The wish list (Equipment management)

The following golf course maintenance equipment list is comprised for an 18-hole golf course, practice putting green, chipping green, driving range and short-game practice area. It’s an updated version of the list I prepared for the magazine back in the 1990s. This new-and-improved version reflects new types of maintenance equipment available. The list also is updated with equipment needed to provide upgraded agronomic and playing-condition standards today’s golfers demand.

Obviously, this list is for a high-end facility and should be used as a guideline, adjusted accordingly, for private, semiprivate, public, municipal, resort, casino and military-type golf course maintenance operations. Adjustments depend on each venue’s agronomic and playing-condition standards, goals and objectives, as well as available capital and maintenance operating budget funding.

 Greens (practice areas also)

• 10 walk-behind greensmowers with groomer attachments
• 8 maintenance carts with trailers
• 2 tow-type, spinner greens topdressing machines
• 2 topdressing drag brushes
• 1 300-gallon sprayer mounted on a maintenance vehicle with a walk-behind windfoil spray boom, hose reel and attachments (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 4 rotary push-type fertilizer spreaders
•  2 drop-type stainless steel fertilizer spreaders
• 5 self-propelled, walk-behind blowers
• 2 tournament speed rollers with spiker/brush attachments with trailers
• 2 sets of light verticut reels for triplex greensmowers
• 2 walk-behind, deep verticut machines with topdresser attachments
• 1 set of spiker attachments for triplex greensmower
• 2 greens aerifiers
• 1 deep-tine greens aerifier
• 1 greens sweeper
• 2 water injection aerifiers with optional head
• 2 aerifier core harvesters
• 2 plug pushers
• 1 portable, subsurface greens drainage portable blower/pump

Maintained roughs, short roughs and walk paths (practice areas also)

• 1 12-foot- and/or 16-foot-wide riding rotary mower (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 2 72- to 88-inch-wide riding rotary mowers (four-wheel drive where applicable with leaf mulch kits where applicable)
• 2 reel- or rotary-type triplex mowers (all-wheel drive where applicable)
• 2 triplex reel-type mowers (all-wheel drive where applicable)
• 10 string-line trimmers
• 10 hovercraft-type rotary mowers
• 1 PTO tractor-mounted blower
• 2 turbine blowers with a trailer or maintenance cart mount
• 1 pull-type vacuum/sweeper
• 3 self-propelled, walk-behind blowers

Fairways (practice areas also)

• 4 five-plex fairway mowers with one spare set of cutting units (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 2 pull-type fairway topdressers with material handling systems
• 2 large fairway topdressing drag mats
• 2 triplex greens mowers with one spare set of cutting units (all-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 large rotary PTO fertilizer spreader
• 1 rotary fertilizer spreader mounted on a maintenance vehicle
• 1 combined rototiller/seeder
• 2 300-gallon sprayers mounted on maintenance vehicles with windfoil spray booms, hose reels and attachments (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 2 pull-type sweepers/vacuums
• 1 three-gang pull-type fairway/rough roller
• 2 fairway aerifiers
• 1 deep-tine fairway aerifier
• 1 shatter/pulverizer/slicer
• 2 plug pulverizers/sweepers
• 1 set of light verticut reels for five-plex fairway mowers
• 1 deep fairway verticut PTO unit
• 1 PTO verticut/seeder
• 1 grass clipping scattering/dispersal machine

Tees, collars/approaches/collection fairways (practice areas also)

• 7 walk-behind 26-inch-wide tee/collar mowers
• 6 maintenance carts with trailers
• 3 triplex tee mowers with one spare set of cutting units (all-wheel drive where applicable)
• (Use fairway mower if practice tees are large enough)

Clubhouse

• 2 walk-behind, self-propelled rotary mowers with grass catchers
• 2 riding trim mowers with sulkies
• 2 maintenance carts with trailers
• 2 sidewalk edgers
• 2 backpack blowers
• 2 backpack sprayers

Miscellaneous

• 3 utility tractors with turf tires (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 skid-steer loader with fork lift, power auger and attachments
• 1 miniexcavator trackhoe with rubber tracks
• 1 300-gallon, self-contained hydromulcher
• 3 maintenance vehicles with hydraulic dump body (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 one-ton dump truck (four-wheel drive with snow plow and salt spreader where applicable)
• 1 large dump trailer
• 1 three-quarter-ton pickup truck with power lift tail gate (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 four-door SUV for the superintendent (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 18-inch junior sod cutter
• 3 bunker/sidewalk powered reciprocator-type edgers
• 1 portable, 6,000-watt electric generator (with trailer where applicable)
• 1 portable, three-inch diameter trash pump with suction/discharge hoses and trailer
• 1 electric (48-volt) golf cart for the superintendent
• 1 equipment transport trailer licensed for highway use
• 2 riding bunker rakes with front sand blade and one landscape scraper box (all-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 powered riding utility roller
• 1 three-point hitch tractor-mounted landscape scraper box with spring loaded teeth
• 1 three-point hitch tractor-mounted landscape rake
• 1 drag-type landscape harrow
• 1 row boat with oars and electric trolling motor
• 3 chain saws and climbing equipment
• 2 gasoline-engine-powered pole tree pruners
• 3 backpack sprayers
• 1 mechanic’s all-terrain vehicle with generator, air compressor and tool box (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 gasoline-powered firewood splitter (where applicable)
• 1 irrigation-system electric wire locator
• 1 irrigation-system electric wire fault finder
• 1 metal detector
• 1 irrigation-system PVC pipe specialty locator
• 1 sprinkler-head-leveler devise
• 1 portable GPS location devise
• 1 irrigation technician maintenance vehicle with generator, air compressor and tool box (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 6 roller squeegees
• 1 500-gallon water wagon/tank trailer mounted.

Irrigation and drainage

• 1 loader/16-foot backhoe tractor with turf tires (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 loader/six-foot backhoe compact tractor with turf tires (four-wheel drive where applicable)
• 1 four-wheel drive trencher or backfill blade with pipe or wire puller and attachments

Optional equipment and attachments
Optional equipment and attachments for the aforementioned should be acquired, as necessary and appropriately, from the original equipment manufacturers or aftermarket manufacturers. Examples include roll-over protection and other employee safety equipment and attachments, electrically and/or hybrid operated equipment, and mower front rollers. GCI

Terry Buchen, CGCS, MG, is president of Golf Agronomy International. He’s a 38-year life member of the GCSAA and can be reached at terrybuchen@earthlink.net.

Many thanks to the following golf course managers for reviewing this updated equipment list and for providing their input, comments, ideas and suggestions:

• Jim Hengel, CGCS, Miromar
   Lakes (Fla.) Beach & Golf Club
• Dave Mahoney, Siwanoy
   Country Club, Bronxville, N.Y.
• Jim Nicol, CGCS, Hazeltine
   National Golf Club, Chaska, Minn.
• Tom Walker, Anne Arundel
   Mannor Golf Club, Annapolis, Md.
• Bruce Williams, CGCS,
   Los Angeles Country Club
• Tommy Witt, CGCS, Northmoor
   Country Club, Highland Park, Ill.