Rain Bird, internationally renowned golf irrigation manufacturer, has held a training day at Gleneagles which was attended by course managers and staff from golf courses across Scotland and northern England. The event was organised by Mark Ganning, Rain Bird’s field service manager for the UK and Ireland. For new users it provided an introduction to the company’s computerised control systems and for those already familiar with the systems it was a useful refresher.
“Irrigation technology has made massive advances in the last decade,” explains Mark Ganning, “especially with the introduction of ever more powerful personal computers which have enabled sophisticated systems to be managed from a desktop. Effective water resource management and its associated environmental implications are very important. It is therefore imperative that users of any one of our control systems know how to operate them in the most appropriate manner.
“The duties of the golf course manager are becoming more diverse and lifetime learning is now part of the culture. That’s why this training session, demonstrating the simple and effective use of Windows-based new technology, has proved to be such a success with the delegates who attended.”
The format of the day was to provide delegates with an overview of Cirrus, Nimbus II and Status II, the three central control systems from Rain Bird’s “simply intelligent” software portfolio.
Scott Fenwick, golf maintenance co-ordinator for Gleneagles King’s and Queen’s courses, said, “We have invested over £500,000 in our Rain Bird system and it has proved a most worthwhile investment. The flexibility of the software that includes the ability to upgrade through their range of control packages without the need for major re-training is a huge benefit and, in my opinion, far superior than their competitors. I thought that it was a fascinating learning experience and provided an excellent insight into the software options available. Irrigation and its effect on the environment is an important issue and these control systems enable course managers to act responsibly when it comes to water conservation.”