June 3, 2013

For the past few years we have been using a soil moisture meter to determine when and how much to water our greens. In the past we had used soil probes to pull a small plug of soil from the green to determine the soil moisture. Although this method worked well, it was inconsistent because each person who probed interpreted the look and feel of the soil differently, and so it happened that depending on who did the sampling, more or less water that was needed was applied. The meter takes this inconsistency out of the equation.

The meter works by measuring the electrical conductivity of the soil and converting this data into a percentage of soil moisture. It is very accurate and gives us solid data on which to make our watering decisions.

During the growing season, a trained staff member probes every green each morning. The greens are probed in at least ten different locations and these readings are averaged for the green. When these readings drop below a certain percentage, it’s time to apply water.  Because our greens are “push- up’s” and their soils are not the same throughout the course, different greens have different thresholds, or percentages, that tell us when to water. Over the years we have recorded the daily averages of each green and its wilt point and have learned the thresholds and how much water it will take to put us where we want to be. Some greens are watered for less time and fewer days than others.

As we probe each green, we can see which areas are wetter/ drier than others. If the threshold is met in some areas but not in others, we hand water the drier areas rather than the entire green, which helps balance the percentage throughout the green, and save water. We only water the entire green when its thresholds are met throughout the green.

Since we have been using this scientific method to determine water moisture, watering has become more complicated, and requires more labor to probe, hand water, track data, and set up irrigation programs. The payoff though, is firmer and healthier greens, which is very much worth it.