golfing destination,” he added.

Taggart commented: “Dubai Creek has built a significant legacy both locally and internationally since it opened in 1993. This sizeable investment allows the club to continue to build on that legacy and be prepared for the challenges of tomorrow. We are very proud of the excellent work our Superintendent, Harry Wells and his team produce and providing them with the state-of-the-art technology allows them to continue to set the standard for excellence in an environmentally responsible manner.”

The team at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club continue to build on the success of hosting the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational earlier this year in which Tommy Fleetwood beat Rory McIlroy down the stretch and entering the Golf World Top 100 World Golf Resorts at #43 and as #1 in the UAE.

For more information about Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, visit: https://dubaicreekresort.com/dubai-creek-golf-club/

For more information on Dubai Golf and its entire portfolio including Emirates Golf Club, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Topgolf Dubai, Yas Links, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, and Yas Acres Golf and Country Club, visit: https://dubaigolf.com/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Reesink expands irrigation range

/in , /by

Reesink expands irrigation range: By taking on the distribution of Perrot sprinklers in the UK, Reesink Hydro-Scapes is expanding its offering of professional irrigation solutions for sports customers.

Perrot is known for being able to provide the right irrigation solution to suit any size and meet any requirements, whether for natural, synthetic or hybrid turf. The various combinations of sprinklers available mean that an extremely wide range of different needs can be easily met.

Reesink expands irrigation range

Reesink expands irrigation range

Reesink is bringing to the UK three types of sprinkler technology in six powerful Perrot sprinklers to suit all sorts of sports surfaces – football, golf, hockey, tennis, even horse racetracks. Regardless of which sprinklers are chosen, Perrot systems can reach every inch, in every tight corner, ensuring maximum turf health with minimum water consumption says the manufacturer.

When Toro acquired the manufacturer of Perot’s retractable sprinklers, it was to grow Toro’s presence in the sports field industry and provide more choice to customers and Reesink Hydro-Scapes was given the opportunity to take on the UK distribution of Perrot alongside Toro irrigation.

It was an easy decision to make, says Robert Jackson, Reesink Hydro-Scapes division manager: “Toro and Perrot come from the same place in terms of the commitment they have to manufacturing high-quality, professional irrigation products and providing exceptional service to customers. This is of course something we have had in common with Toro for 40 years and having those values align with a new manufacturer was important.

“We take great pride in being able to provide our customers with extensive irrigation options and Perrot only adds to our range of best-in-class irrigation solutions. They are powerful sprinklers with great range and accuracy, and are well made, with high quality brass inserts which don’t corrode.”

In addition to those selling points, there’s also the fact that they boast a casting range of up to 54m and their systems are expandable and flexible. Nothing, however, is quite as flexible as the Rollcar, which has no fixed installation and can be rolled to apply water economically and cost-effectively wherever it is needed.

When it comes to synthetic turf, the VP3 provides uniform irrigation from the perimeter, cools down the surface and improves playability and speed, so whatever association mandates are in place, Perrot will cover them.

And there’s no need to worry about the water quality, Perrot can irrigate with almost any water quality, whether it be rainwater or greywater.

To understand more about the new range and how it can benefit your venue and surface, visit reesink-hydroscapes.co.uk.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Top class cricket and irrigation

/in , /by

Top class cricket and irrigation: The historic Rainham Cricket Club in Kent is all set for the 2024 season and once again the club’s reputation for providing some of the best prepared pitches in the Kent cricket leagues will be demonstrated. This is all thanks to hard working and dedicated volunteer grounds staff as well as the continued support of Holts Irrigation who in 2021 installed a Rain Bird irrigation system.

Glen Cook is the Club’s Groundsman and Secretary. Since retiring after a long playing career, he has dedicated much of his time to the club’s Berengrave Lane home. There are four Saturday teams which compete in the Kent Cricket League and a Sunday team in the Kent Village Cricket League. An extremely popular Colts section provides opportunities for the 9-17 age group of this family orientated club which has a very active social calendar and will celebrate its 170th anniversary in 2026.

