If only irrigating a golf course was as simple as spelling H-2-O. Instead, superintendents often find themselves torn between babying their bentgrass and obligating their enablers.

There's the electric company, handing out penalties to anyone caught hogging all the juice during the a.m. crunch.

There's the waterman, demanding that a minimum amount of effluent be used each week.

There's the conservationist, measuring overuse of the good stuff by the thimble.

Water Watch

And there are the ever-present golfers, ready to hit the links, sans live sprinklers, at daybreak.

"The modern superintendent serves many masters," says Jeff Kiewel, the national sales and marketing manager for Rain Bird's golf division.

In the meantime, near perfection is expected of the superintendent in the quest for flawless playing conditions. Accomplishing that in the northeast United States is difficult enough; doing so in the more arid parts of the country represents survival of the wettest.

Look in the Mirror

"Irrigation management is the most crucial part of our operation. It's probably 80 percent to 90 percent of what makes a good golf course a good golf course in Arizona," says Ernie Pock, the superintendent at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. "If we can manage our water, we can produce a very good playing surface."

Are clubs succeeding? In terms of irrigation uniformity, a primary determinant of waste, they are not, according to the American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC). Independent consultant Jim Barrett, citing ASIC data, says the majority of U.S. courses have uniformity figures in the 50s and 60s rather than the acceptable level of 80 out of 100.

"(Scores of) 50 and 60 are terrible; a terrible waste of water, a terrible waste of power," says Barrett, the president of James Barrett Associates Inc., based in Roseland, N.J. "You need as uniform coverage as you can have and as efficient a system as you can have. The good superintendents are very concerned with precision of irrigation."

An audit of an irrigation system can determine if sprinklers are properly spaced.

Checking the list The first step toward improving water management is to have an irrigation system evaluated about every five years by a third party, such as a certified golf irrigation auditor (CGIA). An audit can do one of two things: 1) reveal simple changes that may lead to upgrades in the system's performance and efficiency; or 2) produce a cost-justification analysis for the superintendent wishing to replace or upgrade the irrigation system.

Differentiating between complete system renovation and upgrading is vital to the bottom line, considering a new system ranges between $700,000 and $2 million, while replacing sprinkler heads and their controllers can be a third of that cost.

"Audit costs are very reasonable, especially in light of the fact that they usually easily pay for themselves through system operating cost savings, not to mention improved course playability," says Rich Dunn, the golf rotor product manager for Hunter Industries.