Crystal Downs Replacement Initiative

At this prestigious outdated golf course, to see a superintendent embarked on a ambitious journey to revamping an antique irrigation structure isn’t no surprise trick—what’s super noteworthy though, is one remaining around long enough to makeover it not just once, but two times.

Mikey Morris, the head honcho of the buildings and maintaining team, along with the modest caretaker, Mr. Don Roth been integral to the first makeover back in 1992 at our Crystal Downs. A decade or so passed, a sort of improvised solution really extended that life span of it, giving them a golden window to meticulously select an advanced irrigation system that boasted of the hottest technology! back and performance excellence.

Course Info

• 18 holes layout, stretching for 6,560 yards
• Whipped up in 1931 by the respected Alister MacKenzie
• Haves the #14 spot in the U.S., as per Golf Digest 2023

Key Contributors

• Building & Ground Chief: Mike Morris
• Golf Course Caretaker stuff: Don Roth
• Greens Chief: David Rosenberger
• Advisory : Is Paul Granger, of ASIC, Aqua Agronomic Solutions, Inc.
• Executing Company: Leibold Irrigation Inc.,
• Supplies Distributor; SiteOne

The path to overhauling an ancient irrigation system on this golf course, so historic. Isn’t a tale that unheard of— it’s the length of tenure which is long enough to shake up systems twice, that deviates from what’s usually done?!

Related: Old Town Club

Morris and Roth heavily contributed to the setup of Crystal Down’s former system like in 1992. Their ingenious plans a decade later kept it functioning, creating a path that everyone can walk through to elect a newer golf course watering (irrigation) set up that carried premiere technology, back and operation expertise along with it.

Zeroing toward the Optimal Selection

Here’s the comprehensive blueprint of how they arrived to this worthwhile solution, noting down each step of their adventurous journey.

1. Rolling out a Short-Term Solution to Buy Time.
   Previously, the irrigation network sufficiently serviced the entire course, as Morris pointedly pointed out, it teetered the edge of becoming redundant. “The watering spanned, two and three rows, dampening the fairways and rough terrain that gets intertwined with areas we fondly nickname Wilderness.” Morris detailed in detail.
   Green grass can make a golf game feel like a Sunday picnic, but when it’s not, it can feel like a desert adventure.
2. Embarking upon Renovations and Extracting Lessons.
   Morris, Roth and Granger, along with the seasoned green chairperson—David Rosenberger took upon themselves to visit ventures like Rain Bird and others specializing in irrigation, plunging into the depths of technologies they showcased. The wisdom gained from their experiences with recently overhauled systems was not only educational but also, insightful
3. Assessing Other Options and Making the Final Decision.
   Rain Bird was chosen as the winner, like immediately! Morris reflects back, “the Rain Bird IC System was already in the market and it gelled well with us. The competing brands seemed to lack robustness. Rain Bird’s required less maintenance and had fewer cables underground. Its technology and its mobile support made the decision simple.
4. Bringing this System Upgrade to Life.
   2 decades of contemplation, strategic planning and careful implementation later; Leibold executed the installation of all the new lines and sprinkler heads that sprayed life onto the greens in just 5 months. Morris says, “The craftsmanship was key, ain’t no two ways about it, the know-how of two-wire splicing and HDPE piping was indispensable.”