fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en ms ms ms ms id en ms it ms ms ms en en ms nl ms en en en en en en en en id en en en en en id sv ms id id id ms en hbs_lat en id id fi ms id id id en nb de en fa fi id id ms ceb en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en ms en ms ms ms ms pl ms ms ms ms ms ms nl en en en en en en en en en en en id ms ms id id id ms id ms ms ms id id fi id en es nb es es id id ms en en en en en en en id id ms id id id en id id ms id pl en en tr en ms ms ms sv nb id nb nb en it ms ms hbs_lat ms en en en ms id ms id en en ms en en id war tr it id id ms en id en en pl en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en ca en en en en en en en en en en de en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en gl en en en en en en da en en en en en en en ca en es es en tr en en en en es en ne en en en en en en en en en en oc en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en pt en en en en en en en en en
Minimum Golf course Machinery « Turf Matters
The Site To Go To For All Your Turf Matters
Increase productivity, cut labour. Try the AM61A
Get your Trees from this nursery
Questions That are Bugging me About my Golf Course (or Fields)
My route to Grass Glory
Rumput di padang golf Malaysia
Mengukur saiz kawasan yang tidak geometri.
“Aiyah, why do today? Next week cannot ah?”
Grasses on Malaysian golf courses
The Green, Green grass of work…
The grass is always greener on the other fairway…
Preparing for a major tournament
Turfgrass diseases: a simple article.
How to improve my golf course
Bagaimana seorang konsultan boleh membantu
Rekabentuk lanskap: apa dan kenapa
Rekabentuk Lanskap; macamana nak mula.
Enter your email address to follow this site and receive notifications by email.
Rumput di padang bola Malaysia
Kita Kasi itu Rumput.
Pengetahuan Sedikit atau Silap?
Kenapa padang golf Malaysia lebih baik dari padang bolanya? Bhg 1
Sprinkler: di luar atau dalam padang?
Sod kawasan botak: Memperbaik atau Membazir?
Lockdown: Apa nak buat pada rumput anda.
The Top Ten List
Hias-atas Utk Atasi Air
Falsafah Penyelenggaraan Padang Golf
Who Pays My/Your Salary?
Visit Malaysian Golf 2020
Beza ‘Hollow’ & ‘Solid’ Tine
Maklumat yang terkandung di dalam laman web ini adalah di beri tanpa sebarang waranti atau gerenti, samada di lafazkan atau ditafsirkan. Saya tidak memikul sebarang tanggungjawab untuk sebarang risiko berkenaan kesesuaian atau ketepatan maklumat dalam laman web ini. Saya tidak akan, dalam sebarang keadaan, bertanggungjawab untuk sebarang kerosakkan secara khusus, tak langsung atau diakibatkan oleh tindakan yang diambil atau tidak diambil dengan bergantung atau berdasarkan kepada maklumat di dalam laman web ini.
The information in this web site is provided without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. I do not accept any responsibility for any risks concerning the suitability and accuracy of information in this site. I will in no event be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other action, arising out of or in connection with reliance on or the use of any information in this site.
Pakar Rumput by Normas Yakin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
© Normas Yakin and Pakar Rumput, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Normas Yakin and Pakar Rumput with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Minimum Golf course Machinery
The list below is not a conclusive list but is an opinion based on 18 years of experience. For more info, get in touch with your Superintendent.  Each and every golf course will be different.
Uses / Remarks / Excuses
For internal transport of the superintendent, assistants, supervisors and irrigation staff (for those clubs with manual irrigation) some clubs use buggies and some, due to budget constraints or size of the golf course, use motorbikes. You could buy your staff the bikes OR let your staff use their own bike and give them (limited) petrol a day.
2 to 4 mini-tractors (25 – 40 hp)
To fix up with trailer for transport. 1 tractor- trailer unit on each 9 holes.   1 for the landscape section and one for irrigation/drainage. Can also be fixed with implements (blower, sprayer, aerator or even mower) for other uses.
