This morning, you may have seen me digging holes in the PG. I was retrieving, after finding them with a metal detector, the Toro Turfguard sensors under the green. These sensors send a signal to my computer every 5 minutes, measuring salinity, soil temperature and moisture percentage. This tool is excellent for helping to determine when the greens will need water. Once we start getting down to 10%, I know the greens won't make it through the day. As a superintendent, my goal is to keep them as dry as possible, while preventing wilt. It's a delicate balance at times. The last few days are really difficult with high skies, low humidity and a breeze. As a super, it our job to understand the conditions and how the turf will respond. For example, on a day like yesterday, we could loose up to 4-5% of our moisture in the greens. If these sensors were telling me the moisture % was 12% the night before and I look at the forecasted weather, I know I might be in trouble if I don't irrigate that night. This quantifiable data shows you how irrigating decisions are made. Now, having an irrigation system that delivers water where it is needed, is another story and a major concern at Highlands CC. We are working with Strategic Planning to prevent this needed asset from being pushed off into the future any further. Golf and water use is a topic that is NOT going away and we need to be proactive in this area before it becomes a major issue for us. In the future, whether it is 2 years from now or 7 years from now, it will be a major issue. Fresh water is a political hot topic on many fronts and we can't be inefficiently using it at a club the caliber of HCC. As you've heard me discuss, we are relying on ancient technology here and our system has long outlived its useful life. When the new system is ultimately installed, and the quality benefits are realized, many members will be wondering why we didn't do it sooner. I can't stress enough how this current system is a major limiting factor when it comes to conditioning this golf course. In short, it consumes a huge amount of labor that could be spent elsewhere and it keeps the golf course too wet. Hopefully in the future, we'll catch up with the times!
