Friday, January 26, 2018

Greens Mower Brush Attachment

       


We have recently finished building a brush attachment for our greens mower. After we got our plan of attack and all the materials, it went together rather quickly and cost us under $100. Our mechanic Phil fabricated the steel tubing, painted it,  attached the three 24’ broom heads, hooked up the chain to hold up brush for transport all in about 5 hours(bathroom breaks not included) . The finished product mounts directly into the existing square tubing on the mower itself which makes for a nice clean look and functional unit. The many benefits to brushing 2-3 three times a week are as follows:

       Quality and consistency of cut
       Grain reduction
       Smooth surface
       Increased ball roll
       Less evasive than grooming or verticutting
       Promote upright growth
       Poa seedhead reduction
       Increased density and finer texture
       Opens up turf canopy to accept amendments like sand and fertilizer and also keeps air space in the canopy to help prevent diseases
       Overall improved greens health and appearance
       Can be mounted on a vibratory roller to brush in topdressing sand


All of these benefits combined will result in greater putting quality and an improvement in overall playability. 
 


Clay McKinley
PDSCC Golf Course Superintendent


A short video of our new brush in action:




Thursday, January 4, 2018

Divot Repair at Pueblo del Sol

Over the last 3 months we have been seeing a lot of unrepaired or improperly repaired divots in fairways.  I know many of you may be uncertain on how to properly repair a divot because different courses and Superintendents have different preferences on how to go about repairing a divot. Well, here at Pueblo del Sol we ask that you replace any solid turf. Any turf you can put back in the divot will speed up recovery- whether it be a pelt or chunks that are still holding together. Once the turf is put back all you need to do is add a little sand around the edges and pat it down with your foot. At this time of the year we tend to be on the dryer side and seed takes constant moisture to germinate and fill in, so any turf you can replace will help speed the healing process.


Improper divot repair- replace available turf

Proper divot repair- turf replaced- added a little divot mix

Improper divot repair- replace available turf

Proper divot repair- replace turf added a bit of divot mix-leveled with foot

Improper divot repair-  No divot repair at all

Proper divot repair- replaced turf- divot mix-leveled with foot

Improper divot repair- too much sand


If the divot explodes into little pieces and there is nothing solid to replace, then you can fill the divot completely with divot mix that is provided on your golf cart. Always make sure you fill it just below the turf surface and then smooth it with your foot. Any overfilled divot is wasteful of seed and soil and is bad for our mowing equipment.

Clay McKinley
PDSCC Golf Course Superintendent