Hitting The Links

Entering the golf course irrigation market can bring both profit and peril.

By Brian E. Vinchesi

Do you like to, play golf? Do you spend your week installing irrigation systems and your weekends out on the links? Have you thought about mixing the two and having the best of both worlds? Well then, have someone pinch you, because it is time to wake up.

Golf course irrigation is very challenging and not for everyone. Indeed, many contractors have gone out of business doing golf course irrigation. In contrast, there are contractors who have become rich focusing on golf.

An irrigation system on a golf course is not just a matter of installing larger pipe and bigger sprinklers. It is a whole different entity.

Golf course systems are bigger and more sophisticated than other types of systems. There is a big difference between installing 2-inch pipe and 14-inch pipe. Keeping track of 24 wires going to one controller is different than routing four different colors of wires, along with power and communication wires, to 18 different controllers having 60 or more wires each.

There are many materials and processes on golf course irrigation systems that you or your crews may not have worked with before. These include: gasketed pipe, ductile iron fittings, thrust blocks, grounding grids, Cadweld connectors, swing joints, valve-in-head sprinklers, weather stations, computers, antennas, HDPE pipe, lightning protection systems, air relief valves and ringtite or flanged gate valves. In order to properly understand how these items need to be installed or fit into the system, considerable expertise is needed or you will make mistakes, making the customer mad and costing you money. The expertise must eitherbe hired or obtained in other ways.

EQUIPMENT

Installing an irrigation system at a golf course requires a different equipment mix than other types of irrigation systems. Such equipment may require increased training among your crew to ensure proper operation.

Take, for example, the process of installing pipe. Trenchers are trenchers, but a large, ride-on version will be needed for the 6- and 8-inch pipe you install at a golf course. A backhoe will suffice for jobs involving as large as 14-inch pipe, but if there is larger pipe to be installed, you will need an excavator.

Not any excavator will do. Move a steel-tracked excavator out onto the course and watch a superintendent lose his cool. Rubber cleats will be required.

Further, not all the material that comes out of the trench will go back in, as there are significant pipe sizes taking up the space. You will need some way to haul this excess material to a dumpsite, which is hopefully on the golf course. This will require a small dump truck or tractor-and-trailer combination. Large dump trucks cause too much damage.

The trenching on a golf course needs to be backfilled so that it returns to original grade. Many installers make the mistake of not properly compacting the trench after it has been filled. This can allow the trench to settle and become an eyesore. In fact, all golf course irrigation contracts require proper compaction of trenches. Specialized equipment is required to compact trenches properly.

Additionally, if the lateral piping is being trenched it will also have to be compacted. If piping is being pulled in with pulling equipment (larger than used for commercial irrigation), the pull lines will, nine times out of 10, also have to be compacted. A trench line might utilize a hand tamper or a jumping jack (engine-driven, hand-held compactor), but the most economical compactor is one made for the job. Several manufacturers produce these specialized pieces of equipment, but they are expensive. Pull lines are commonly compacted with small, ride-on, vibratory rollers such as one might use on a driveway, thus requiring another piece of specialized equipment.

Since there is limited access on a golf course, you will be restricted as to how many and what type of vehicles can be utilized. Some small golf-type utility vehicles such as a Gator or Workman would be a good idea for ferry around your crew and their equipment. Materials and equipment need to get out on the golf course too. Walking 20 feet of pipe one section at a time across the golf course is not economical. A pipe rack of some type will be needed.

ROCK

The fact that larger equipment is needed to remove rock is only one part of the "rock problem." The amount of rock on a golf course is usually just an estimate, a "best guess." This guess could be high, low or pulled out of thin air. The amount of rock on site is important, because the more rock the longer the installation time, the more restoration required and the higher the costs. In many cases rock cutting/removal is considered an extra service, thus allowing contractors to price accordingly. However, if the amount of rock exceeds the budget, the course management is not happy and, as a result, you are not happy.

