Irrigation System Recharge

After a very long and harsh winter, the thought of turning our irrigation back on and fully recharging the system is a bit nerve-racking. We had a solid winter season (as far as moisture is concerned) but there comes the day that the irrigation system has to be utilized. Normally we try and wait until the week before we aerify our greens. That way we can water in our amendments, as well as the topdress sand used to fill in our holes. I say that turning on the irrigation system can be nerve-racking because, let's be honest, our system out here is very old!

Also, after the cold winter months, you hope that when you blew out the system back in December, that at least 95% of the water cleared out of the pipes and sprinkler heads. So, the system sits empty for 3 long winter months. I can gladly say that this season when we pressured up the system it was a "normal" recharge with only a small number of issues. Things that can happen from winter include possible cracks in the PVC piping from the cold, some water that may not have been blown out that freezes and expands causing a crack or break in either the pipe or the sprinkler head itself. Honestly, you just never know! If you have been out on the course this season and have noticed a pile of dirt here or there, it's most likely from fixing our issues from the recharge of our irrigation system.

Service T that was cracked on #3 fairway - fixed and ready to go

This is what you DO NOT want to see when recharging the system. Looking from #4 green toward #6 green at a broken pipe at an isolation valve - "Old Faithful"

Another service T cracked way down deep off a lateral pipe on #5 tee

Our guy Mike enjoyed the digging on this one. He is standing on the pipe in the hole that was about 5 feet underground.

Same break on #5 tee after we had taken some parts out.

Irrigation system fully recharged and running smoothly! - #2 Green