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very now and then somebody comes up with a dif-
ferent and better way to use popular technology to
solve an old problem. That’s just what happened at
Toro Irrigation.
For years, Toro has offered subsurface “drip” irrigation
systems for specialized applications in landscape and agriculture.
Drip irrigation — named for its slow, consistent delivery of
small amounts of moisture — provides water-savings and other
benefits through its efficient distribution process, and when
installed below ground, it’s invisible.
Recently, Toro engineers were inspired to try subsurface
drip systems on golf courses. Although the industry already
had a tremendous range of versatile, adjustable sprinklers and
controllers, superintendents still had
hard-to-water areas, such as tee
boxes and bunker surrounds.
“There really isn’t a golf
course out there that hasn’t
struggled with that at some
time,” says Michele Baird,
Product Marketing
Manager for Toro, one
of the people behind the
idea. “They’re usually
hand-watering those areas,
and that may cause problems
in bunkers. It’s also not a good use of time. So we’re hoping
when they see this, the light bulb will go on.”
Early Successes
Two years ago, Toro began installing its existing DL2000
®
Series Subsurface Irrigation System on selected golf courses.
Those applications have proven so successful, the company is
now introducing DL2000 to the golf industry.
“For us, it’s been a home run,” says Dan Hawkins, golf
course superintendent at The Club at Flying Horse in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. Hawkins installed DL2000 drip systems on
three fairway bunkers at the upscale course in 2004.
“One of our biggest labor costs was hand-watering bunker
fingers,” he explains. “They tend to dry out during the day, so
you either spend labor dollars or put in supplemental irrigation.
DL2000 has really cut down our costs. I’d rather do the drip
because I know it works.”
How Subsurface Irrigation Works
The DL2000 uses underground polyethylene tubing with
regularly spaced inline emitters. The subsurface network hooks
into your existing control system and operates with its own
separate control valve.
DL2000 provides many valuable advantages. Agronomically,
subsurface drip irrigation enables you to apply precise amounts
of water directly to the root zones of your turfgrass and
Introducing DL2000 System Golf Kit
New Subsurface Irrigation Saves Time, Solves Problems
8
DL2000 System Golf Kit