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.

Soil Storage Practicality

Forty-six leftover used concrete blocks, acquired from a local concrete company about 12 years ago, were placed on top of a custom-built concrete pad. The blocks were loaded onto a sod delivery truck and were unloaded and placed with a John Deere 7820 front-end loader tractor using a chain/strap placed through a piece of rebar in the top of each block. The back-concrete wall portion was reinforced with soil placed on the opposite side to keep the blocks in place when loading topdressing sand near the end of the storage area. Each bin measures approximately 50 feet long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet high on the sides and back. The pad/blocks were placed on the east side of a building to protect it from the prevailing winds. Used grass seed bags were placed between some of the blocks to control seepage of the sand. Each block cost about $40. The concrete pad cost less than $2,000. Former USGA senior agronomist Matt Nelson, co-owner, and Pat Borchard, co-owner, of Magic Valley Bentgrass/Magic Valley Turfgrass in Filer, Idaho, near Twin Falls, are very inventive.




Social Distance Dividers

The seasonal maintenance staff came back to work for the summer months at the Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club in Powell, Ohio, where Rob Fisher is the superintendent. Fisher realized he did not have enough turf vehicles for one crew member per vehicle per social distancing guidelines, so he improvised unique cart dividers. He purchased 6-gauge clear plastic for 71-inch by 71-inch shower curtains at Target for $6 each. Golf cart control ropes were placed through the curtain holes and three small set screws mounted the curtains to the tops with ease. Two crew members can now ride together safely divided by also closing the folding windshield. Total installation time took about 20 minutes per vehicle.

Terry Buchen, CGCS, MG, is president of Golf Agronomy International. He’s a 51-year, life member of the GCSAA. He can be reached at 757-561-7777 or terrybuchen@earthlink.net.

June 2020
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