Because rock is an extra, it needs to be quantified. The quantification procedure will be set in stone so nobody pays any extra without detailed back up. The individual loads of rock will need to be ''checked and approved.

WIRING

On a golf course irrigation system there are hundreds of miles of wire, all in different sizes, types and colors. Normally, there are specialty wires for the weather station, pump and central communication. There are 24-volt power and common wires for sprinklers and valves. There are 120 volt or 220-volt power wires to the controllers. Each wire that goes into "the trench will have a protocol for how it enters the controller.

The level of sophistication will require contractors to hire an electrician. Code requirements will necessitate the use of higher voltage wiring, circuit breaker connections and the like. You will have to be careful with polarities and do communication checks. You will need to install some wire in conduit, but most will be direct burial.

There will be many different types of wire splices and connections. This will take several weeks. Each controller needs to be grounded. Specialized equipment is used and training will be required.

RESTORATION

All of the miles of trench you dig need to be restored, unless the project is a new construction. On an existing course, the management will expect the turf to be in the same or better condition following installation than before you arrived. This will require topdressing, mulch, seed, water and fertilizer. Most likely, you will pay for these materials.

If you are lucky, you might be sodding, but you will need to decide if you are using new sod or stripping the required sod beforehand. Stripping sod will require a sod cutter (more expense) and you will need to determine who is responsible for watering the sod. Most likely, at least a portion of the stripped sod will not be in an irrigated area. Likewise, all seed areas are unlikely to be in irrigated areas and will require watering. Further, seeding will probably not cover all trenches satisfactorily in the first try.

EXPERIENCE

Although you might have the expertise and the knowledge to install golf irrigation systems either through previous employment, seminars or self-study, that does not mean you have the experience. In the golf market, outside parties, such as professional irrigation consultants, civil engineers, irrigation distributors or manufacturers, will design the majority of the systems. To be awarded a golf course project, you commonly need to have had previous experience installing golf systems -- typically three to five courses over only a few years depending on the qualification requirements.

VERSATILITY

On many irrigation system installations the contractor has the ability to get in and out. On golf course systems you need to be patient and versatile. There are plenty of things to interfere with your productivity, including daily play on the course, frost, tournaments and outings. The contract for most golf outings, and your installation contract, more than likely states that all 18 holes must be available for play. So the day of a scheduled outing, you will need to be at another job or find something to do that does not close a hole from play. Try not to start the project until most of the tournaments and outings are complete for the year.

Frost delays in the winter are inevitable on existing golf courses in many locations. Frost conditions mean your crew and equipment cannot go out on the turf without causing damage.

One of the many challenges of golf course work is the installation of larger pipe (6 to 14").

OVERSIGHT

The level of construction observation is much more intense on a golf course. If you are lucky, such observation may be the superintendent checking in a few times a day and the designer on an occasional basis. However, the supervision can also include someone from the maintenance staff, such as the irrigation technician, who is assigned to your crew for the duration of the jo, or a golf club member.

You will have to follow the design exactly and install the system per the specifications. Someone will be responsible for enforcing the intent of the design and specifications. You will be required to install the system under strict criteria and someone will make sure that you follow that criteria. Your invoices will be scrutinized more than you may be accustom to and the equipment supplier will also be around to comment on your work, hopefully providing assistance where needed.

ADMINISTRATION/OVERHEAD

Because you are going to be on the job for a relatively long period of time, you need to make, provisions on the job that you may not be familiar with. You will need trailers to store materials and possibly equipment. You may need to have a fenced-in staging area for security. An office trailer with electricity, phone and fax may be needed. A dumpster will be needed, and it should be emptied on a regular basis. A portable bathroom is also necessary because most courses severely restrict building access by contractors.

Additionally, increased insurance will be required. Golf course installation projects are large-dollar contracts, so the insurance for liability and vehicles usually require higher rates.Blasting rock requires increased insurance coverage. You can figure on your workmens'compensation rates increasing as well, as on a long project like this someone will probably have, or think they have, a work-related injury. In most cases, you will be required to insure all of the materials on site against damage, fire and theft. This will require an additional policy or a rider on your existing policy, thus further adding to overhead costs.

