I apologize for the large amount of grass clippings in the fairways this morning. We are currently blowing the fairways to remove them. The clippings are a result of sending out freshly sharpened mowers this morning. The other mowers have been dulled as a result of fairway topdressing. This is one negative side affect of the process. The sand is abrasive and dulls the reels very quickly. The sharp mowers are cutting a lot more grass with a great quality of cut and in result, more clippings. A second cut this afternoon and tomorrow will clean up the fairways immensely. Our Equipment Manager, John Anderson, loathes topdressing but understands the positive benefits for the turf and in turn his quality of cut.
John has been with the club for over 25 years and is the glue that holds our department together. If John is not checking mowers, repairing equipment or performing preventative maintenance, he is grinding reels, rotary blades and bed knives. This labor intensive process and the setup of the cutting units involves a great deal of detail and a very skilled individual. The cutting units have to be honed in to hundredths and even thousandths of an inch so precision is paramount. When you are mowing below a half inch on fairways and below an eighth of an inch on greens, you quickly realize why a good Equipment Manager is so important. Thanks John!
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| John Anderson, Equipment Manager, adjusting a freshly sharpened fairway cutting unit |
