Conducting a routine irrigation audit on your field is a best cultural practice to ensure efficient water usage and to maintain safe and playable fields. Here's your step by step guide to quickly asses the performance of your field's irrigation system. 

 

  • Step 1: Stake your measuring units sporadically across your field. 
  • Step 2: Run your irrigation system for 15-30 minutes.
  • Step 3: Check for uniformity. Measure the amount of water collected in each collection cup by gallons per minute. 
  • Step 4: Check the performance of your irrigation heads. Ensure there are no leaks, clogged screens or damage. 
  • Step 5: Measure water pressure. Use a pressure gauge to measure the water pressure at various points within the irrigation system, pressure should match manufacturer's recommendations. 
  • Step 6: Identify changes or upgrades that are needed for more efficient water distribution. This could including replacing irrigation heads, changing nozzles, positioning your heads differently or looking deeper into the water supply system. 
  • Step 7: Set yourself up for success by conducting audit on a routine basis, semi or annually. This will help with identifying which areas of your field are receiving too little or too much water due to issues within the system. 
  • Step 8: Create a blueprint of the irrigation system, with the location of each irrigation head. This will help you organize and analyze the data collected during future audits.