Frost Damage

From fall well into spring, golfers may experience frost delays in the morning.  For those that question how much harm can occur by walking on frosty greens, just take a look at the picture of #18 green below.

Currently, deer tracks can be found on several greens.  Yes, while we can restrict human traffic during periods of frost, sometimes it is a bit more challenging to keep the local residents off the turf.

Critical Winter Work

One of the most important activities that takes place during the winter months, is readying our fleet of equipment for the upcoming season.  Often times, this is the only opportunity during the year that we will have to break things down, give every machine a through inspection, and make needed repairs.

The check list varies from one piece of equipment to another, but typically includes grinding reels, replacing blades, checking hydraulic motors, hoses, tires, bushings and bearings. For some machines, the needs will be limited to nothing more than what amounts to a "tune-up."  However, with other pieces of equipment, "overhaul" could be a more appropriate term.

Once spring arrives, it will be go-time with the fleet out on the course.  As temperatures are slowly beginning to rise, we are all looking forward to the smell of freshly mown grass!

GIS 2019

The annual Golf Industry Show took place this past week and, as always, provided a great opportunity to learn from the best in the business.  Educational sessions filled the first two days, with topics ranging from growth regulators to employee retention.

Wednesday marked the opening of the trade show, where all of the latest and greatest gadgets and gizmos were on display.  A comfortable pair of walking shoes is a must, when spending the day taking all of this in.

The variety of goods on display is wide-ranging.  For example, if you have some really big plants that need a home, they've got you covered.

As in every part of our lives, technology is rapidly evolving in the golf industry.  Drones can now fly the course, and interface with the irrigation system to assist in determining watering needs for different areas of the golf course.

GPS sprayers with accuracy to 2" are now becoming the norm instead of the exception.  Just as the concept of self-driving cars is being realized, so too is self-driving golf course maintenance equipment.

One other thing the show provides is an opportunity to catch up with our peers, and share thoughts and ideas to help improve our operations.  No doubt that the common theme among anyone in the northeast was what a terrible weather year 2018 was--and 2019 isn't starting out much better...