Toro Irrigation supports water conservation efforts on Olympic Golf Course

The Toro Co. was chosen to provide a fully integrated irrigation system featuring the latest technologies to help save water and energy at Rio’s Olympic Golf Course.

“We are truly honored for the opportunity to provide irrigation solutions that will help create a world-class stage for bringing golf back to the premier international competition, while supporting efforts in water conservation,” says Rick Olson, Toro’s president and chief operating officer. “Our history of serving the people of Brazil dates back to 1935 when we established our first distributor in Rio de Janeiro. We look forward to the excitement of the 2016 Games, and continuing to support the people of Brazil with the most innovative products and highest level of service.”

Located at Reserva Uno in the Rio suburb of Barra da Tijuca, the Gil Hanse-designed golf course incorporates Toro’s GDC 2-wire system with the Lynx central control system. In addition, more than 2,200 Toro DT Series sprinklers with integrated GDC decoder modules were installed throughout the course, along more than 1,000 water-saving Precision Series spray nozzles on bunker complexes. The irrigation system also includes Toro’s Turf Guard wireless soil monitoring system, positioned throughout the course to help the grounds team monitor turf health and more precisely apply water where it is needed.

“As superintendent of an environmentally sensitive golf course, it is very important that we are able to put the right amount of water on the course when and where we need it,” says Neil Cleverly, head superintendent at the Olympic Golf Course. “Toro’s Lynx system allows us to have precise and accurate control to use our water resources most efficiently.”

Helping course superintendents achieve precise control and best manage irrigation system components, Toro’s Lynx software communicates with everything from the sprinkler GDC modules to the weather station to the Turf Guard sensors. Information is then plotted on an interactive map for a detailed view of the course. This enables the grounds crew to analyze course conditions and make adjustments in irrigation schedules and other applications; ultimately, resulting in reduced water and energy use.

“The Turf Guard sensors also help us manage other variables like soil moisture, temperature and salinity on our course,” says Cleverly. “We can then use this information to more precisely deliver water and other product applications. This not only helps us better manage our resources, but also helps save money.”