The sand man

We have been fortunate here at Fox Meadow this season to be trying out a few new pieces of gear. We are in the hunt for a new topdressor and a new greens roller. It's funny how life is in the sense that you don't realize how many accommodations you made for using something inferior until you use some superior. Case in point with both our roller and topdressor. We have been using units that are roughly 6-7 years old, and they are a combination of worn out and outdated. I'm not usually one to jump on to something new just because it's new (read iphone 1,2,3,4,5...) but sometimes switching to a newer unit makes both sense in terms of efficiency and with regards to economics.
 In the roller department we have demoed the Tru Turf, the Greensiron, and the Salso units. All have their strength and weaknesses, much like buying a new car (they almost cost that much also...). With the topdressors we have tried both the Dakota 410 and the Propass 200. These two units both preformed well and we will hopefully be making a decision in the next couple of weeks.
 So what does these purchases mean to you as a golfer? Well it all comes down to the efficiency. We will be able to roll and topdress on a more regular basis, without the fear of breakdowns and lost productivity. For the course that means more consistent playing conditions. We tend to focus a great deal of our attention on the greens and these two units will give us the ability to produce a top quality product.
 As an example here is a quick run through of our topdressing procedure yesterday...

The first step is to apply the sand. We use approximately 12 cubic feet of sand per green. Last season with our old unit we would apply the same amount, but the spread was not even. We would end up with thin areas, coupled with windrows of sand along the edges. With the Propass 200 we were able to put down the same amount of sand, but much more evenly. This made all the difference with the next step...

This is a picture of Paul Howard brushing in the sand. This is the money shot. Last season he would have to deal with the a fore mentioned windrows and brush the green 3-4 times (very hard on the green...picture rubbing your arm with sandpaper). Yesterday Paul managed to work the sand into the canopy with one lap...huge plus for the leaf tissue of the plants and great for efficiency.

Topdressing protocol differs from course to course, but here at the Meadow our next step is to roll. With our old roller, it was all about dependability. We could hum along for 12 holes, only to have the unit conk out unexpectedly. With a new, more efficient and dependable unit, that would become a non issue. (Keith N is    rolling with a Tru Turf unit)

 Then we turn on the water for about 10 minutes. I know that is not a picture of a green watering (its actually # 8 fwy), but I did not get a shot of a green watering yesterday.

 So like I mentioned earlier, its all about productivity and quality. We only have so many resources to work with here at The Meadow, so sometimes the best option is to make a wise purchase in order to make the best use of our time.

Thanks so much for reading
paul m