Golf Kit
maintain optimum soil moisture all the time. It also reduces water lost to wind and evaporation, and avoids problems of erosion or collapse around bunkers. Bunker sand stays dry as well.
But better yet, underground DL2000 drip systems on a golf course eliminate the problem of interfering with golfers’ play, and as Hawkins says, they greatly reduce the time and expense of hand- watering.
“With the drip, you can schedule your irrigation to apply water at the rate you need to meet your turf demands and
The new DL2000 system provides ideal watering for bunker surrounds.
soil conditions,” says Bill Carroll, Drip Irrigation District Manager for Toro. “You can even irrigate while people are teeing off, and they don’t know what’s going on because the water is applied subsurface.”
“It’s worked out fantastically. If I had the opportunity, I’d put it around all of my bunkers,” says David Emmons, golf course superintendent at the private, 27- hole Longboat Key Club in Longboat Key, Florida. “With the ability to supply water to stressed turf at any time of the day, the convenience is outstanding.”
Located on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, Longboat Key faces environmental stresses such as salt air and
“There was a particular bunker that always looked weak around the edges,” says Emmons. “We just couldn’t get enough water on it without hand- watering, and we don’t have the manpower for that.”
After agreeing to try the DL2000, that bunker was one of the first places Emmons installed it.
“Within weeks it was greener than it
had ever been,” he says. “That really gave it the help it needed.”
Pre-packaged Solution Makes Installation Simple
Subsurface drip irrigation may seem like a radical step for some. To minimize concerns about such a different approach, Toro made the choice easier by creating a complete,
installation kit. All the parts needed to implement DL2000 literally come in one box, and are labeled for easy identification.
“We knew that people might be unfamiliar with these parts and fittings, so we had the idea to put all the components in a kit with easy-
dramatically simplified with one hose diameter, emitter spacing and flowrate. You don’t need to worry about acquiring fittings or anything. It all goes together quite easily.”
There are four separate DL2000 System kits for different uses.
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nA Tee Box System Kit that includes Airjection® with flow range of 2 to 20 gpm and system capacity up to 2500 linear feet.
nAn Additional Zone Kit containing a 500’ roll of DL2000 with fittings is available for applications where extra dripline is required.
The Tee Box Kit also includes Toro’s unique,
“You just peel back the existing turf, do the installation, put the turf back over, then water it down and you’re good to go,” explains Baird. “Usually you can do it in about a day.”
“They basically just opened the turf and tucked it in,” says Emmons about his DL2000 installation. “Soon you couldn’t even tell they’d been there.”
Protection Against Roots
Years of experience with subsurface irrigation in landscapes has taught Toro a lot about improving it. For example, a common problem for years was root intrusion, as aggressive roots would grow toward the water and clog the emitters.
Toro solved this problem with its exclusive, patented ROOTGUARD® technology that impregnates the DL2000 emitters with Treflan® herbicide. It forms a
In addition to bunkers and tees, the flexible and adaptable DL2000 System kits can be used around lakes, hardscapes and any areas that are hard to target with conventional
“DL2000 is a great solution that’s remarkably simple,” Carroll concludes. “It’s a
bunkers with drip.”
Treflan® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences.
Airjection® is a registered trademark of Mazzei Injector Corporation.