It goes without saying that managing water is one of the most important aspects of any superintendent’s job. The inability to deliver water to turf in need translates into significant stress being placed on that turf. Having a backup plan, like a water wagon, ensures that water can be delivered to areas that need it most should the irrigation system be unavailable for any reason.
Jayson Griffiths, director of agronomy and grounds at London Hunt and Country Club (LHCC) in London, Ontario, invested in a water wagon so areas of the course, especially putting greens, could be hand watered while a new irrigation system was being installed. For a period of time, the old irrigation system was offline, but the new system was not yet functional. Rather than rely on Mother Nature to deliver timely rain, a member of the agronomic team was assigned the water wagon to hand water putting greens that could not otherwise be irrigated.
The setup consists of a 525-gallon tank, 2-inch trash pump and an automatic hose reel. Jayson noted how a recirculating line was added, so the nozzle can be closed without having to turn off the pump. Considering that 525 gallons of water weighs over 2 tons, a properly sized tractor must be available to haul a load such as this around a golf course. For reference, a Kubota 6060 tractor is used at LHCC.
A piece of equipment like a water wagon is an insurance policy. The agronomic team at LHCC used it for support as the first phase of their renovation project began in 2022. However, a water wagon would certainly be valuable should a section of the irrigation system need to be isolated for longer than expected while a repair is made or to water sod that was installed while the irrigation system is winterized.
For more turf tips like the one mentioned in this article, reach out to your regional agronomist.
Central Region Agronomists:
Paul Jacobs, agronomist – pjacobs@usga.org
Zach Nicoludis, agronomist – znicoludis@usga.org