Hydraulic lift joystick protection
Darren J. Davis, CGCS at Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples, Florida, has two Polecat Engine Powered Towable Hydraulic Lifts in inventory, one purchased in 2000 for $25,440 and the other purchased in 2021 for $42,723. They are used by the golf course maintenance staff approximately 99 percent of the time for trimming palm trees and other miscellaneous tasks throughout the year. Only one of them can be stored indoors, so the other is parked outside in the elements, where the joystick that operates the lift-operation experienced water damage after some big rainfalls and had to be replaced for approximately $700. The local distributor recommended to equipment manager Guillermo Gomez to have the replacement joystick covered with a five-gallon bucket, placed upside down, with a U-shaped opening cut into both sides to fit over the joystick to keep it perfectly dry. Rees Jones Inc. president Rees Jones and senior vice president Greg Muirhead have been the designers since the club was founded. Davis was the 82nd president of the GCSAA and is currently the GCSAA Centennial Committee Chair.
Employee picnic table sun protection
Providing more “elbow room” during mealtimes was the objective of placing this additional outdoor lunchroom used starting during the COVID-19 pandemic and at the Olde Florida Golf Club. The 10-foot by 20-foot sunshade sail ($295) was acquired from USA Shade and is available in many shapes, sizes and colors. Four aluminum posts with caps, each three inches in diameter ($190 each), were mounted in two feet of concrete. The sails are mounted to the posts using aluminum/stainless steel eyebolts, turnbuckles and quick links ($12 each), where the sail can be easily removed whenever a storm approaches. The 10-foot by 20-foot by 6-inch concrete slab, with an expansion joint cut in the middle, cost $3,175 to install. The picnic tables were sold in two parts — the metal brackets for each table cost $315 — and 10 pressure treated wood panels, each 11⁄2-inch thick by 8 feet long by 9 inches wide, finished the assembly. Darren J. Davis, CGCS, and equipment manager Guillermo Gomez conceived and built this excellent idea. Rees Jones, president of Rees Jones, Inc. and Greg Muirhead, senior vice president, have been the architects since the club was founded.
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