Dirab Golf & Country Club
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia
Site Profile
Opened in 1994 as the first grass golf course in Saudi Arabia, Dirab Golf and Country Club helped establish competitive golf in the kingdom. This popular recreational facility is located about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of the capital, Riyadh. It features a beautiful 18-hole, par-72 golf course and expansive clubhouse within a serene desert valley. The club is open to both members and visitors for sport and leisure.
Due to its location in a hot, arid environment, the course is professionally managed with continuous irrigation requirements. Originally operated with a Toro system, irrigation at the site has now been upgraded to the Hunter Pilot Control Network. The installation was supervised by Scott Annesley under Saudi Golf, with support from local Hunter sales and field service staff. The system is currently maintained by superintendent Samuel Jarvis with ongoing technical support from Muhammad Saad.
The club faced numerous operational issues with its previous Toro irrigation system, including unreliable central communication, inconsistent field performance due to mixed nozzle configurations, and limited customer support. These system performance challenges resulted in excessive water usage, poor distribution uniformity, and reduced turf quality, all of which impacted playability and course aesthetics.
Turf managers wanted an upgraded irrigation solution to improve control and system reliability, reduce maintenance efforts, and optimize water usage while maintaining high-quality playing conditions.
To overcome the club’s irrigation challenges, management selected a new irrigation solution from Hunter Industries based on demonstrated performance, ease of maintenance, and improved system control.
As an initial trial, Hunter TTS-800 Golf Rotors (model numbers GT-880 and GT-885) were installed in a test area to compare their performance against the existing system. A side-by-side comparison between areas using the old rotors and the new Hunter rotors showed clear performance advantages for the Hunter solution. The Hunter rotors delivered significantly better distribution uniformity, resulting in improved turf quality. In addition, the Hunter rotors offered easier maintenance through total-top-serviceability, which allows all serviceable components to be accessed from the top of the rotor with no digging required.
For irrigation control, Hunter's Pilot Control Network was evaluated as an intuitive, user-friendly solution. Pilot Command Center Software gave turf managers more precise control of course-wide irrigation and greater operational efficiency. Pilot Integrated Hubs and Two-Way Modules enabled reliable communication on a simple, two-wire path.
Based on the performance of the rotors and the Pilot Control Network, turf managers decided to renovate and upgrade the entire course irrigation system with Hunter golf irrigation products. To drive irrigation efficiency in smaller areas of the property, like tees, they also selected field-proven Hunter I-25 Rotors and water-saving MP Rotator Nozzles.
Following installation in 2024, the course has reported significant operational improvements. According to the superintendent, the course has achieved impressive water savings since the upgrade, driven by greater distribution uniformity and improved systemwide irrigation efficiency. The savings from both reduced water use and pumping costs are estimated to have already paid off the initial investment. Thanks to more effective irrigation, turf quality has improved throughout the course, leading to better playing experiences for golfers.
For staff, day-to-day maintenance has become much easier due to the total-top-serviceability enabled by the Hunter golf rotors. The Pilot Control Network has simplified daily irrigation management, scheduling, and system control. With Pilot, the entire irrigation system now operates automatically, enabling dependable course-wide control with reduced manual intervention. Overall, the upgrade has delivered a more efficient, reliable, and easier-to-manage irrigation system for one of Saudi Arabia’s premier courses.
