Rain Bird

Corporate Headquarters: Azusa, California

Website: http://www.rainbird.com/golf

Category: Turf & Course Suppliers

LEADERSHIP

Michael L. Donoghue – President & CEO

Stuart Hackwell – Director, Golf Division

Mohan Subramanian – International Sales Manager

Tony Whelan – National Sales Manager

Rain Bird Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of irrigation products and services. The Azusa, California-based company develops products for farms, commercial developments, homes, and sports arenas and has a significant presence in the golf industry.

Rain Bird was founded in 1933 by citrus grower Orton Englehart during California’s agricultural boom. Clem and Mary LaFetra, neighbors of the inventor, recognized the sprinkler’s potential and began to market it. Soon after, they established a manufacturing facility in the family barn and began production.

Rain Bird has since grown to serve more than 130 countries around the globe with the help of over 450 patents. The first major innovation in the company’s history came in 1935 when the company introduced the original horizontal impact drive sprinkler which was designated as a historic landmark by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers in 1990.

The company’s Golf Division has a large portfolio of products, including pump stations, rotors, field controllers, map-based and mobile central control systems, decoders, swing joints, filtration systems, valves, and irrigation accessories.

A superintendent from St George’s Golf and Country Club, host of the 2020 RBC Canadian Open, remotely controls Rain Bird golf rotors on his mobile device. (Photo courtesy: Rain Bird)

Rain Bird’s Golf Division uses fully integrated components to design total system solutions for golf course irrigation, which are easier to manage and more efficient to operate than mix-and-match solutions. Every Rain Bird golf irrigation product is engineered with Timeless Compatibility in mind, meaning it will work with any previously installed Rain Bird product, as well as with future Rain Bird technologies.

The Rain Bird Central Control systems offer a real-time response to changing conditions thanks to easy-to-use technologies that help crews micromanage water and create detailed programs on the fly. The ground-breaking Integrated Control (IC) System connects central control directly to the rotor or valve, with no need for field controllers, decoders, secondary wiring, or unnecessary splices. And the MI Series Mobile Controller provides superintendents with convenient, remote access to their central control systems, so that they can turn watering programs on and off, modify schedules, and perform diagnostics from just about anywhere.

The company’s name, Rain Bird, was chosen as the result of an ancient Native American legend about a great bird that brought life-giving rain following a terrible drought. One of the first commercial customers in the early 1930s was Los Angeles Country Club. Today, Rain Bird is still based in Southern California.

Rain Bird is committed to the Intelligent Use of Water through their high-quality products as well as the expertise of water management professionals who share Rain Bird’s passion for water conservation. With this in mind, the company offers comprehensive training on their website that allow Rain Bird Customers to maximize their products’ potential and increase water savings.

Rain Birds state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Alabama, Mexico, France, and elsewhere around the world allow the company to offer a comprehensive catalog of over 4,000 water-saving products and services that can accommodate any customer need.

Rain Bird golf rotors are photographed at Winged Foot Golf Club, host of the 2020 U.S. Open. (Photo courtesy: Rain Bird)