Equipment Manager's Utility Vehicle

With less than ideal conditions outside this winter, we have focused on refurbishing several pieces of equipment while working inside.  One of the more exciting projects has been repurposing an older utility vehicle into a multi purpose vehicle dedicated for use with our Equipment Manager, Aaron Brown.

We started out with an older John Deere ProGator utility vehicle and stripped it down to its frame.  As a testament to the quality of this machine, very little work was needed to the frame or any of the major mechanical components.  Most of the work that was necessary was cosmetic in addition to some small repairs.

Stripping the ProGator

ProGator stripped down to make repairs.

To improve the vehicle, we sprayed a polyurethane bed liner on the floor board, bumper, and the bed.  This material is very durable and better than the paint that originally came on the machine.  We also removed all the cowlings and made some minor repairs due to some cracks.  After the repairs, we painted the entire vehicle.

Drilling a new support for one of the cowlings.

Putting the newly painted and repaired cowling back on the machine.

After paint, we added new seats and applied new decals.  Additionally, we built a custom bumper to mount a 10,000 lb. winch which will be used to pull out equipment that gets stuck.  We also, added a generator, air compressor and retractable hose, welder, tool box, and a removable vise.

The new machine is equipped with a portable welder.

The new machine is also equipped with a generator and air compressor.

 

Dedicated course vehicle for HFCC Equipment Manager, Aaron Brown.

 

The new vehicle will be used to make minor repairs to equipment in the field and for small construction projects where a generator and air compressor are necessary.  It was important that we made this machine look as new and as professional as possible so that it would represent the Club in the best manner possible. This vehicle will serve Highlands Falls for many years to come and at a fraction of the cost of a new one. 

New bumper with 10,000 lb. winch.

The finished product.

The finished product.

2016 Golf Industry Show

Last week I attended the Golf Industry Show in San Diego.  The GIS is an annual conference and trade show that brings together golf course superintendents, owners, architects, and suppliers from all over the world. The conference features several days of educational seminars followed by the annual trade show.   The following is a brief synopsis of my week at the conference.

Seminar - Enhanced Weed Management for Cool-Season Turfgrass
     While I have extensive knowledge of weed management in all types of turfgrass, chemical and cultural methods for managing weeds is always changing.  This class provided the latest research and methods for managing annual bluegrass in bentgrass which is a major problem for many golf courses including ours.  Additionally, I learned of new electronic resources for weed control information through several land grant institutions.

Seminar - Cool-Season Putting Green Improvement - Changing Species or Cultivars, Interseeding or Regrassing
     Since we use a lot of bentgrass seed every year, this proved to be a valuable class. New genetic research has led to significant improvements in bentgrass cultivars.   As we continue to interseed our greens, tees, and fairways with these new varieties, we have the ability to reduce water and fungicide usage and increase the playability of the surface.  This class highlighted the pros and cons of changing cultivars along with the latest improvements which will help us select the best type for our conditions.

Learning about new bentrgrass varieties.

 

Golf at Torrey Pines South Course
     I again had the opportunity to play in the TurfNet "Emerald Challenge" where Superintendents from North America played against Superintendents from Ireland.  While we lost the challenge this past October in Ireland, we rose to the occasion and brought the Hurley Trophy back home while playing at the famed Torrey Pines South Course.  The course was in spectacular condition and the weather could not have been better.

Hole #3 - Torrey Pines

North America brings back the Hurley Trophy

Trade Show
     As usual, the trade show was exceptional.  Everything from equipment, fertilizer, chemicals, consultants & designers, building products, and computer programs are displayed throughout the trade show floor. I takes me almost 2 days to walk the show floor, talk to vendors, and see what new products are available.  Like many, I truly enjoy this part of the convention as it gives me the opportunity to see some of smaller niche products that just might help our operation improve its efficiency or help us deliver a better product for the membership. 

Ewing Irrigation

The Jacobsen booth gets busier every year!

Busy on the trade show floor.

Finally the best part of the show was the interaction with my peers.  The amount of knowledge that I gather from simply “talking turf” with the guys is immeasurable. I would like to thank everyone at HFCC for providing me the opportunity to participate in the GIS and for understanding the value in continued education. By attending the trade show and participating in the educational seminars, I have consistently been able to bring back useful information that has benefited the Club both in savings and efficiencies, not to mention the agronomic information that improves the course.

Yes It Does Flood in the Mountains

When it rains it pours and boy is it raining!  We have received over 4 inches in 8 hours and the course is flooded in many areas with more rain to come.  While this much rain is normal for this area, the conditions which are causing the flooding are not.  With the ground frozen, the rain cannot be absorbed into the soil and thus it just flows across the surface collecting in the streams and ponds throughout the course.  However, there is so much water that the drain pipes and even the bridges cannot handle the deluge and the water just backs up and causes the flooding.  Here are some pictures of todays adventure around the course.

Left of #16 green complex

#16 Fairway

#15 green

 

The Cullasaja river to the left of #15 green

#14 fairway

Flourescent to LED Lighting

With cold weather and a blanket of snow outside, we have been working inside for the better part of January.  This is a great time for us to make improvements to our maintenance facility.  One such improvement has been replacing the old fluorescent lighting with new LED lights.

The LED tube.

The new LED tube fits into a standard single pin fluorescent fixture.

