Sherwood Park Golf Course sought to modernise their irrigation infrastructure after a lightning strike disabled the existing system.
The challenge was two-fold: avoid further disruption to course operations and implement a water-efficient, weather-responsive solution. Direct Control designed and deployed a scalable, wireless, smart irrigation system that delivers real-time control, remote programmability, and intelligent integration with environmental sensors.
The golf course challenge
Sherwood Park’s existing irrigation system was rendered inoperable due to lightning damage. Repairing the system using conventional methods would involve extensive trenching to replace damaged control wiring, posing significant disruption to club operations and members.
Complicating the issue, the golf course sources irrigation water from a local supply scheme under usage limits. This meant that any solution needed to include accurate consumption monitoring. Additionally, green keepers wanted remote access to manage irrigation schedules based on current and forecasted weather, with potential for full automation in the future.
The smart irrigation solution
Direct Control engineered a wireless, smart irrigation network based on LoRaWAN communications, allowing control of solenoid valves, integration of water and weather monitoring, and future scalability.
Valve control
The Milesight UC512 solenoid controllers were selected for their IP68 rating, NFC configuration, and reliable battery-powered operation. This eliminated the need for control wiring and enabled reuse of existing valve pits.
Water monitoring
A Magflow battery-powered flow meter paired with a LoRa pulse counter provided accurate tracking of water use, ensuring compliance with allocation limits.
Weather data integration
A Thies Clima weather station was installed and connected using a LoRaWAN to Modbus gateway, enabling real-time environmental monitoring to inform irrigation programs.
Connectivity
Two LoRaWAN gateways were deployed to ensure full course coverage. These are connected to The Things Network, a secure cloud-based LoRaWAN server platform.
Control interface
The system was built on the Tridium Niagara Framework, with custom drivers allowing green keepers to configure irrigation programs via a web-based interface. Programs are built by grouping valves and scheduling runtimes to maintain water pressure and minimise cycle duration. Configurations are uploaded to field devices and executed automatically at scheduled times.
What we delivered
The new wireless, smart irrigation system was installed and commissioned with minimal impact on course operations. Sherwood Park now enjoys:
• Remote management of irrigation cycles from any internet-enabled device.
• Responsive scheduling based on real-time weather data.
• Detailed historical logs of water usage and environmental conditions.
• Scalability for future integration of soil moisture sensors and full automation.
• User-friendly manual override, made possible via NFC-enabled mobile phone access.
The Milesight controllers have proven robust in the field, and green keepers appreciate the flexibility and simplicity of managing irrigation remotely.
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