4 to 2 turf transporter (no mistake here, the more mini-tractors you have ; the  less transportersyou need)
Can mean from an expensive truckster to a cheaper bike with sidecar. You wouldn’t want a RM60K tractor transporting 2 workers and equipment to hole 6, when a RM6K bike can do. Heck, an old buggy can do as well. How many tractors and/or transporter you need depend A LOT on the size of your course.
1  pick-up truck, van or small lorry
This is a medium sized transport used in some clubs. Also useful to purchase  stuff from outside the course.
1 tractor with front-end loader and backhoe or trencher attachment
This could be the same mini-tractor fitted with a loader.  As for backhoe; VERY useful to have. A skid-steer with backhoe attachment, a mini-excavator or even a tractor fitted with excavator attachment.
2 units of tipping 1-tonne trailer
Goes with your tractors.  Don’t bother with a 3-tonne trailer: it messes up the edges of your buggy path, difficult to drive and your  staff will overload the trailer anyway.
6 walk-behind greens mowers or 2  ride-on greens mower
A walk-behind greensmower will give better finish with less compaction BUT is much less productive than a ride-on. You should use 1 walk-behind for 3 greens or 1 ride-on for 9 if you need to finish mowing your greens by 9.00am.  Refer to ‘The Superintendent’ of your course.
2 or 3 ride-on tee mowers
One for each Nine. Or 1 for 6 holes. Your call. My advice is to get one that can function as back-up for your greensmowing machines.
1 to 3 fairway mowers
1 fairway mower for 18 holes or for 6 holes? A 7-gang tractor-pulled, traction-driven unit, or a lightweight 5-gang ride-on? The answer lies in how you want your course to look like and how often you want to mow. I strongly recommend 2 units of light or medium sized dedicated mowers. And if your golf course is in Malaysia or any other country with high rainfall, I highly recommend 4-wheel drive units.
1 to 3 units of 3-gang or 5-gang; light rough mower
This for the rough around the fairways.  Differ from 1 course to the other. Depend on fairway size, height of cut, quality expected etc. Hard to recommend. These should be able to handle the rough around the tees and greens too.
1 to 3 units of rotary or flail type; heavy rough mower.
The rough under the trees; the heavy stuff.  I would not recommend using reel-mowers, but that depends, ask The Boss. Rotaries and Flails will withstand the roots, the golf balls, condoms or whatever else are under your trees. The grass are usually cut high too.  Tough on reels.
1-2 units of trim mowers
Some golf courses practice having a semi-rough around their fairways; which may include around greens/tees and/or bunkers.
1 to 2 vertical mowers
It is to control your thatch. It can be mounted on your ride-on greens mowers. More often called the ‘dethatching’ units.
2 to 6 units of brush cutters and/or floating hover mowers
For the areas that machines can’t mow; around trees/furniture, bunker slopes, etc. How many you need depends on how big an area you have.  Aim to cut at least once a month.
1 to 2 rotary lawn mowers
For your landscaping needs around the clubhouse. Depending  on size your landscaping, may be as big as a ride-on machine.
1 to 2 units of edger and trimmer
For edging of buggy paths, or around greens and collars.
1-2 units sprayer with 200-gal tank,  and spray boom attachment and spray handgun
For spraying of herbicides, fungicides etc on turf and trees. Use a lot of growth regulator?  Get 2 units.
1-2 units bunker sand raker
You may need 2 units if you have many bunkers and want to finish raking before 9am.  Some big models can be used for other uses like pulling topdressing mat or brush.
1-2 units aerification machine
Either you get 2 small pull behind aerator or get one of those new tractor mounted aerators.
1-or 2 deep thatch-control machines
More commonly known by the brand name of “Mataway”. For deep dethatching of greens and tees or for collection of stolon/rhizome as planting material. There are other brands in the market too.
1 unit of powered sod cutter
To get sod for replanting.  Or to remove grass that has been damaged.  In case you’re wondering; yes there are ‘unpowered’ sod cutters, they’re tough to use and won’t last long. Neither will your staff.
1-or 2 air blowers
Especially useful if you have a lot of trees that shed a lot of leaves.  A sweeper/vacuum helps but most of the time, a blower is indispensable.
