Advances in mower technology are helping golf course superintendents run their maintenance operations more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Taking advantage of new mower technology is not the only way that superintendents can save costs on mowing practices.
With 45 holes spread between two entirely different golf courses, Wintergreen Resort’s Fred Biggers puts a premium on finding cost-saving opportunities through a variety of mowing strategies.
Presidio has no-mow areas, and the staff gang-mows fairways with an 11-gang pull-behind mower. “One person can mow 40 acres in four hours,” Nettz says.
Native areas are not a design feature of Muirfield Village, Mark says, but the maintenance staff uses growth regulators to keep plants from growing excessively and to reduce mowing costs.
At Wintergreen, notes Biggers, grounds crew members “maintain the golf courses with an eye on the budget.” They keep the greens dryer and firmer to enhance the roll, and only water to supplement rainfall or to soak in a chemical application.
The property, which is working on its Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program certification, increased natural areas from eight acres to a total of 14 acres on its two golf courses last year. “We’ve taken that labor we’ve saved and used it to do more work in the bunkers and other trim work around the golf course,” notes Biggers.
The golf courses have buffer zones around the streams, creeks, and lakes, and the increased natural areas have provided a balance between intensive- and low-maintenance areas. “It’s also speeded up play,” Biggers reports. “People don’t go looking for balls in the native areas.”
Wintergreen’s grounds crew sprays growth regulator on the property’s Bermuda grass twice a month, enabling them to mow the turf only twice a week and eliminate clippings, so they don’t have to blow the fairways. This practice has reduced growth by 60 to 70 percent, Biggers says.
By mowing less frequently, the Wintergreen maintenance staff also saves wear and tear on the equipment, decreases diesel usage, and reduces labor costs.
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