The Dubai-based Emirates Golf Club has received an Efficient Use of Resources Award from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) for the Club’s highly focused and sustained approach to water management and irrigation efficiency, where pressure on the vital resource is enormous. Since investing in state-of-the-art Toro® golf irrigation technologies, the Club has reduced its irrigation water consumption by more than 30 percent.
The award was presented during the 2015 IAGTO Awards Gala Dinner, which took place at Villa Erba on Lake Como in Italy on the final night of the International Golf Travel Market, the golf tourism industry’s annual global trade show. As part of their partnership with Golf Environment Organization(GEO), IAGTO recognized environmental and social excellence at the 15th annual awards ceremony. The sustainability awards have rewarded and raised awareness of the work being done by many of IAGTO’s 800 golf courses and golf resorts around the world.
The Emirates Golf Club’s award-winning achievements are the result of a complete irrigation system renovation completed in late 2012. System upgrades included Toro innovations such as the Lynx® Central Control System, Network VP Satellites and Toro golf sprinklers. These products help ensure that the Club’s Majlis Course is properly watered, while making the most efficient use of precious resources such as water, electricity and labor.
Director of golf course maintenance for Dubai Golf which manages Emirates Golf Club, Craig Haldane commented: “Our decision to install a Toro system was an easy one. The technologies that Toro continue to innovate gave us the opportunity to really fine tune how we apply water and to quite literally micro manage any area of the course. With the help of a magnificent software program in Lynx, we have better control to improve our efficiency and therefore meet some of the key performance indicators that are set. Water savings in this part of the world is a responsibility we take very seriously and, along with other key initiatives, the irrigation system has allowed us to be efficient with every drop that goes out, creating savings that before we had only dreamed of and that today are a reality.”
Precise irrigation control has allowed the Club to avoid overwatering, which was a long-term problem due to the area’s extreme humidity. The irrigation system design also implements the use of treated sewage effluent (TSE) for optimized resource efficiency. In addition, the renovated irrigation system includes a new pump station that can provide up to 6,500 gallons of TSE water per minute. This increased pump capacity has resulted in a significant reduction in watering times.
Efficient and reliable irrigation is required for successful golf turf maintenance in Dubai, where the climate features extreme heat and humidity. Year-round, Dubai’s average daily high temperature is 33.4 C (92 F), and in the summer the average daily high is over 38 C (100 F). Rainfall is scarce (only 94.3 mm/3.7 in. on average annually), but conditions are extremely humid in this city on the Persian Gulf.
Despite the hot, humid climate, the innovative, easy-to-operate Toro irrigation technology allows the Majlis Course staff to create and maintain championship-quality golf landscapes – and conserve valuable resources, as recognized by the prestigious IAGTO sustainability award.
“It is a tremendous honour to receive this award for our work to improve efficiencies at the Majlis Course,” said Christopher May, chief executive officer of Dubai Golf. “Toro’s irrigation technology has been instrumental in helping us conserve precious resources while also maintaining a consistent level of excellence for our members and our visitors.”
The Majlis Course is the flagship course at Emirates Golf Club. Located on the edge of the city of Dubai, it is a challenging par 72, 7,301-yard course designed by architect Karl Litten. The first grass golf course in the Middle East, its landscapes include abundant desert flora along with lush turf grass fairways and greens. The Majlis Course has been the site of numerous European Tour championship events as well as high-profile events on the Ladies European Tour. It is the first golf course in the Middle East to utilize the Toro Lynx Central Control system.
The Toro Company www.toro.com
Emirates Golf Club www.dubaigolf.com/emirates-golf-club.aspx
Dubai Golf www.dubaigolf.com