Top class cricket and irrigation

Top class cricket and irrigation

Preparing pitches to the highest standard follows a procedure that can take anything from 10-14 days. There are 17 pitches on the Rainham square with at least two in use at any time. In 2021 it became clear that a new approach to pitch preparation was required with irrigation a key issue. This was reliant on connecting a hosepipe to the mains water supply and running across a 50+ metre square. Irrigation could take as long as two days to complete and could include overnight watering.

Not only was the water quantity that reached the square insufficient, but the pressure was too low. There was no prospect of irrigating the square uniformly and, with its slope, water would also run away. A series of long dry spells during that summer also meant that any surface water quickly evaporated.

The club was put in touch with Holts Irrigation, a company with extensive experience in sports turf irrigation. Andre Holt recommended a completely new approach based around the installation of a Rain Bird ESP-RZXe irrigation controller to manage six 950 Series pop up rotor sprinklers, as well as a 10000 litre water tank complete with a Grundfos submersible pump and controller. With close cooperation between grounds staff and Holts Irrigation, the full installation was completed within a week.

Four of the 950 Series rotors with double nozzles and 90º arcs are positioned at the corners of the square and the other two at the side which have 180º arcs. They can throw to a distance of up to 28.0 metres providing head to head 100% uniform coverage across the square. The  ESP-RZXe controller has a large LCD screen and a simple user interface. With its rapid programming feature it was simple for Andre to set up and is ideal for grounds staff to carry out additional manual functions.

The controller offers many irrigation scheduling options and in practice, during the playing season, it runs a minimum of two heads. The rotors are set up to irrigate the pitches that are to be used at the weekend and they are also turned on after play on a Sunday evening.

Glen also has the flexibility to apply additional manual irrigation throughout the season when required during dry spells or when carrying out pitch maintenance including reseeding and repairing used pitches. “ We can put down fertilisers and soil conditioners at any time we feel necessary as we now don’t need to rely on the weather to water it in if we have a dry early spring. We are also no longer reliant on waiting for the right weather before we carry out any renovation work and can simply turn on the irrigation system. This is flexible and convenient as well as helping with conservation, as water is applied only when and where it is needed,” says Glen.

Since the installation, Rainham Cricket Club has received praise for the quality of its playing surfaces. This is down to both the professional care afforded by the volunteer grounds staff and the irrigation regime which prevents the surface breaking up on the strips and helps to provide the right amount of water to repair and prepare wickets for second use during the busy playing season. This has resulted in predictable pace and bounce for bowlers and a consistent safe surface for batsmen. The irrigation system makes it much easier for the grounds staff to build on the great cricket surface already established over recent years by the previous groundsman.

Andre Holt carried out the pre-season checks of the irrigation system in late February 2024 at the same time as Glen and his team started pre-season pitch preparations for the new season. Electrical testing of  the irrigation controller and the pump start were carried out along with water pressure and leakage checks. The rotors and nozzles were checked for correct rotation and arc orientation as well as for  debris that could result in clogging.

The start-up checks and the reliability of the installation means that there will be no need for a return visit from Holts Irrigation until after the end of the season when the system is shut down. “Andre’s knowledge of sports turf irrigation has helped to transform the management and upkeep of our pitches. As the 2024 season progresses and the drier spells become more prolonged and frequent, the irrigation system will really come into its own. It’s been a very worthwhile investment and will virtually guarantee the quality of our playing surfaces throughout the summer,” says Glen.

For more information contact: Holts Irrigation, Heathfield, East Sussex, X: @AndreHotech  and www.rainhamcricketclub.com

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Toro irrigation leads longevity

/in , /by

Toro irrigation leads longevity: Longevity has been key to Toro’s irrigation strategy since its early development and it’s certainly something Reesink Hydro-Scapes can attest to seeing ‘on the ground’ in the UK.

As the sole Toro distributor in the UK for golf and sports fields irrigation products, Robert Jackson, manager of Reesink Hydro-Scapes, the distributor’s water division, is only now, after 30 years working in the business, needing to help the clubs he worked with in the early days of his career to update their Toro systems.

