There is no doubt that spraying greens, tees and even some fairways can be challenging when steep slopes, water or bunkers are close by. Maneuvering in a fully loaded sprayer can be tricky. Some superintendents resort to using a walking spray boom supplied by a hose and reel attached to a larger spray rig to make applications in difficult locations. This usually requires two people, one of whom ends up wrestling with a hose for most of the day. My friend Dan Frederiksen at The Golf Club at Black Rock in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has a different way.
Black Rock has steep slopes around nearly every green and tee. This makes using a traditional sprayer for greens and tees impractical and dangerous, so the maintenance team began looking for alternatives. At first, they tried a walking spray boom, but that didn’t last long. To preserve their sanity and get more efficient in how they made applications near steep features, they customized an old mechanical bunker rake into a miniature sprayer.
The team mounted a 15-gallon tank and spray boom on the back of the rake, installed an on/off switch so the driver can control the nozzles, and added an inexpensive bicycle speedometer. The spray pump motor runs off the machine’s battery system. A second person is still needed because a larger supply tank accompanies the small unit around the course for refills. However, the second person is not tied to a hose at all times. While the spray technician is working, the second person is able to help remove flags and/or tee markers, clean tee plaques, run irrigation or perform any other tasks nearby. Once the small tank is empty, it takes just a few minutes to refill.
This creative solution to a substantial challenge has been a game changer for the Black Rock maintenance crew. So much so, that they intend to build another small sprayer using an electric bunker rake with cruise control, a wider boom and a GPS guidance system. One of the most enjoyable parts of my job as a consulting agronomist is seeing the many ways superintendents overcome challenges. The mechanical bunker rake turned sprayer is ingenious.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, regional director – bwhitlark@usga.org
Cory Isom, senior consulting agronomist – cisom@usga.org