Ventrac

Believe it or not, there are still some manufacturing and shipping delays left over from COVID. One of those delays in particular affects new golf course maintenance equipment, so getting new machines can still take 12-18 months from date of order. So we must be creative when the need for a new machine arises.

Mowing at the pool and around the mini golf area is a necessary evil. Both are very rough ground, with lots of roots, ruts, and other obstacles, and especially at mini golf, sometimes rocks. This abuse can really wear a mower and its components out quickly. We don’t have a particularly large fleet of equipment, so when a mower finishes one location on the property, it usually heads to a different place to continue mowing.

Although we do still share equipment across our site, the pool and mini golf were two places that we wanted a dedicated mower. Issues had arisen from using our “golf course” mowers at the pool and mini golf and then the mower having a problem and not being available to go back on the course. And we wanted to keep the quality of cut on the golf course as high as possible and sharing with the pool and mini golf was impacting that quality. Our initial plan was to order another of the same mowers that we previously used- a Toro 3500-D Sidewinder- and make it the dedicated mower for the pool and mini golf. However, that mower was subject to the aforementioned 12-18 month lead time and no used models were available. As we started looking at other options, we settled on a versatile tractor style mower.

The Ventrac shown here with
the bush hog brush cutting attachment

Our new Ventrac is an 8 wheeled tractor that can operate several different attachments. In our case, we have the typical front deck mower, but we are also able to purchase a tough cut bush hog-type mower, as well as a trenching attachment- all for less than the Toro mower we were originally planning on buying. And the Ventrac was ready and delivered within 30 days of our order.

So far, the machine has done all that we have asked for and been a useful addition to our inventory. Sometimes it isn’t what you want, but what you can get and work with. That was definitely the case for us this year, but we made some adjustments and things are working great.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org