Irrigation vs. Rain Water

During the summer months golf courses rely heavily on their irrigation system.  To keep fairways and greens playable the turf obviously has to have a constant source of water.  With today's technology the process of irrigating the course is no longer a problem.  The problem that faces many courses (MCC included) are the contents of their water. 

With water becoming the new gasoline, many courses are starting to utilize recycled irrigation water.  Some of these sources may contain heavy metals or dissolved salts that can be detrimental to turf health.  While MCC has it's own on-site water source, we do face a potential for soil physical structure damage because of the sodium bicarbonate levels (dissolved salts).  After two weeks without rain water we see elevated compaction on areas of the fairways, primarily the edges because of these bicarbonates.  However, the problem is not too severe and our management practices alleviate most needs for concern.  A periodic flush and use of Calcium fertilizer is required to keep the bicarbonate levels to a minimum on greens.

These practices still cost money, time and effort.  So while one hears superintendents complain about rain, a slight steady dose of it is welcomed.  Rain water doesn't contain these toxins and usually is a very pure source.  Precipitation events are near impossible to predict and amounts always vary (as MCC found out in the spring).  A light rain of about .2" a night would be ideal but unheard of.  As is the case for most thing, a balance between irrigation and rain water is necessary.