The Regnum Group in Turkey is reaping the benefits of an investment in the Rain Bird IC System™. The system, the first that has been installed in Turkey, has already proved invaluable during the grow in of the new 18-hole course at the Regnum Ankara Golf & Country Club.

Designed by Tim Lobb MEIGCA and set in 200 hectares of rolling terrain, the members course is set to provide breathtaking vistas of the surrounding mountain ranges and the capital city.
Following a competitive tender, the Regnum Group selected Rain Bird Turkey as its irrigation partner and the Rain Bird IC System™ for its industry-leading water efficiency and diagnostic and control capabilities.

Roger Davey of independent irrigation consultants Irritech who designed the system, said; “The IC System™ has numerous advantages. It gives the course manager the ability to control each individual sprinkler and to monitor and manage every aspect of their system remotely on a phone or tablet. Its diagnostics also rapidly identify any issues out on the course, which saves a lot of time. Anyone who sees the IC System™ working agrees that its cutting-edge technology is the future of golf course irrigation – for efficiency, sustainability and ease of use.”The venue will benefit from a Nimbus II™ Central Control, a total of 1,750 rotors, a WS Pro LT weather station with direct connection, and a powerful pump station with a duty of 420m3 of water per hour at 10.5 bar of pressure.

Rain Bird Turkey is the solution provider for turnkey golf course projects in the territory, not only as a manufacturer of state-of-the-art irrigation systems, but also for its expertise in installation, set-up for optimal efficiency, and for its commitment to providing customers with excellent support for the long-term. It has been selected by a wide range of venues since 2007, including the Maxx Royal, Kusadasi International, Bodrum Golf and Tennis Club, Titanic Golf Course, Carya Golf Club, Cornelia Golf Club, Silkar Lykia World Golf Links, Kaya Palazzo Golf Club, the Regnum Golf & Country Club Bodrum, and the additional 9 holes at the National Golf Club.

Speaking about the project, Tim Lobb said: “I have been fortunate enough to design and open four courses in Turkey over the past 20 years. On all projects Rain Bird was selected as the irrigation supplier. They bring a wealth of experience to the region and each individual project in Turkey. We have been working with many of the same people during this period which gives a consistency of performance across all projects.

Ankara is the third full golf course that we have designed for the Regnum group and the first full 18-hole course in Ankara. We have designed the course to work with the contours and it offers many long views of the countryside. The hole strategies use the existing contours as much as possible with well undulated greens to putt on.

In terms of the water management and environmental challenges, our site is quite elevated with a lot of contour across it. In fact, there is 72m of elevation difference from top to bottom, so pumping water around is quite a challenge. The climate is quite interesting as there is a large change in temperatures throughout the year from snow in winter to very hot and dry summers with temperatures in the high 30s. As the landscape is quite barren we have used fescue grasses in the rough to add some texture to the golfing palette. We hope that the course will be an enjoyable and fun golfing experience when it opens in late spring.”

New interface makes it possible for courses with Rain Bird satellite systems to easily upgrade to IC System™ technology
It is now possible for your clients to benefit from the latest irrigation technologies without undergoing a major renovation to their irrigation system. The new Integrated Control Interface Plus (ICI+) from Rain Bird Golf makes it possible to install Rain Bird satellites and the IC System on the same wire path. As a result, they can renovate or expand existing satellite system in phases, at a lower cost and with less disruption to their golf course.

“The ICI+ truly is a game changer,” said Carolyn Maloney, product manager for Rain Bird Golf. “It’s ideal for Rain Bird courses that want to update to the latest IC System technology but don’t currently have the time or budget to completely overhaul their irrigation systems.”
The ICI+ interface is the first in the golf irrigation industry to offer fully integrated course control. That means you can simply splice into the nearest satellite wire path and add Integrated Control Modules (ICMs) without running wire all the way back to the maintenance facility.

“Installing the ICI+ is the easiest, simplest way to upgrade to the IC System and IC CONNECT devices,” Maloney said. “From there, courses can enjoy advanced diagnostics, easy expansion, precision watering and the ability to integrate and interact with sensors and other field equipment.”

Rain Bird has also developed a new IFX Satellite Board that allows courses to put IC rotors and Rain Bird satellites on the same wire path. The IFX Board is installed in all new PAR+ES Satellites and is also backwards compatible with MSC+, PAR+ and PAR+ES satellites. Now courses can connect their current Rain Bird satellite systems to the future-forward technology offered by the IC System and IC CONNECT simply by installing the ICI+ and a simple interface board at a fraction of the cost.

St. George’s Golf and Country Club, host of the 2020 Canadian Open, used the ICI+ to do an IC renovation on their greens. By simply tapping into their existing satellite MAXI™ wire they were able add IC Rotors and get the full benefits of the IC System without a major overhaul.

Assistant Superintendent Cory O’Neil said; “If you’re not able to overhaul a huge system all at once, ICI+ allows you to do certain areas without tracking wire throughout the entire golf course. No other product on the market could’ve helped us successfully bring so many older pieces of equipment together.”

Rain Bird is the only manufacturer to enable the user to control hybrid functionality and operate satellite, decoder and IC from a single Central Control PC.