Travels with Terry

Tennis court drag mat

The tennis court nets at The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, Fla., last about 6 months and then they are replaced. Two recycled nets are held together with zip ties. One-half-inch diameter PVC irrigation pipe slips through the slots on both sides where the cable that holds the tennis court nets in place normally goes. The irrigation pipe is then filled with sand for added weight and then caps are installed on both ends. The irrigation pipe flexes masterfully with the ground contours when the fairway mower bermudagrass clippings are scattered and dispersed to perfection. The ¼-inch diameter tennis net cable is used as the tow cable. It took about one hour to assemble the drag mat and it cost less than $25 for the materials. Bill Brousseau is the director of golf course maintenance, Steve Judd, superintendent of the Golf Village, and Blair Kirby, superintendent of the East Course, John Lombardi is the equipment manager, and Clay Bormuth is the assistant technician of this 45-hole venue.

Light extension

The light that came equipped with this 2013 John Deere 220 E Cut Hybrid Walk Behind Greens Mower light pattern was restricted when the brush was in the up position. John Lombardi, equipment manager, and Clay Bormuth, assistant technician, at The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, Fla, designed and built a higher-elevation light bracket with a better angle for the disbursement of the lighting. A 1-inch x 3⁄16-inch x 12-inch angle iron was used and painted a glossy black. The light switch was not moved and the existing wiring and insulation was plenty long enough for this application. A cable with loops with snap clips on either end were hooked to two 1-inch-x-5⁄16-inch eye bolts and were used to hold the brush in the up position when it was not being used. When the brush was used, the cable was held vertically in place with a nut, bolt and washer magnet. It cost about $10 per mower and less than one hour of work per mower. The manufacturer is reportedly modifying the light brackets for future models. Bill Brousseau is the director of golf course maintenance, Steve Judd, superintendent of the Golf Village, and Blair Kirby, superintendent of the East Course of this 45-hole venue.