Toro irrigation leads longevity

Toro irrigation leads longevity

“Looking back through the orders books and from experience we can attest to Toro’s longevity and length of performance the systems get at UK golf clubs,” he says. “For us to see Toro giving up to 30 years of service is testament to the quality, technology, craftmanship and construction of the products.”

But it’s more than that, it’s as much to do with the design, installation, maintenance, and servicing of the system too, and that’s where Reesink Hydro-Scapes and its network of irrigation contractors step in to create the perfect partnership with Toro.

Rob continues: “There’s a reason it takes time to fit a brand-new irrigation system, and that’s because it’s being done properly. The phrase Rome wasn’t built in a day couldn’t ring more true than when it comes to this – it takes time to create great things – and if it doesn’t, it usually means corners have been cut.

“Replacing or updating an irrigation system is a big job, it’s timely and disruptive work and could mean months of delays to play,” Robert says. “There’s no escaping it but the point is that when you do it you want to know that the system you choose has got the best shelf life possible and proven longevity. And that’s never in doubt with Toro. Do it properly now and don’t think about it for another two to three decades.”

Plus, with Reesink’s irrigation finance options clubs don’t even need to pay now. Reesink can spread the cost of new irrigation systems over tailored plans to give better control over operational budgets and stabilise costs in the face of fluctuating market conditions.

“We understand the outlay of a new irrigation system is significant and we don’t believe that should stop anyone accessing the best options available,” Robert concludes. “Irrigation finance does just that and includes not just the products but the installation too.”

To find out more about how the longevity of Toro and service from Reesink unite to bring the best value irrigation solutions, call Reesink Hydro-Scapes on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkhydro-scapes.co.uk.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Gleneagles state-of-the-art irrigation system

/in , /by

Gleneagles state-of-the-art irrigation system: Gleneagles, the iconic Scottish hotel and global luxury destination, has commenced a state-of-the-art irrigation project on its Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary Course, former host to both the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.

The significant five-month project will further enhance playing conditions across the 18-hole championship golf course and will see the installation of a new, highly-efficient Rain Bird irrigation management system that will help reduce both water usage and power consumption.

Gleneagles state-of-the-art irrigation system

Gleneagles state-of-the-art irrigation system

Beneath the golf course, 24.5 miles of new pipework will be laid along with 33.5 miles of cabling, and 1,414 individual sprinkler heads will be strategically positioned so water can be applied more accurately over an eight-hour cycle, without the need to close the golf course.

Director of Golf at Gleneagles, Andrew Jowett, commented: “As we’ve come to experience prolonged dry spells in recent years, our significant investment in the latest irrigation technology will ensure we’re fully prepared to maintain the golf course to the very highest standard in the years to come.

“From a practical perspective, the new system will allow us to irrigate every mown area of the course, including greens and surrounds, tee complexes, approaches and fairways, under the control of individual sprinkler heads, from a handheld device, at any time.”

The PGA Centenary Course will re-open for play in April 2024. Tee time bookings can be made here: https://gleneagles.com/offers/tee-time/

Located in the heart of Scotland, and an hour from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, Gleneagles remains the only venue in Europe to have staged professional golf’s most important team events (the Ryder Cup in 2014 and Solheim Cup in 2019). It also continues to be independently ranked as the UK & Ireland’s #1 Golf Resort*.

In addition to the PGA Centenary Course, members and guests can also experience two Top 100 ranked 18-hole James Braid classics in The King’s, a fast-running inland links-style design, and The Queen’s, regarded as one of the finest par-68 layouts in the UK.

Beyond the fairways, Gleneagles’ guests can unwind and relax at the award-winning hotel, where a wealth of food and drink options await, including The Strathearn, the theatrical Franco-Scottish dining experience, the Birnam Brasserie, a relaxed Mediterranean style restaurant serving the best Italian and French-style cuisine, or toast the day’s play in Auchterarder 70, overlooking the 18th greens of The King’s and Queen’s.

Gleneagles also boasts over 50 pursuits, including fly-fishing, falconry, cycling, off-roading, equestrian experiences and archery. Guests will also have use of a range of leisure facilities, including the pitch-and-putt course, lawn games and outdoor tennis courts.

*Golf World Top 100 Best Golf Resorts UK & Ireland ranking 2023.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.