USGA Article
This article relates to our maintenance practices at FCC. Before my tenure here, the greens were mowed with walk mowers from May - August 95% of the time. Last year we used a triplex on the greens from May - August 85% of the time, using the walkmowers in certain situations. This past season we used the triplex on the greens from May - August 99% of the time, only using the walk mowers a few days.
This was done for a few reasons (as the article states):
- same quality, the technology of triplexes has matched that of the walk mowers, golfers can't tell the difference.
- improved shop capabilities, in the past it may have been difficult to produce three cutting units that were cutting with the same quality at exactly the same height, today we have those capabilities.
- increased efficiency, walk mowing uses 11 man hours every morning, triplexing uses 3.
- Budget, our current Grounds budget is $10,000 less than the budget was in 2008. We are constantly pushed to do more with less.
