Slave to the grind

While quality of cut is supremely important to golf course superintendents, it’s the process and frequency of servicing and maintaining reels and blades that most influences this ability.

However, consensus on an “industry standard” with regard to reel and blade grinding and sharpening does not seem to exist.

GCI recently partnered with Foley United to examine reel and blade maintenance trends among superintendents and golf course equipment technicians. A survey was fielded in April via SurveyMonkey, an online research portal, to GCI readers. Nearly 300 respondents engaged the survey and shared their thoughts and opinions.

Superintendents and equipment technicians are often split when it comes to various practices and philosophies involved in reel and blade maintenance. In fact a vast majority (78 percent) of respondents indicated they’d be opening to varying opinions on the topics of grinding practices, regimens and philosophies.

What is undisputed, though, is the vital importance of this maintenance practice. For example, nearly 60 percent of respondents were grinding with the same frequency as they were three years ago, and nearly a third (32 percent) indicated they were grinding more in recent years. This trend very nearly remains consistent when respondents were asked to project how often they’d engage in blade and reel maintenance in the near future. — The Editors