INDUSTRY EQUIPMENT
“In order for the course to look its best,
one needs to start with a good base,
once you have achieved that the rest falls
into place – spring treatment is every
turf grass superintendent’s chance to
achieve an optimum foundation to ensure
the grass performs during the growing
season,” says Ross.
Spring treatment
“The spring treatment at Houghton
Golf Club involves several processes
which includes dethatching all kikuyu
areas as well as aerification on tees,
fairways and green surrounds. Explaining
the aerification, Ross says the process
basically serves three main objectives – it
relieves soil compaction, thus getting your
soil and air percentage to optimum levels,
ensuring good rooting. It also provides a
method to improve the soil mixture when
incorporating a topdressing mix, and it
reduces and prevents the accumulation of
excess thatch,” explains Ross.
Typically, spring treatment at Houghton
Golf Club starts on the 1 July, starting with
the bunkers. “We have 64 bunkers in total
and the work we do there usually takes
about two to three weeks, with a team of 6
to 10 people,” says Ross. Due to the design
of the bunkers, Ross explains they can’t use
normal run-of-the-mill brush cutters because
they are too aggressive, and the bunkers
will therefore lose their unique shape.
“The bunkers on this course are a
special feature which I don’t want to lose. A
To undertake this process, Stuart Ross, superintendent at Houghton Golf Course, says
that he has put his trust in the Toro brand.
lot of it is done by hand, and this is one of
the reasons I start my bunker programme a
bit earlier as removing last year’s growth by
hand does take a bit of extra time,” he adds.
In the first week of August the serious
business starts, commencing with the
tee surrounds, rough, then the out-of-play
areas and eventually tees and fairways and
green surrounds. “As we get to September,
we start with high-traffic areas, being tees
and fairways, the recovery will be faster
The Reelmaster 3100-D has the power to climb and cut through difficult mowing
conditions.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
because the temperatures during that time
of the year will be much warmer, which
bodes well for quicker growth. We try not
to disturb the golfing experience too much
so the quicker we get the grass back the
better,” he says.
Equipment for the job
To undertake this process, Ross explains
that he has put his trust in the Toro brand
– a global brand, and locally supplied by
Smith Power Equipment. A Reelmaster
5510 is also on site for cutting fairways.
A key feature of this machine is the
Dual Precision Adjustment (DPA) cutting
units which maintain levelness and hold
adjustments. DPA allows quick bedknife to
reel adjustment. Harder reel and bedknife
steel retain a sharp edge up to three times
longer to minimise the need and frequency
of adjustments, backlapping and grinding,
leading to healthier turf that stays green.
Two Reelmaster 3100-D mowers are
also on site. With a 21.5 hp (16 kw) Kubota
engine, the Reelmaster 3100-D has the
power to climb and power to cut through
difficult mowing conditions. It is available
in a 183cm or 216cm width of cut. With
a choice of 5, 8, and 11 blade reels and
adjustable reel speed control, this mower
can be configured to meet all mowing
applications.
Another Toro mower on site is the
Greenmaster 3250-D. A large, 3 cylinder,
Kubota 902 diesel engine making 24.8
hp (18.5 kw) at 3 600rpm, governed to
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