Hello Sandra

Your maple may be showing this color due to heat stress. Maples can do this in high temperatures.

Also, please dig down after your irrigation runs, to see how deep the water has reached. It should be moist at least 6 inches down.

You may want to place several “tuna cans” or other container( must be all the same size and shape) around the tree to measure how much water is being delivered during irrigation. Trees need about 1 inch water per week, but if that whater isn’t penetrating into the root zone the tree is also being stresses by lack of water.

Removing the grass in a wide circle( or square, if that is easier to mow around) and covering the bare soil with 2-3 inches wood chips or shredded bark would be best for the tree. Do not pile mulch against the trunk.

If there are any wires or burlap left around the trunk, remove it. Again, the tree is planted too deeply and the root collar should be excavated. Then remove sod and mulch as noted above.

It would be good to protect the trunk with a trunk wrap ( frost crack,protection) or hardware cloth ( deer protection)cylinder each fall through the winter, removing in spring. There is past damage by either frost cracks or deer rubbing the trunk.

Thank you for the additional pictures. It sounds like your trees are getting enough water. The pictures confirm that the tree is planted much too deeply. Going “straight in the ground like a telephone pole” is a sign that the tree is way too deeply planted.
I took a close-up picture of one of your shots because it looks like there’s the beginning of a girdling route issue. I have circled that area. There could be more girdling roots below the soil surface.
I recommend that you have a certified arborist out to examine this tree, and any other trees showing similar symptoms. The arborist can do this all on one visit. That certified arborist can also excavate the root zone and determine whether girdling roots are below the soil surface,  and perform any corrections that are needed. Find certified arborist by zip code search, here.— http://www.treesaregood.org

As noted before, do use a trunk wrap in the fall and over winter to prevent more cracking of the bark on the trunk. if there are deer in your area, you will also need to protect trunks with tall cylinders of hardware cloth staked firmly to the ground so deer cannot rub against the trunks.

And, here is the area, circled in red, that looks like a girdling root is developing.- picture attached.

regards, Laura