Following World War II and into the ‘50s, the demand for golf architectural professionals grew due to the need for professional planning of high-priced land. The experience and knowledge needed to deal with difficult terrain features and ever-increasing environmental restrictions and permit requirements. A parallel course can be seen between the development in the professions of Golf Course Architecture and Irrigation Consulting.

Irrigation Consultants today face demands that are similar in nature to those faced by the Golf Course Architects in the ‘50s. While paying particular attention to water and energy conservation and consumer protection, the irrigation consultant/designer must design the irrigation system to satisfy the client’s needs yet produce an efficient and cost-effective irrigation system. Today’s demands for high quality turf and attractive, well-maintained ornamental landscape requires irrigation systems with a high degree of uniformity and a well-planned and programmed watering schedule. Irrigation consultants today must also be involved with both client and architect from the onset of plan development in establishing site water requirements, water source, water storage (when required), and electrical power requirements.

To properly serve a client, the consultant must stay abreast of new products, changes in old products, design techniques, and computer programs for both design and system operations. With the introduction of drip/micro products into the landscape irrigation scene several years ago, the irrigation consultant/designer must also weigh the use of these techniques in the name of conservation and cost efficiency. All of this is virtually a full-time job in today’s changing market.

In the design thought process, product selection is being given a second look because of the availability of additional product information. Since the advent of recognized independent test facilities and computer data, irrigation consultants have aggressively encouraged manufacturers to publish more product data, such as sprinkler distributor curves, valve closure times, grounding information and so forth. With all the available information in hand, the consultant is in a position to make educated design decisions. This product information is gradually being recognized as a valuable tool to the consultant and is being made available by most major manufacturers. A continued industry effort is required, however, to produce updated product information that is verified by independent testing services.

Free design information supplied by manufacturers to Landscape Architects and other end users has diminished, but still exists. Such design services are used as a marketing tool to sell products. These designs, and often general specifications, do not normally address all the design criteria to which an irrigation consultant would direct his or her attention, but are, in most cases, a device to sell “off the shelf” merchandise and certainly those products that the distributor or manufacturer markets. Unfortunately, design integrity can often times be sacrificed by the lure of a potential sale and the challenge of competition.

Today, however, clients and architects alike increasingly are seeking the skills, knowledge and the independent view of the large range of available products that the irrigation consultant /designer can offer, particularly as related to the more demanding design challenges. This requires the consultant to keep conservation in mind, consumer protection, proper selection and high quality, yet cost-effective, design.

In addition, field staking of the system has become increasingly important to all concerned, so to assure that the intent of the irrigation consultant’s design concepts are properly extended to the site. Demands for further project involvement, such as pre-construction meetings, periodic site evaluations during construction and final walkthroughs of the system are also being requested of (or required by) the consultant.

Many of today’s irrigation consultants also are involved in reports for clients on existing irrigation system evaluation, which are used to institute system improvements, justify updating or as a management tool.