Five-Year Machinery Programme

In March of this year Glen Gorse Golf Club joined the vast majority of other golf clubs around the country by setting up a five year rolling programme for machinery renewal. 

This is something I have wanted to do for a number of years and now we are taking this step forward and it is a massive step forward for us, as we are not a hugely wealthy golf club.  However, it means we will now know exactly what our monthly outgoings are as far as machinery is concerned for the next five year period and not fluctuate as it has done in the past.

There is a large selection of golf course maintenance machinery to choose from nowadays.  However, the greens staff and myself feel that the type of equipment and the financial package we have chosen is right for Glen Gorse.  All the new machinery is supplied by the John Deere company, so there will be a lot of yellow and green going round the course for the next five years. 

The new machinery list is as follows: -

• · 220c Pedestrian mower,
• · 2500e Greens Triple mower,
• · 2653b Utility Triple mower,
• · 6x4 Gator utility vehicle,
• · 4520 tractor.

1)         220c Pedestrian mower

This greens mower will work alongside our present pedestrian greens mower.  When a very wet spell occurs it becomes virtually impossible at times to mow the greens with our triple mower.  So with another pedestrian mower, two of us will be able to mow the greens quite quickly, plus during the winter period it is sometimes best to run over the greens with a pedestrian mower as opposed to using the triple over the greens.

2)         2500e Greens Triple mower

This machine is a more up to date triple, to work alongside our older greens triple.  It works on lower engine revs, which generates an electrical current that in turn drives the cutting units.  Our older greens triple will be used to cut the tees and approaches, which should give us a better quality teeing surface.

3)         2653b Utility Triple mower

This machine will give us a much better quality finish on the semi rough.  It can also double-up as a tees mower if we need to have two mowers on the tees.

4)         6x4 Gator utility vehicle

Will enable us to get around the course quicker to carry out small and light jobs without having to hook up a tractor and trailer.

5)         4520 tractor

Although we have two tractors already; the John Deere 4700 and the Kubota 2850, only the 4700 can be used as a loader and operate the verti-drain.  The 2850 is not large enough to cope with these tasks.  However, it is still a very useful tractor for use with the over-seeder and fine turf slit-tiner.  The new 4520 tractor will enable one of the staff to be verti-draining tees, fairways and walkways, while the rest of us are carrying out construction work and carting spoil.  It will also be able to operate our sprayer, so we can spray larger areas, such as fairways and semi rough.

Francis Kempster

Course Manager

April 2009

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