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.

Fairway Mower Lightbar

A 20-inch-wide, 126-watt LED lightbar, manufactured by Nilight, Model 6000SC (about $35.99 from Amazon) was installed on the ROPS on the 2019 Toro Reelmaster 5010-H Five-Plex Fairway Mower. The wiring was tied into the light switch for the OEM existing lights. The additional lighting was very helpful for employee safety so the operator could plainly see everything that was ahead of the cutting units to avoid any obstructions such as tree branches, twigs and misplaced divots. The fairways are mowed during the morning hours before dawn and the added excellent visibility was much appreciated. It took about one hour to install and the lightbar angle can be adjusted as required. Gar McLamb is the superintendent at the Hillendale Country Club in Phoenix, Maryland. William and David Gordon were the original golf course architects, with remodeling over the years by George Fazio, Tom Clark and Bob Cupp. Joel Weiman recently designed and built a new short-game practice area.




Sprayer LED Lightbar

This 2012 Toro Multi Pro 5800-G Sprayer had a 52-inch-wide Nilight Model 15026C-A, LED 300 Watt Lightbar (around $57 from Amazon) installed on top of the rollover protective structures. The lightbar faces the rear so the tank can be lit up well when tank mixing during the early morning or evening hours — and for the operator to view if there are any clogged nozzles and proper boom operations when spraying for two hours in the early-morning dark. A separate on/off switch was installed independent of the front headlights. The lightbar can be angled at the operator’s choosing. It took about 1½ hours to install. Hillendale Country Club superintendent Gar McLamb and equipment manager Dionisio Escobar like making equipment even better.

Terry Buchen, MG, is president of Golf Agronomy International. He’s a 56-year, life member of the GCSAA. He can be reached at 757-561-7777 or terrybuchen@earthlink.net.

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December 2024
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