We started the installation of humidity sensors / probes on the green of a golf course.
Irrigation needs of Altea Club de golf
Altea Club Golf was the first golf course to rely on our humidity sensor / probe technology,
This club located in Altea la Vella (Alicante) has 9 holes spread over an undulating surface with water hazards.
Especially in the southern half of the Peninsula, they require special lawn care due to:
- The high temperatures.
- The long dry seasons that can affect them significantly.
Most use recycled water to supply the entire surface area and even so this water expenditure represents approximately 30% of the total expenses of the club, so having an idea of how the floor is, in terms of humidity, is very important to do a optimal use of irrigation.
This is done by spraying and currently the greenkeeper is in charge of making humidity measurements green to green and at different points on the golf course manually.
Irrigation with humidity probes in green
The golf courses have requested our help to facilitate this task and monitor irrigation in real time and optimize the night waterings.
The sensors could not be installed in the usual way, as they forced the gardening team to put them on and take them off each time they went to do their work. For this reason, the decision was made to make a personalized design for the club, giving them the shape of the start and end indicators of the course (large yellow golf balls).
They were placed in a test area of the golf course 4 sensors in 4 signaling balls, with the idea of increasing the installation over the entire surface of the field before the summer.
The client receives the information from the sensors, which measure at a depth of 10 cm, every 4 hours so that fluctuations in soil moisture can be perfectly seen and allows to optimize the use of irrigation by providing a significant water savings.
Considerations in the irrigation of a golf course
Irrigation is influenced by several factors:
- Tipo de suelo: arcilloso, arenoso…
- The amount of evaporation and moisture. Also runoff from the ground.
- The amount of water reserve that the soil is capable of holding.
- The weather according to the season and the scarcity or abundance of rain.
- The intensity of irrigation, usually by sprinkling.
- The frequency of watering, so that the roots are hydrated and not flooded.
- The time of irrigation should be when evaporation is low.
- The type of grass. Sometimes different depending on which area of the field.
- Maintenance of irrigation facilities.
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