Travels with Terry

Turf Vehicle Blower
This 2011 Billy Goat 18-hp push-type blower produces approximately 3,700 cfm with a wind speed of 180 mph that originally cost about $2,700. An Ultra Tow 12-inch Long Category III Trailer Hitch Receiver, with an Ultra Tow 5-inch wide by 7-¼ inch plate, is mounted underneath the center of the bumper of the 2013 Club Car Turf 2 (approximately $9,800 including the materials). The blower has a 2-inch male Category III hitch assembly that is held in place to the turf vehicle with one turnbuckle on either side of the bracket after the wheels are removed. The operator uses the throttle on the blower handle and there is an optional electric toggle switch to rotate the shroud. It took about four hours to build. Brian Goleski, golf course superintendent, and J.R. Wilson, equipment manager, from the Noyac Golf Club in Sag Harbor, Long Island, N.Y., were the design and build team.

Greens Fan Trailer
This 50-inch 7.5-hp Precision Premium/Platinum Series Green's Fan (approximately $8,000) is mounted on a homemade 52-inch by 52-inch trailer that was built using 30 feet of 2-inch by 2-inch square metal tubing 1/16-inch thick; C-channel 50-inchlong that is 1-inc by 4-inch by 1-inch axel kit with leaf springs, two turf tires, four swiveling trailer jacks, and one 2-inch trailer hitch. The wheels are removed so that the fan can be angled toward the green's surface properly with the trailer jacks and to prevent turf loss underneath them. The leaf springs were installed to make it safer when going up steep terrain because the fans are top-heavy. At the time the trailers were built, there were no specific commercially available trailers. Brian Goleski, golf course superintendent, and J.R. Wilson, equipment manager, from the Noyac Golf Club in Sag Harbor, Long Island, N.Y., designed and built the trailers, which took about four hours to build using a "jig" at a cost of about $950 each.

Practice Tee Divot Sign:
Explaining to golfers the proper way to take divots on a practice tee has always been a challenge for turf managers. This decorative sign was built using 2-inch-by-8- inch cedar planks glued together. The planks were then sanded with 80-, 120- and finally 220-grit sandpaper. The lettering was done with stencils and freehand marked with a pencil. A Dremel tool was used for the engraving. Two coats of enamel paint were used to color-in the wording and diagrams. Finally, the entire sign was varnished to protect it from the elements. The total cost for materials was about $100 and it took about 24 hours to build it. Rick Bowden, superintendent, designed their own version of the sign after seeing a photo of one at Hawthorn Woods Country Club, Hawthorn Woods, Ill. And John Minorini, groundsman, built the sign at the Bob O'Link Golf Club in Highland Park, Ill.