Club splashes out to irrigate greens

Te Awamutu Bowling Club is buying in water to keep its green pristine, after a ban on outdoor water use introduced by the Waipa¯ District Council.

Low stream levels feeding the Te Awamutu supply forced the council to make the tough decision to go to water alert level 4 for the first time in the district’s history. The ban also applies to Pirongia and O¯ haupo¯ .

Te Awamutu Bowling Club green superintendent Richard Death said normally the club would use a trickle feed from the town water supply to irrigate the green.

‘‘The council requires us to stop using town water supply but our green still needs to be irrigated.

‘‘We’ve got a small amount of storage capacity but we’ll be buying in our own water to maintain the green.’’

The council helped the club put up some signs, to signal it was using its own water and not the town supply.

‘‘If people want to ring up the council and check, they can do that.’’

He said the club’s highest demand for water was in late December and early January. It normally scales back its irrigation regime in February.

The club, on Bank St, has two greens, one is artificial, the other plant-based.

‘‘Greens don’t have grass, it’s actually a type of weed called Cotula, which is very good for playing bowls on. If grass dies, it can grow back again. But with Cotula, if that dries out past a certain point, it’s gone forever.

‘‘Then you’re looking at resurfacing and replanting your green and at an energetic club, that could be the best part of $10,000.’’

The club has about 90 members and the greens are used almost every day.

Death has been in charge of the club’s green for two years but has more than 30 years’ experience as a green keeper.

There were a few tips clubs used to keep the greens ticking over during summer. They were ‘‘not last-minute fixes’’ but strategies to be used all year-round.

‘‘There are wetting agents nurseries use to make the ground hold water better but you’ve got to start applying that in October, monthly.

‘‘Good maintenance of the turf means the root system is at a reasonable depth, poor maintenance means a shallow root system which gives up the ghost quickly.’’

Death said if summer seasons continued to trigger water restrictions, artificial turfs would be the way to go.

Although they’re also not without their problems. ‘‘Of course there’s no need for watering on an artificial turf but it produces a reflection off the surface and is very hot to walk on.’’

On the other side of town at Albert Park, Te Awamutu Rugby Sports and Recreation Club is hoping for rain soon so it can host its pre-season games.

Manager Linda Sprangers said the club leased the four, full-sized rugby grounds from the council and were now unable to irrigate the parks.

‘‘We’ve got some pre-season games coming up so we’ll have to decide whether that’s going ahead or not.

‘‘When we compare it to last year, it’s a lot drier and looking at the long-range forecast, there’s not much rain on the way.’’