Lighting in a shop is essential for safety and efficiency.  Currently we have over 80 fluorescent light fixtures that have at least two fluorescent tubes accounting for over 160 lights.  Add to that each light fixture has a ballast and the cost to maintain the lighting at the shop can get expensive.  As a result, we have started to replace the old fluorescent lighting with new LED tubes.  The new tubes are designed to fit into the existing fixture eliminating the need to replace 80 light fixtures.  As an added bonus the LED's do not need a ballast.

The old fluorescent ballast is removed.

Replacing the old fluorescent tubes with the new LED's is not as simple as exchanging one for the other.  The fixture needs to be rewired before the new LED tube can be installed.  The biggest part of the rewiring is the removal of the ballast from the fixture.  After the ballast is removed, the light sockets must be rewired so that there is a hot end and a neutral end.  In other words, a simple circuit.  When the wiring is done, the fixture is ready for the LED tube.

The change to LED does require some basic wiring.

As of today, we have completely replaced all of the lighting in the office area of our shop with LED's.  While the old fixtures needed two tubes per fixture, the new LED's are bright enough that we only need one tube per fixture.  This was an added bonus that we did not expect and will cut replacement costs by half.  Additionally, the LED's are over 40% more efficient than the old fluorescent lights, thus saving on electricity. 

The new LED is bright enough that only one is needed per fixture.

Proper lighting is very important to the safety and efficiency of any maintenance department and ours is no different.  Our reasoning for replacing the lighting was to reduce down time and repair costs for fluorescent tubes and ballasts in addition to improving the light quality throughout the shop.  The new LED lights are expected to last over 50,000 hours, far longer than fluorescent at around 12,000 hours. 

WInter Update 1-18-16

So far this year the weather has been anything but normal.  The year started off warm as we mowed fairways in January for the first time in 18 years.  Then the rains came back and now it is all of 16 degrees outside.  Needless to say that our drainage project on hole #12 is on hold. 

While the weather has stopped us from working on #12, it has not stopped us from working on other projects.  As with years past, we are continuing to enhance areas on the course with rock walls.  We are currently installing a rock wall around the small pond on #1.  Over the years erosion has deteriorated the bank making this highly visible area unsightly.  The new rock wall along with landscape improvements to the area across the street on #18, will greatly improve aesthetics making the start and finish to the course one to remember.

Installing stone wall on the #1 pond.

#1 pond

In addition to the rock wall on #1, we have completed the removal of all the cross ties at the tennis/swim facility.  All of the cross ties have been replaced with stone to match other areas throughout the course.  In addition to the stone work, we will also be adding irrigation and new plant material.

Stone walls at the tennis/swim facility

Stone walls at the tennis/swim facility

Though not as glamorous as course improvements, we are making improvements to our equipment and the maintenance facility.  We have a large list of equipment that we are refurbishing which includes, new paint, bearings, hydraulic hoses, seats, etc.  This refurbishment process extends the life of our equipment at a fraction of the cost of replacement.

John Deere heavy duty utility vehicle undergoing refurbishment.

Painting a trailer in the paint booth.

Not only are we refurbishing equipment, but we are also making improvements to our maintenance facility.  We have added new light fixtures to the back equipment bay to improve efficiency and safety.  Also in this same area, we are in the process of painting the ceiling which along with the new lights will improve light quality.

Adding light fixtures to the shop.

Getting ready to paint the ceiling.

Syngenta Business Institute 2015

I had the pleasure last week of being 1 of 26 superintendents selected from across the country to attend the Syngenta Business Institute on the campus of Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, NC.  The Syngenta Business Institute is a 4 day intensive business development program designed to meet the ever changing requirements of golf course superintendents.  The program supplements and complements a superintendents existing knowledge base, allowing more productive and efficient golf course management.

Graylyn Conference Center at Wake

Through a partnership with the Wake Forest University School of Business, the program provides graduate school-level instruction in areas such as financial management, human resource management, negotiating, impact hiring and other leadership- and professional-development skills, and managing across generations and cultural divides.  To be considered for the program, superintendents had to submit a 250-word essay on why they believe they should be selected to attend. Approximately 25 superintendents were selected to attend and I was fortunate to be selected.

Financial Management

While I found ALL the education useful and impactful, one topic stood out for me, Managing Across Generations and Cultural Divides.  One of the great joys of my job is managing people and I have been relatively successful throughout the years.  However, I have found it difficult to manage "generation y" or more specifically what motivates them.  Through Managing Across Generations and Cultural Divides, I did learn some ideas that should no doubt make me more successful with this age group. 

Negotiating

On top of the graduate level coursework, getting to learn and gain perspective from some of the industry's best golf course superintendents was invaluable.  Throughout the week we all shared ideas and thoughts about the many things that challenge our facilities. 

Graduating Class of SBI 2015

I want to thank everyone at Syngenta for organizing what has become the premier and most sought after education event in our industry.  It was certainly a pleasure and honor to be a part of SBI 2015 and I will be a better superintendent because of it.

Reunion of fellow TurfNet Superintendents' of the Year
Chad Mark, Paul Carter, Anthony Williams, Fred Gehrisch

Pulling Santa for the 2015 Highlands Christmas Parade

Community service comes in many ways and for the second year in a row we have been asked to pull Santa in Highlands annual Christmas Parade.  Santa's "reindeer" comes as a 2014 Club Car 1550 4x4 decked out in red with Christmas lights and snowflakes.  If you have time, please come see us pulling Santa through the streets of Highlands on Saturday Dec 5th from 11am -12pm on Main Street.

Getting my cart ready for Santa.

On the trailer and ready to take to the staging area.

The reindeer is ready.