The mowers we use to cut greens here at Whitevale are a walk
behind style that requires an operator to walk behind and steer the mower as it
crosses over the green surface. There are larger r ide
on mowers that some clubs use to mow green, and each style have advantages and
disadvantages over each other. The single largest advantage for me on using
walkers over r ide on mowers is the
reduced potential for damage. The ride on style mowers we have all run
hydrostatically, with pressurized oil turning the drive wheels and the mowers,
as well as the lift lower mechanisms. When these mowers are performing with no
problems they can be productive and deliver the high quality all of us expect.
But when a problem arises, it can turn into a nightmare.
It is because of this potential nightmare scenario I prefer
to keep these ride on triplexes off of our greens. Unfortunately, sometimes we
have to use these mowers on our greens surfaces. Verti-cutting may be the best
example of this requirement. We have no option but to use the triplex ride on
units with verti-cutting heads when trying to complete this necessary cultural
practice. Last week we were performing this verti-cut on our greens when the
nightmare happened. A hydraulic hose failed
and hydraulic fluid began leaking out as it crossed the first green.
This damage is ugly to say the least. On a small positive
note, as bad as it looks the green is still rolling as smooth as ever. So the
damage is 99% aesthetics. And, luckily enough only one pass was made. It was
over 20 years ago that I had an inexperienced operator mowing greens on a triplex
and a hydraulic hose failed on the 3rd green, and it was not
noticed. Every green from the 3rd to the 18th green had
lines all over them from each pass of the mower as it leaked hydraulic fluid.
I have heard people suggest
getting out soap and water in an attempt to wash this oil off the turf hoping
to reduce the damage. But the actual damage is mainly from the extreme
temperature of the oil burning the cells within the leaf that does the main and
initial damage. It only takes a few short minutes of these machines running to
cause the pressurized oil to become very hot. A very heavy spill can kill the
crown as well as contaminate the soil.
This spill was, generally speaking, a light spill. We can
see life in plants at the crown level so we are waiting patiently to see if the
plants will grow out of the damage reducing the work we might otherwise have to
invest to repair the damage. Over the next week or two we will see how well the
recovery is coming along and can then determine if intervention with seeding or
sodding is necessary.
You may have also noticed significant sand on some of the
approaches over the weekend. Part of the USGA report last September highly
recommended top dressing approaches, which is not something Whitevale has done
in the past. We attempted to start this process last week only to get hit with
some rain making all this sand wet. When the sand is wet we are unable to brush
it into the canopy of the turf. With our maintenance day tomorrow morning one
of the many jobs scheduled is to continue the top dressing of approaches. If
the weather cooperates we should have the sand brushed in ahead of play, so
most members will not notice the sand on our approaches.
