| Another brutal summer has come and gone, right? I mean, the more time I spend in this business, the more I realize that summer can be brutal to a golf course -- and its crew -- no matter what part of the country you’re in. Excessive heat, rain, drought, budget cuts, can all result in turf loss and all-around malaise. So here’s to us! Here’s to cooler days, relaxing on the tractor blowing leaves, sleeping in just a little more than usual, and watching the golf course recover. Up in Iowa, Okoboji, Iowa to be exact, Superintendent Brett Hetland is blogging nicely about golf course and professional recovery. Brett’s Keeping It Green blog touches all the bases when it comes to recovery, understanding the various perspectives of course conditions -- whether it’s his perspective or that of the members and/or guests. I’m sure you can relate to Brett when he says that at one point, after the flood waters receded and the disease cycle took hold, he felt powerless over plant health and playing conditions. Luckily, through effective communication, the members were aware and patient, understanding there would be a time for recovery. Unfortunately the guests weren’t quite as tolerant about the August conditions after a brutal July. Check out Brett’s blog - great recovery pics too - nice job Brett and crew! While we’re on the topic of recovery, you know those stretches of days where the rain never seems like it’s going to give you a break? Day after day the course is too wet to mow, but the grass itself doesn’t seem to mind. After a stretch of days your fairways have turned to hay fields and the rough has sprouted volunteer trees and is trying to become a forest. Then you finally dry out and it takes two weeks to catch up and recover from the mess of the excess clippings and the overtime of trying to get back in your ‘normal’ mowing schedule. If you would like to avoid this calamity next year, you need to look into the Green Zizzor! This 15-gang reel mower will make short work of your fairways and get you back on track in a day! With a 35-foot-wide mowing pattern, most fairways can be done in two or three passes. All you’ll need extra is a 75- to 100-hp tractor and you’re good to go -- just be sure you’re paid up with your parts suppliers. For the rough I found you a 2006 Claas Cougar 1400 with 772 hours for just under $200k. With a 45’ mowing swath, you will be able to take care of the overgrown rough in just a few hours. I like how the mowing decks are out front, too, so the wheels don’t mash the rough down before the mower. Not sure how you would deal with the clippings, though, and good luck transporting through the community. At about 16 seconds into the video it looks like he disintegrated a couple of golf balls. See you next time. |