Inevitably, subcontractors will be required and their costs must be considered. You will have a large crew installing the system, as you will be required to install 18 holes of golf in as little time as possible. All of these employees may need to be transported back and forth from the site, not to mention your equipment. You will need lots of fuel for equipment, requiring portable tanks or frequent deliveries.

Lastly, large projects like golf course irrigation systems manufacturer paperwork. The easy way to lose money is to be lazy with the paperwork.Someone needs to be assigned and dedicated to managing the project's paperwork of the project. Schedules will need to be developed, materials ordered (on a continuing basis) as well as change orders and payment requisitions prepared. You will need to communicate with the client on a regular basis. There may be a weekly update meeting with the board or irrigation committee that you, as owner, need to attend.

Overhead assigned to the project can be substantially higher than on other projects. The project will finally be installed and finished, but there will still be training (several days), operating and maintenance manuals, detailed record drawings and demobilization as well as warranty, start up and possibly winterization costs. There goes the profit, which was too low to begin with.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

As much as you may not like lawyers and the fees they charge, you will need one. The lawyer should review the contract, especially if it is provided by the golf course. The lawyer will also come in handy in negotiations for payments or settlement at the end of the project. If things go bad, you might have to lien the project. You may also need the lawyer to deal with subcontractors or suppliers. You might have to fight liquidated damage or penalty charges.

Further, you may need your accountant to provide audited books, certified payroll or other financial records.

CASH FLOW

A large golf project requires cash for efficient installation and to ensure profit. There are large, up-front outlays that need to be covered. In the first month there will be outlays for mobilization and materials. Materials cost can be 40 to 60 percent of the project cost, and the supplier does not like to play banker.

You may have to put down a deposit on rented or leased equipment, trailers and a pump station. Payroll may escalate due to the size of the project. You will use more equipment and your travel costs may be higher.

Rarely are there deposits in golf course irrigation, so short payment terms should be negotiated into your contract to help with cash flow. The golf course will hopefully pay you per the terms or on a timely basis, but if they are unhappy with you they may hold back payments.

Additionally, there will be a retainage (10 percent on labor or 5 percent on the entire job) that will eat into profit or be all the profit you might have, as margins are low in golf irrigation. Be prepared to use cash reserves early or arrange financing.

RESPECT AND ETIQUETTE

When working on a golf course, especially an up-scale country club, the contractor and his employees are expected to know the game of golf, its rules and etiquette. The golf course will strictly enforce those rules and will not appreciate any of your employees who do not follow them.

These unwritten rules include such things as waiting for people to hit a shot before moving equipment by their path or creating noise, be it equipment noise or the routine noise involved in any irrigation installation. Greens, bunkers and tees should also be avoided unless traversing them is unavoidable. I know of one contractor who fines his employees $15 if they step on a green without due cause.

Proper dress is also an issue on golf courses, i.e. bare chests are not allowed. Language is also a consideration, not only what is said in terms of bad language, but how loud it is said and in front of whom. Respecting play includes being quiet.

A golf course has a lot of equipment and a mechanic. Remember that the equipment belongs to the golf course. Use of their equipment is always poor etiquette, and asking the mechanic for help with your equipment is a faux pas.

CONCLUSION

Well, after all this, if you are still thinking golf course irrigation installation may be an option for you, you will need to get some experience. The best way is to start out small, doing major repairs or small expansions to existing golf course systems. Do a driving range or a small par 3 course.

Respect the golf course and the turf and do good work. Your actions and quality of work will speak for themselves and you will get the opportunity to bid and work on larger projects, eventually working up to the entire course.

The golf market will only give you one shot. Superintendents have long memories and they all talk to each other on a regular basis. A bad reference will not go away. Good references will grow your experience.

The author is a Certified Irrigation Designer and principal of Irrigation Consulting Inc., a Pepperell, Mass.-based irrigation design and consulting firm.

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