For the first time in its history, the front nine greens of the Narooma Golf Course will thrive with an irrigation system.
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The system is almost 50 per cent more efficient than the 40-year-old system of the back nine greens, says general manager Dominic Connaughton.
Course superintendent Scott Harris introduced the new irrigation to members at a function on Friday, November 19.
Mr Harris said 238 sprinklers were installed and cost $305 each. Each sprinkler feeds live information every five seconds to the maintenance shed.
"Sprinklers on the greens and fairways talk independently to each other," he said.
Members watched outside as he activated the sprinklers from his mobile phone.
"I can be overseas and shoot you with water on the third green," Mr Harris joked to members.
Before there was irrigation, staff would begin their shift at 3am to manually water the greens, carting hoses that connected to taps.
Mr Harris said the sprinklers will run on 20 minute cycles, twice a week, weather depending.
"You can change the radius of the spray from 360 degrees to 180 or 160 degrees, which is handy to conserve water," Mr Harris said.
Mr Connaughton was disappointed the club has been unsuccessful in grant funding towards irrigation.
He said members funded the new Rainbird irrigation system which cost $650,000 and a further $650,000 was needed to replace the old system on the back nine greens.
"It is constantly being fixed; we don't want to waste water," he said.
"We have had no support from any of the levels of government. We have applied for numerous grants over the years and don't know where to go from here."
Mr Connaughton said the Narooma Golf Course is the only course on the South Coast that does not have access to greywater - something the club has been pressuring the council and local government to support for years.
The Narooma Sewage Treatment Plant is at Kianga and the council said there were no plans to bring greywater to the golf course in the near future.
"It is not economically feasible to transfer treated effluent from Kianga to the Narooma Golf Course," a council spokesperson said.
Currently, the course's main water supply was from three dams which hold approximately 45 megalitres.
The Narooma Golf Course is a huge drawcard for the South Coast and this year it ranked 18th on the list of Australia's best public access golf courses.
Mr Connaughton said the club would continue to apply for grants and welcomes any support from the council or government to help the club thrive well into the future.
