Sod Train

Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, MG, director of grounds, at the Des Moines (Iowa) Golf and Country Club, hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 1999. Six trailers were used by NBC Sports to transport their cable and equipment. When the championship was over, NBC left them in the golf course maintenance area. Each trailer is approximately 2 feet tall, measures 44 inches by 72 inches and is made of tubular steel with 2-inch by 12-inch bridge planks placed on top held in place using ½-inch diameter carriage bolts. The undercarriage was “beefed-up” using larger diameter bolts welded in place for stability. Two big rolls of sod (350 square feet each) or one pallet of sod (550 square feet) are used where each trailer can hold approximately 800 to 1,000 pounds of weight depending on the moisture content of the sod. The street eight-ply tires and wheels measuring 5.7 inches by 8 inches are still used, as the trailers are driven on the cart paths and service roads, and turf tires are not needed. A full-size turf tractor pulls them with ease. It took about three hours for the modification using parts already in inventory. For more, enter www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcvWR3fj70c into your web browser.

Ultimate Tool Box / Work Station

Ryan Osler, equipment technician at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, has a Snap-On Epiq Tool Box measuring 84 inches by 30 inches with a stainless steel power top with built-in power strips on each end, which stores every tool that he would ever need. The work station is 26 inches tall and a work light turns on automatically when the box is unlocked and opened. The Snap-On Side Locker measures 65 inches by 30 inches with six pull drawers with a stationary shelf. A Dell All-In-One Computer/Monitor ($600) has a Sanus Full Motion Wall Mount ($100), with a VGA adapter to run a cable to the flat screen 32-inch TV ($180), which is also used as a second monitor. The TV is also connected to the computerized digital job board, which is located in the employee lunchroom. There also is a Sonos Sound System connected to the Internet with speakers around the work areas. The tool box cost $16,485 – $4,380 for the side locker and $4,150 for the work center. Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, MG, is the director of grounds.