TRAVELS WITH TERRY

Globetrotting consulting agronomist Terry Buchen visits many golf courses annually with his digital camera in hand. He shares helpful ideas relating to maintenance equipment from the golf course superintendents he visits — as well as a few ideas of his own — with timely photos and captions that explore the changing world of golf course management.

Wheel Portable Sprinklers

Eight- by 7-inch recycled golf cart wheels were turned into portable sprinkler heads to irrigate alongside the roadsides at the 27-hole McCall (Idaho) Golf Club. A 1-inch-plus diameter hole was cut with a torch into the side of the wheel and then a ¾-inch galvanized nipple was welded into place. A ¾-inch diameter galvanized elbow was installed with another ¾-inch nipple screwed into the Hunter PGP sprinkler head pipe threads. A ¾-inch garden hose adapter and a “Y” hose thread adapter were installed so three portable sprinkler heads could be used in series using one manual valve. Additional units are going to be built to irrigate isolated fairway dry spots. It took about 30 minutes to build each wheel and no cost for the parts already in inventory. Golf course director Eric McCormick and equipment manager Ted Austin are a formidable duo.




Golf Cart Traffic Experiment

Gabe Gallo, director of agronomy at the 36-hole Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, communicates effectively with the green committee and membership through his YouTube videos and digital photos. In February 2021, to further communicate with the green committee about the effects of golf cart traffic, Gallo roped off a temporary mock “GUR” for a two-week period and then presented these photos as further evidence. The committee was blown away at the amount of traffic affecting the playability and aesthetics of the Celebration Bermudagrass rough during the height of the winter golf season. After the experiment, it took two weeks for the “GUR” — after the ropes and stakes were removed — to show the same wear just like the surrounding traffic areas.

September 2023
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