Golf-Course-In-Frost

Golf Course Pumping Systems – Tips for a Successful Winter

As winter starts to bite, golf courses across the UK will be making preparations for the challenges that the cold weather brings including frost, snow and stressed grass.

Clubs and groundsmen are generally well prepared for the challenges that winter brings, with many being able to continue serving golfers for the majority of the cold season.

However, pumping systems found on golf courses such as irrigation, boreholes, booster sets, multistage pumps and sewage pumps are often overlooked – with a lack of expertise available on site to complete vital maintenance and prevent potential failure when the cold hits.

In our latest blog post, we run through essential steps clubs and groundskeepers should be taking to ensure they can continue to operate throughout the winter months or reduce the risk of damage to pumps during winter closure.

Ensure Your Pumps Are Serviced

Pumps that are not being serviced regularly by a professional are at greater risk of breaking down or experiencing damage. When a pump fails, golf courses can be faced with downtime on top of a potentially large repair bill.

To reduce the risk of breakdown, it is recommended that pumping equipment including sewage treatment pumps, booster sets and borehole pumps are serviced by a professional on an annual basis.

During a service, a trained engineer will work through a detailed checklist covering visual inspections, working tests, system adjustments and electrical safety checks to ensure the system is running as expected and identify any potential problems.

Are you responsible for the ongoing maintenance of a booster set? Download our free booster pump inspection checklist to ensure all vital checks are being carried out.

  Download free booster pump maintenance checklist

Drain Down Pumping Systems to Avoid Damage

If you are temporarily closing the golf course in its entirety or certain parts of it throughout the winter, it is highly recommended that you have the pumps drained down in preparation.

Simply turning the pumps off means that any water in the system will remain in there throughout winter. As the temperature drops, this water will be prone to freezing which causes it to expand and cause damage to the pump.

The damage we often see to pumps caused by expanding ice including cracked pipes and cracked chambers can be expensive to repair and is not often discovered until the pumps are switched back on once the winter has passed.

Don’t Leave Your Pumps Running

It is also not advisable to leave pumps running throughout the winter if you are closing the course temporarily due to the weather conditions.

Whilst the main consideration is again the damage that ice could cause, leaving pumps running also creates an unnecessary expense for clubs and pumps are less likely to be inspected throughout the closure meaning that any faults that emerge could go unnoticed.

Golf Course System Maintenance and Service Contracts

At Mawdsleys Pump Services, we provide a complete pump installation, maintenance and repair service for golf courses – with a team of expert engineers that have experience in dealing with all types of pumping system commonly found on golf courses.

Our preventative maintenance service offers groundskeepers and clubs peace of mind that their pumps are at a reduced risk of breakdown, with regular preventative maintenance inspections throughout the year.

Additionally, customers that utilise our maintenance and servicing contracts benefit from:

  • Priority response from our engineers
  • Preventative maintenance scheduling throughout the year
  • 24/7 callout response across the South West
  • Local and national coverage
  • Expert service for all types of pumping system

Talk to the Experts

If you own or manage a golf course and are currently making preparations for winter – don’t neglect your pumps! With extensive experience in the leisure sector, we have worked with several golf courses in the past to provide a complete solution unique to their requirements.

To find out more about our pump maintenance service, give one of our team a call today on 0117 954 8030 or fill out a contact form and we will get back to you.

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