A coastal golf course takes back control

Regional Victoria’s Warrnambool Golf Club is renowned for its expertly designed golf course, featuring spectacular elevated tee blocks, spacious tree-lined fairways and the ever-present coastal sea breeze adding to the challenge.

Located on rolling sandy terrain and nestled on the edge of The Shipwreck Coast, this scenic club is notably recognised as the former stomping ground of PGA Tour Professional Marc Leishman.

However, the club’s aged and wearing irrigation booster pump system was experiencing general issues resulting in increased maintenance and callouts that were putting a strain on the course's irrigation.

The system was recently upgraded by Brown Brothers Engineers in conjunction with Shanahan Electric Motors in a bid to provide course staff with greater performance control and monitoring, an issue they had been experiencing with the old system.

Many sleepless nights

The existing pump set at the golf course was needing frequent maintenance and upkeep due to its age while the control panel was an older style build that did not offer the desired pump protection, useability, and alerts that the golf course required.

This presented several problems that caused the groundskeeping staff significant distress. One problem was that the system was at high risk of a blowout leak that had the potential to drain the entire dam out onto the course, causing significant damage and clean-up. This was particularly problematic also because the dam serves as the main source of irrigation water for the course.

In the event of a blowout or burst pipe, the pressure would drop drastically and see the pump operating against ‘open head’, essentially resulting in the water being discharged freely into the air. Due to the limitations of the existing control panel in place, there were no additional safeguards that would register such a large pressure drop and ensure the pumps wouldn’t operate at such a large flow rate.

With the existing system having already suffered a blowout leak in 2021, groundskeeping staff were keen to eliminate the risk and prevent this from reoccurring in the future.

Additionally, the pumps frequently experienced airlocks that stopped the flow of water and halted irrigation. At the time, this was occurring almost every week. According to Brenton Clarke, course superintendent, “The old pumps had multiple issues that gave us many sleepless nights. Driving through the gates at 4:30am and not seeing the water spray over the driveway would automatically make a gruelling day even more stressful.”

Access from anywhere: A remote solution

When Shanahan Electric Motors in Warrnambool was contacted by the Warrnambool Golf Club, they consulted with Brown Brothers Engineers regarding a solution to the course’s irrigation problem.

As a solution, Lowara e-SV vertical multistage pumps, renowned for their hydraulics and high-efficiency design, were employed by the team to replace the existing pumps and provide maximum efficiency and lower lifecycle costs.

The Lowara e-SV was the ideal option, not only due to its efficiency, hydraulic capabilities and ability to fit into the existing footprint of the previous pump system, but more importantly, no major manifold works were required upon installation.

Alongside the new pumps, an INCA control panel was also installed providing better system control and useability than the existing model.

The panel is equipped with a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) for each pump, which allows them to communicate with each other and adapt to varying demand levels. This means that the system can adjust to match demand, using a single pump or multiple pumps as needed.

A key benefit of the new custom panel was the ability for remote access through smartphones to view and monitor the status and operation of the pumps. This was of huge importance to groundskeeping staff who were initially unaware remote access was a possibility until it was highlighted during the planning phase.

This feature greatly enhanced the course’s ability to monitor the system and respond quickly to any potential issues. Mr Clarke said, “I can constantly see if the pumps are running or whether the pressure is dropping. It’s even great when old gate valves don’t shut and we need to turn the water off. Instead of driving across the course wasting more time to turn the pumps off and squandering water, having the ability to remotely shut off the pumps has alleviated this extra work.”

Of further benefit, the INCA panel supplied provides the course with superior safeguards and alert technology than its predecessor.

The panel has a setting that would register a lower pressure than the pumps’ combined maximum flow rate and would subsequently pull the pumps out of operation in the event of a drastic drop in pressure. This means that excessive flows or burst pipes would not lead to pump cavitation and failure, giving course staff greater peace of mind.

Irrigation upgrade a hole-in-one

With the new irrigation booster pump system installed and fully operational, Warrnambool Golf Club now has a reliable new system that offers trouble-free pumping with less downtime and callouts for maintenance and repairs.

The club has seen a reduction in power consumption due to increased efficiencies of the Lowara pumps employed with the combined benefits of the VSD’s.

When asked about the new system, Mr Clarke said there has not been a single issue since installation. “After experiencing the first summer with the new vertical Lowara pumps I can say the service and quality have been second to none, with no teething issues at all. Brown Brothers came out onsite to set up and adjust any specifications required to the club’s needs.”

“With the install happening over a challenging time the team installed it in great efficiency, allowing me to manage the turf as best as possible, especially as the weather conditions changed dramatically.”

Furthermore, the ability to view the new control panel remotely has proven to be of great benefit to the course, with technicians at Brown Brothers Engineers and INCA Control also having access to the panel virtually. This has allowed for settings changes or re-programming to be performed efficiently without the need for on-site visits.

This was no more evident than several weeks post-installation when Brown Brothers Engineers were asked to fine-tune and reduce pressure across the entire build. They were able to access the panel remotely from their Melbourne office and make the required changes without any major maintenance shutdowns or visits to the course.

Mr Clarke added, “Having the Brown Brothers team on call gives us great reassurance while also helping any operator get through questions or problems that may occur.”

Overall, the upgrade highlights the significant benefits that investing in reliable pumps and modern technology can bring to golf courses and their irrigation capabilities. "It’s great for the club to invest in a product I know will be reliable and have the support behind them to help with whatever may occur."