An exciting month on course with the installation of our new irrigation communication cable, valves & valve sets.
This two-strand wire path replaces the old 13 strand wiring jungle which over the years has been destroyed by tree roots and perished due to age and water corrosion. This new cable comes in a hardened red plastic conduit for protection against all physical elements.
Trenching a kilometre of 600mm deep trench from existing valve box to valve box without hitting any irrigation lines, between 100-year-old trees with a thick root system was not an easy feat. Credit to staff, no main lines, laterals or any buried treasures were hit by the trencher during the excavation process which meant a faster process to project completion. New valves & valve assemblies have been installed and wiring now completed. Presently, we are now boxing up these areas and laying turf.
What does all this mean to the course? Previously, Holes 6, 15, 16 and 1st and 10th tees were all under manual irrigation and the watering of these holes was carried out during work hours by the maintenance team. This meant a disruption to golfers having to avoid rotating sprinklers during their round of golf and from an agronomic point of view a massive loss of irrigation water through evaporation.
These areas will now be watered automatically each night with minimal disruption and 100% of irrigation applied, will be taken in by the soil & grass. The works carried out on this project will dramatically change the appearance of all these holes. An example of this is to compare the health & vigour of holes 7,8,9,17 & 18 to the other holes on course. These 5 holes all had this same irrigation cable inserted 2 years ago and the condition of these holes is second to none.
Installation on Holes 11, 12, 13, & 14 will be next project for a new irrigation cable.