Shop Work

Winter work includes equipment refurbishing and we're making good progress. All of the cutting units get rebuilt and sharpened. This process was once done by hand: manually passing a grinding stone over the cutting cylinder. Now this operation is automated; just set the cutting unit in the grinding machine, apply the parameters unique to each machine and the rest is automatic. Our mechanics monitor this operation closely and we're lucky to have such a great team.

We continue to remove snow from greens that might be at risk from winter damage.

Winter Equipment Repairs

We are getting closer to completing our Winter Rebuild Program. In addition to the thorough inspection and repair each piece of our $2,000,000 inventory receives, we are cleaning and painting the staff use areas.

Sprayers, mowers, carts, trailers and rollers all get a complete "tune up". We do not have much time in season to do this type of extensive Preventative Maintenance. Our summer equipment maintenance is limited to oil and filter changes and any routine breakdowns. So winter is our opportunity to take the covers off and get a good luck inside.

Hydraulic Oil Leak

We have been plagued this year by hydraulic leaks. Yesterday was the sixth time this summer that a hydraulic line has blown on a piece of equipment. Each winter we thoroughly inspect every hydraulic hose but that's no guarantee against failure. Perhaps with the heat and stress on the equipment, this year is our year of bad luck. We'll continue to check equipment and guard against any more hot oil on fine turf.

The area below, will be stripped and sodded this week.

#6 fairway South

Greensmowers

We have a fleet of 28 hand greens mowers. In addition to cutting greens they also serve to mow tees and collars. The total replacement value of these 28 machines is $275,000. Accordingly, we take great care in their maintenance and operation. As they mow the most expensive (per square foot) property on the golf course it's important that they are clean, well serviced and sharp every day they are used.

Sharpening Reel Mowers

Commonly referred to as grinding reels. Part of our capital purchases in 2011 is the replacement of our 15 year old grinding machine. The new one was received last week and put to immediate use. It's used to sharpen 'reels', that part of the mower actually doing the cutting.

A reel is made up of helix shaped blades attached around a steel shaft. The reel and cutting unit are removed from the traction unit, mounted into the grinder and automatically sharpened by a pre-programmed, spinning stone. The new breed of reel sharpeners like ours, can often exceed OEM specifications for reel sharpness.

Fully enclosed to reduce noise and improve safety, the new grinder will provide our equipment technician the tools necessary to meet the demands of quality turf on the golf course.

Winter Repairs

The first step is getting the greens mowers ready as they are our most important piece of equipment. They are disassembled, repaired, sharpened and cleaned. We don't typically paint this type of equipment; a thorough washing is usually enough.

Elbow Grease

We're on the home stretch with equipment refurbishing. Sprayers, work vehicles and small 2-cycle peices like weedeaters remain to be put back in working order. All of the other 'mowing' equipment is ready to go.

Our total equipment inventory is $1.7 million and the time spent refurbishing it in the winter is our #1 labor expense for the entire year. But, the effort we expend now will save us enormous time in the season ..... which is just over the horizon.

Cleaning Day

The shop and staff areas are cleaned every day ... but on Friday's we make sure the facility gets a spit shine. A little soap and elbow grease gets us ready for a clean day on Monday!

Equipment Maintenance

This week, we have been working on refurbishing "greens mowers", the Toro Flex 21. The mowers are completely torn down, cleaned, re-assembled and then sharpened. I would anticipate another 2 weeks to get through all 26 mowers.

"Refurbishing" includes complete dis-assembly of the machine, checking bearings and other critical moving components and replacing them as needed. At the same time, we do a complete diagnostic check of the engine. Final preparations include grinding, washing, oils and fluids and a finish wash.

This level of detailing gives us the greatest chance of minimal breakdowns during the golfing season.