Sep 25, 2009 4:44 pm US/Eastern
Green Scene: Greener Golf Courses
ARDMORE, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
How do you keep grass green on a golf course, without using more water and chemicals than you have to?
Now technology is helping golf courses do just that.
Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, known for its beautiful courses, is used to hosting prestigious golf tournaments.
But pumping in thousands of gallons of water a night to keep the greens green wasn't exactly green.
"We are desperately trying to minimize our water usage, because eventually it will be a commodity," said Matt Schaffer, director of golf course operations for Merion Golf Course.
So Schaeffer turned to technology, using wireless sensors called UGMO, an underground monitoring system.
The sensors measure moisture, temperature, and salinity in the soil.
"So this is essentially like having a CAT scan," said Schaffer.
"We know what's available to the plant and consequently, we know what the plant is going to be able to utilize."
Skeptical at first that computers could help, Schaffer says he ended up learning a lot, especially about caring for grass in extreme weather conditions like this summer.
"I always thought the coolest time of the day was 5:30 a.m.," Schaffer said.
"In fact, we found it was 3 a.m.
So we moved around our crews to come in earlier to cut the greens, and the grass started to recover."
Since using these sensors, water consumption went down 10 percent to 15 percent.
Most importantly, chemical use plummeted.
The course now saves between a million and 1.5 million gallons a year in water.
There are about 150 sensors or UGMOs all over Merion Golf Course, but you can't see them because they're hidden underground.
"No superintendent could dream of doing his job without a computer," said Schaffer.
The next best thing to hitting a hole in one.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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