Considerations for Establishing a Golf Irrigation Budget

In order to grow the great game of golf, it is critical that golf course construction costs meet a broad range of clientele that allows for affordable golf as well as high-end facilities.  Equally important is that when building higher-end facilities the budgets are reasonable enough to meet the expectations of the future clients or members.  This blog offers a list of questions any future golf course owner or developer should as themselves prior to establishing their irrigation budget.

A golf course or a country club is a business and needs to operate within a reasonable yet adequate budget to be sustainable. Irrigation system requirements can vary greatly from region to region based on weather and the expectations of the clientele playing the course. Proper study should be made into the needs of the course prior to establishing the budget and the correct system then be designed to meet those needs. Once the system is installed you will be stuck with it for years. A proper budget is a good start to ensure those will be many years of trouble-free efficient use.

The irrigation system is the single largest cost category when building a golf course. The irrigation system is also the foundation for the entire turfgrass maintenance program. It is required not only to replace the water lost from the soil and plant each day but also to water in fertilizers and chemicals as well as germinate seeds and propagate seedlings during grow-in and renovation. The quality of the irrigation system has a huge impact not only on the turf but also on the course’s playability. If the coverage or uniformity of the irrigation is poor this will cause wet spots and dry spots around the course making the course much less fair and enjoyable to play. There is a varying range of styles and costs of irrigation systems. Irrigation systems are not one size fits all. Many components of a system can be compromised, but there are prices to pay later as the investment in the irrigation system declines. It is important that a realistic budget be established so the expectations of the ownership and the clientele of the course can be met.

Please click the link to the complete article containing a list of twenty (20) questions that need to be considered prior to establish your budget.

Golf Irrigation Budget Planning Considerations

In addition to these, there are also many others that should be asked to ensure you get a system that meets your needs, satisfies the players’ expectations, and is efficient to own and operate. The answers to these vary greatly from course to course and region to region? There is a big difference in the expectations of the membership of Augusta National and a local public golf course and so are the irrigation budgets and the quality of the facilities. Not every course needs to be an Augusta National and not every course needs a five-star irrigation system. It is important to understand what you need and the ramifications of a lack of investment in your irrigation system. Unfortunately, it doesn’t rain the perfect amount every night so we need an irrigation system that can meet our needs when it isn’t raining. We will provide some input to each of these questions in the summary. Please answer the questions honestly with yourself prior to establishing your budget.

Other Related ATI ReferenceB Blogs and Documents :
• Budget Planning Matrix
• Irrigation Design Checklist
• Value Engineering Options
• Why Hire an Independent Irrigation Consultant?