1 unit of  fairway spiker or slicer
The very important but cheap machine most golf courses don’t have or don’t use.  To aerate fairway (or tees, or rough)
1 portable centrifugal pump with suction hose
For the rainy season when you’re bunkers are in deep water and you are in deep $**t
Just like what farmers use to till their land before planting.
For your hedge/bushes.  Optional if you have cheap labour.
1-2 powered topdressing machine
I have done hand topdressing before therefore I strongly advise golf courses to use a powered topdresser either self-propelled or attached to a multipurpose transporter.  You won’t get an even spread with mere humans after the 6th green.
2 topdressing mats or brush for greens 1 for fairways.
After you topdressed, you would have to rub the sand in.
1-2 units of greens fertilizer spreader
I strongly suggest you get two good ones.  I’ve seen cheap units spraying out uneven globs of fertilizer. Calibrate them!
1 rotor-type fairway fertilizer spreader
Again, get good proven ones. The price you pay for a mistake done with fertilizer is more than what savings you got buying a cheap spreader.
Essential for when you want the speeds during tournaments.
1-2 units of self-propelled sweeper
You can’t keep blowing your leaves forever. You’ll have to collect them sooner or later. You may want to look into a smaller walk-behind unit for your car-parks, clubhouse etc.
Ideally, one big one and one small enough the staff can use with one hand (the other hand holding the ladder).
Golf Course Equipment and Tools
For cutting holes. Duh.
18-36 hole cups (this is for an 18-hole course)
It’s worth it to have a spare set.
To pull the cup out of the green.
To put it back into the green as per regulation
18 poles and flags
One set of a pole and a flag for each hole
18 practice green markers
If you have a practice green. Or two.
3-4 sets tee markers
Red, white and blue are must-haves.  Back (black, gold etc) is optional.
6 – 18 golf ball washers
Essentially, at the starting holes and par 3s (you want to give golfers something to do while they wait) or at every tee.
6 – 18 waste baskets
At the same holes as the ballwashers
6 – 18 tee benches
1 or 2 ball mark repairers.
Not all golfers repair their ball mark (and that is a diplomatic statement).
1 soil-sampling tool (soil probe or profiler or both)
To take samples or to see profiles of soil.
1 – 4l wheelbarrows
Depending how much work will need to carry out.
For landscaping work or the occasional photographer (take my word for it)
1 20- or 30-ft extension ladder
Ditto as above but this photographer got more balls.
It’s a wheeled device which when the wheel is turned, will show distance travelled.  Good for taking simple measurement without need of surveyor equipment. Or you could borrow your pro’s laser device.
6 Responses to “Minimum Golf course Machinery”
May 9, 2012 at 9:44 am
This is not an article written for a local Malaysian golf magazine. But I did wrote it many years ago and decided to post it here for other golfers/whatever to read. I am not endorsing anything or anyone and it is not meant as a technical reference or as instruction.
S F Kong said
November 10, 2017 at 2:45 pm
I m Kong n urgently in need of a used push behind green mower. Your anticipation will be highly appreciated.
November 24, 2017 at 8:02 pm
Sir, if its push behind mower, you can check out at Ace Hardware. I used to see one there.
February 25, 2020 at 8:57 pm
Brilliant. Informative and yet with a peppering of good humor.
February 25, 2020 at 9:05 pm
Briluant piece. Informative yet peppered with good humor. Thanks.
If you spare sime time, could you offer some insights on:
1) Recommended frequency for use of fertilizers and pesticides on greens and fairways.
2) Most preferred types of above and quantity required for say a 300 meter fairway
February 29, 2020 at 12:31 pm
1. I recommend greens fertiliser once every two weeks of 70% slow release fertiliser.
Fairways I usually do once every two months (alternate with tees and primary rough).
2. I prefer methylene urea type slow release (though most coated are okay too) and I usually advise 300g N / 100sq.m with N:K 1:1 or 1:>1.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Enter your comment here...
Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:
Email (required) (Address never made public)
You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )
You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )
You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )
Notify me of new comments via email.
Notify me of new posts via email.
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
Join 2,402 other followers
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.