TRAVELS WITH TERRY

Sponge Bob weed killer
Frank Dobie, superintendent/general manager, conceived this idea at The Sharon Golf Club in Sharon Center, Ohio. Gary Bogdanski, equipment manager, modified kitchen tongs to selectively apply herbicides to kill unwanted weeds and weedgrasses in ground cover landscape beds without touching the desirable plants. Bogdanski recommends using 18-inch long kitchen tongs (or as long as possible). First, flatten each end. Then glue a 3-inch by 3-inch by 1-inch square sponge to a 3-inch by 3-inch by 1/8-inch hard rubber square and attach it to the flattened tong ends by drilling holes on each tong end and using ¼-inch diameter stainless steel bolts and wing nuts. Spray the sponge with glyphosate herbicide or broadleaf herbicide until the sponge fully expands. Squeeze off any excess liquid so the sponges do not drip. Close the tongs on the weedgrass or weed and pull upwards. The materials cost less than $25 and the labor time is approximately 30 minutes.

Top up
The Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is being built in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), by MultiGolf Middle East, a Portugal-based full-service contractor where Benjamin Silva, president, designed the protective cover for the John Deere 1200A Bunker Rake. The framework is made of 1/2-inch diameter smooth steel rods that are bent and shaped after being heating with an acetylene torch. Quarter-inch diameter smooth steel rods are welded to the main frame for added support and to help keep the fabrics taut. The framework is attached to the front and rear with 1/4-inch thick flat steel brackets that are welded to both ends of the rods, which are then bolted to the bunker rake with 3/8-inch diameter bolts, lockwashers and nuts. The translucent green fabric is manufactured by Tildenet and then a non-translucent geotextile liner is placed underneath the canopy to keep the direct sunlight and desert heat off of the operator. Black zip strips hold the fabrics, both of which are removable, in place. The fabrics and zip strips cost about $50; the framework and metal brackets cost about $25 and it took about two and half hours labor to build. GCI