Ashridge Golf Club, nestled within 350 acres of picturesque Hertfordshire countryside, has long enjoyed a reputation for its stunning course and commitment to environmental stewardship. However, the club’s previous water management system - which was reliant on a 12-year-old borehole and a basic pumping setup - presented significant challenges.
The challenge: A system under strain
Outdated technology, coupled with the complexities of a 200-metre-deep borehole, led to costly pump failures, and a lack of real time data of water levels within the borehole.
Recognising the need for a more sustainable and reliable solution, Ashridge partnered with Grundfos to implement an integrated water management system.
The existing system at Ashridge Golf Club relied on a single pump at the end of a flexible pipe within the deep borehole. The system lacked real-time monitoring capabilities and water depth measurements were taken manually, often at inconvenient times.
Meanwhile, flow rates were measured using manual calibration. This setup presented several critical issues:
- Pump failures: Two consecutive seasons saw catastrophic pump failures, resulting in weeks of irrigation downtime during crucial periods, particularly during drought conditions. The complex borehole engineering made repairs lengthy and expensive.
- Regulatory compliance: Monitoring of water abstraction was reliant on manual readings at specific intervals – risking human error.
- Inefficient water use: Without precise flow rate data or real-time water level monitoring, optimising irrigation schedules and minimising water waste was extremely challenging.
- Lack of proactive maintenance: The system offered no way to monitor pump performance, making it impossible to predict potential failures and plan for timely replacements.
The solution: An integrated approach
The club’s 18-hole golf course relies primarily on groundwater from the borehole for irrigation. They sought a pump that would improve irrigation and ensure a more secure water supply.
Ashridge Golf Club recognised the need for a comprehensive upgrade to its water management system. The Club’s general manager Stephen Proudfoot sought a solution that would not only address the immediate problems but also ensure long-term sustainability and means to demonstrate not just regulatory compliance, but also best practise.
He worked closely with Jack Wakeham from borehole engineering specialist Whatley & Co, and key account manager Paul Andrews from Grundfos to implement a state-of-the-art solution. The core of the new system is the Grundfos SPE 18 borehole pump, driven by a CUE variable speed drive.
This combination allows for precise control of flow rates, adapting to the Club’s irrigation needs, while maximising energy efficiency. Its innovative hydraulic design optimises water flow, contributing to significant energy savings. This is particularly important in regions facing water scarcity or where energy costs are a major concern.
Critically, the system incorporates Grundfos Connect, a remote monitoring platform that provides real-time data on groundwater levels within the borehole. This data is essential for ensuring compliance with EA abstraction limits and preventing pump damage due to low water levels.
A Siemens SITRANS FM 5100 flow sensor further enhances the system’s accuracy by providing real-time precise flow rate measurements, which are integrated directly into the pump control system.
Technology in detail
Grundfos has launched its latest innovation, the newly launched SPE 18-24 borehole pump, which represents a significant advancement in borehole technology, offering enhanced energy efficiency and extended operational life.
SPE 18-24 borehole pump
This high-efficiency pump is designed for demanding applications and provides reliable performance even in deep boreholes. With a superior hydraulic design, the Grundfos SPE offers outstanding energy efficiency. Other benefits include the a wide range of flow sizes and the 100% stainless steel construction with several material variants available.
The permanent magnet motor is among the best on the market and the canned-rotor design, with pump and motor integrated in a single unit, offers world-class energy efficiency and reliability. With an increased temperature rating of 60°C, and stainless-steel rotor cladding protecting the magnets from corrosion, the motor has potential for use in a wider range of applications and offers a long lifetime.
Additional features:
- CUE variable speed drive: The CUE drive optimises pump performance by adjusting the motor speed to match the exact water demand. This leads to significant energy savings and reduces wear-and-tear on the pump.
- Grundfos Connect: This cloud-based platform provides remote access to real-time data on pump performance, water levels and flow rates. It also enables automated reporting, simplifying compliance with EA regulations.
- SITRANS FM 5100 flow sensor: This highly accurate flow meter from Siemens provides real-time precise measurements of water abstraction, ensuring that the club stays within its licensed limits.
Implementation and fine-tuning
The project commenced in December 2023, with a thorough assessment of the existing borehole by BA Hydro Solutions, including remedial works to increase its yield. Whatley & Co then worked closely with Grundfos to install the new pumping system. The integrated nature of the Grundfos solution simplified the installation process and ensured seamless communication between the various components.
“Following the initial installation in April 2024, the system underwent a period of fine-tuning. This involved calibrating the sensors, optimising pump settings, and ensuring that the data presented through Grundfos Connect was easily understood and actionable. The close collaboration between Grundfos engineers, the contractors and the Golf Club staff were crucial to this process”
Key benefits and outcomes
The solution delivers numerous benefits, including enhanced regulatory compliance through Grundfos Connect’s real-time monitoring, ensuring adherence to EA abstraction limits and bolstering environmental credentials. Improved efficiency is achieved via the variable speed drive and high-efficiency pump, significantly reducing energy consumption and the Club’s carbon footprint by 833 Kg/year. Additionally, the new SPE 18 pump consumes 1456 kWh/year less than the previous pump.
“With tightening groundwater abstraction licenses, Ashridge Golf Club worked closely with Grundfos and Whatley & Co to implement this technology. The new integrated water management system ensures compliance, strengthens reporting accuracy and provides assurance against breaches for all - including the Club’s directors who would ultimately be responsible for any breach”
Meanwhile, the system’s proactive monitoring capabilities enable predictive maintenance – minimising costly pump failures and guaranteeing uninterrupted irrigation. The wealth of data provided by Grundfos Connect empowers data-driven decisions regarding irrigation scheduling and water resource management.
Engineered for durability, the SPE/CUE system is backed by a 5-year warranty, ensuring consistent operation over an extended period.
The future of water management
The experience at Ashridge Golf Club highlights the growing importance of sustainable water management in the face of increasing regulatory pressures and climate change. The leisure industry, like many other sectors, will need to adopt more proactive approaches to water resource management.
This includes investing in efficient technologies, implementing robust monitoring systems, and prioritising regulatory compliance.
Grundfos’ integrated approach, combining high-performance pumps, intelligent controls, and remote monitoring capabilities, offers a model for other golf courses and leisure facilities to follow. By embracing these technologies, businesses not only reduce their environmental impact, but also improve operational efficiency and ensure long-term sustainability.