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.

Grass Catcher Rack

Approximately 30 to 35 grass catchers can be stored with ease, obviously depending on their size, at the Westmoreland Country Club in Wilmette, Illinois. Each is about 20 feet wide and 7 feet high. One-half-inch diameter electrical conduit, 12 inches in length, supports the grass catchers, spaced approximately 20 inches apart, depending on the grass catcher size. 4-inch by 4-inch by 10-foot pieces of lumber were used to build it, using “L” brackets and bolts to hold it together. The vertical posts were buried two feet deep in concrete. It took about 12 hours to build and cost up to $400 for lumber and bracing — the conduits were recycled. Matt Flory is the superintendent. This excellent idea was inspired by former superintendent Todd Fyffe and built by Oswaldo Rodriguez, who transferred to be the clubhouse locker room manager. Bruce Hepner is the restoration architect.




Battery Chargers Supreme

Eight 6- or 12-volt batteries can be charged at the same time on the five-year-old Schumacher DSR ProSeries DSR127 Charging Station (about $800 from Northern Tool), which includes eight 6-foot-long detachable charging cables. Each battery is automatically charged separately using a start and stop button, which adjusts from two to 12 amps output per bank, with a digital display to keep the team informed during the charging process. There is a microprocessor to prevent overcharging, with reverse polarity and short-circuit protection for standard, AGM, deep-cycle and LiFePO4 batteries. The 12-volt batteries are used primarily for 15- and 30-gallon sprayers used for spot spraying chemicals, which last all day on a single charge. Superintendent Kurt Jennings and equipment manager Corby Coggins at the Redstick Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida, are high tech in everything they do. Rees Jones and Greg Muirhead designed the course.

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.

February 2023
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