Golfdom, August 2010

Aim to Please Continued from page 25 The innovative Turfco TriWave 60 Inch Overseeder delivers better germination and quicker establishment with less turf disruption UNC study showed 30 greater germination rates versus traditional methods Patented floating heads follow the ground contour for consistent seed depth Patented WaveBlade technology creates optimum slit width for improved seed to soil contact without turf disruption Patented seed delivery system puts seeds directly into the slit reducing seed waste and increasing germination Close 1 spacing increases germination with fewer passes Now available as a walk behind the TriWave delivers even greater maneuverability and versatility 26 Golfdom August 2010 The TriWave is the first overseeder that does exactly what we want it to do Dale Caldwell Superintendent Minneapolis Golf Club Minneapolis MN 60 Inch Overseeder Traditional overseeders create a v shaped slit causing inconsistent seed to soil contact The TriWave creates clean square slits resulting in faster thicker turf establishment Superintendent Jim Loke believes there are signs the economy is on the mend PHOTOS BY CLAY DILLOW TOP COURTESY OF WINDERMERE GOLF CLUB To his credit Hammon is getting out in front of the matter which makes his waiting and wondering a little less stressful What about workers Joe Boe superintendent of Windermere Fla Golf Club has had a busy year rebuilding greens and greenside bunkers at his course which closed for a renovation Thats all good considering a lot of clubs have put renovations on hold because of the economy But Boes club hasnt been immune to the tough financial times He says his 2010 budget is holding up but he has two fewer employees and his full time staff has gone from working 44 hours a week to 37 hours We reduced hours to eliminate overtime which cost a significant amount of money Boe says My assistant my foreman and I are doing more on course work than we did in the past to make sure things get done as needed because of the labor shortfall Ninety two percent of superintendents who cut their courses maintenance budgets did so by reducing labor either through layoffs or reduced hours according to the Golfdom survey A buzz phrase in the modern day working world is doing more with less Loke says the phrase applies to his crew My staff is smaller but productivity is significantly greater he says Were getting a lot of work done At Traverse City Hammon has implemented reduced hours which he says has impacted the second and third jobs of the day These tasks including bunker edging landscape bed mulch trimming sprinkler heads and markers spot spraying weeds pulling milkweed in natural areas tree trimming and filling fairway divots have been reduced dramatically Hammon says noting that many of his crew members now leave the course at 11 a m instead of 2 30 p m each day Slatterys maintenance staff is down to 19 people from 23 Slattery took a