Action Line: Lakenheath Golf Course Published Aug. 13, 2010 By Col. John T. Quintas 48th Fighter Wing commander ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- COMPLAINT: I was out playing golf at Lakenheath's golf course with some friends. We noticed the grass was very dry and yellow. It was a hot day and the sprinklers turned on around 4 p.m. during our golf game. I would suggest turning on the sprinklers either a hour or two before the first tee off in the morning. or after sunset. This will allow the grass to absorb more water while it's cool, and it won't allow water to evaporate into steam from the grass. This can kill the grass by watering it during the hottest times of the day. It's best to water your lawn either the early morning or near/after sunset. I think this will cut back on water waste and help the golf course grow greener grass. If they are going to turn on the sprinklers, they don't need them on while golfers are still playing. RESPONSE: Thank you for your concern for Breckland Pines Golf Course, water conservation, and the environment. Because of recent dry and hot weather in our area, a tremendous amount of pressure has been placed on irrigation systems to keep golf courses healthy. We are very fortunate, here at Breckland Pines, to have sprinklers throughout the entire golf course; fairway sprinkler systems are a luxury here in England. I'm sure you've noticed local courses whose fairways have suffered severely from the lack of water. In regard to the timing of running our irrigation system, we begin watering at 8 p.m. and the last sprinkler head finishes watering at about 6:30 a.m. We attempt to irrigate the golf course at the most appropriate and opportune time for not only the health of the turf-grass, but the convenience of our golfers. I sincerely apologize if a sprinkler came on and inconvenienced you at around 4 p.m. while playing the course. It should not have, and certainly could have been an error with the computer controller that runs the irrigation system. That happens from time to time and periodic diagnostic checks need to be performed to "get the bugs out". You also mentioned the vital issue of water waste and we are attempting to be good stewards of the environment by preventing that. Our goal to begin the year was to cut water usage by 33 percent. While we haven't gotten to that point yet, we are proud to have used approximately 20 percent less water in 2010 compared to 2009. If you have further questions or concerns for the Breckland Pines Golf Course staff, please contact the Manager and Certified PGA Member, Mr Steve Ritz-Woller, at DSN 226-2223 or commercial 01638 522223.