follow the leader

superintendent embraces new technology

The SLF-1880s are equipped with 11-blade reels, and in combination with the MAGKnives the quality of cut is very uniform.

Bob Kelly is hooked on new technology. His peers are always asking him what new piece of equipment
he’ll be getting next. So it should come as no surprise to his fellow superintendents that this season Kelly is mowing his fairways with Jacobsen’s lightweight SLF-1880 equipped with MAGKnife bedknives.

“I saw the MAGSystem at last year’s Golf Industry Show,” Kelly says, “and while I don’t like to test everything, the concept appealed to me. The cut with the SLF-1880 is beautiful and the MAGKnife
bedknives are very easy to change.”

Kelly has been superintendent at Orchard Park Country Club, Orchard Park, New York, for 11 years. He has cut fairways with large mowers and triplexes, but wasn’t totally satisfied with either.

“I started to see cleanup rings with the larger mowers,” he says, “and their weight created some issues on wet fairways. We switched to triplex mowers, but when the SLF-1880 was introduced I decided to explore that option.”

Orchard Park purchased two mowers last year and added one more this season. Some holes have chipping areas where fairways go up to the edges of the green. For this reason the SLF-1880s were specified with smooth tires.

“The mower is working out very well,” Kelly says. “We also have mounds, and with 18-inch reels the SLF-1880s cut those areas better than a triplex.

Superintendent Bob Kelly is in charge of providing healthy turf, while his Brittany Spaniel, Romeo, chases geese.

Kelly says the mowers do a great job on wet fairways, but admits the smooth tires make mowing a little more difficult in severe conditions.

“My feeling is that if we can’t mow with the SLF-1880 we probably shouldn’t be mowing at all,” he quips.

The superintendent is very pleased with the appearance of his fairways.

“Some courses want the striping look of a 62-inch-wide triplex mower,” Kelly says, “but the appearance and finish we get with the 80-inch-wide cut of the SLF-1880 is not that much different. The advantages of this mower compared to a triplex are faster ground speed and a more efficient mowing operation.”

MAGSystem saves time
Labor savings attracted Kelly to Jacobsen’s MAGSystem.

“Time is important because I give my mechanic a lot to do,” he says. “Besides our three SLF-1880s, other reel mowers in our fleet include a large fairway mower, four triplexes and 10 walking greens mowers. Every time they go out, I expect him to check the cut when the mowers come back in. If he needs to sharpen a reel, it’s a huge benefit to be able to pop a MAGKnife bedknife on and off in a matter of seconds rather than minutes.”

There are other advantages to not having to undo 13 screws and put them back in.

“We’ve always had issues getting the screws tightened evenly without warping the bedknives,” Kelly says. “Granted, after we grind they’re flat, but if the bedknives are badly warped, grinding takes off too much material and it’s almost impossible to have a true surface. Obviously, this is a bigger issue mowing greens with the ultra-thin MAGRazor, but the concept is something we’re interested in pursuing.”

Kelly isn’t a fan of welding reels, either.

“If we hit something with a MAGKnife,” he says, “we won’t break everything. I’ve been through the steel spike era and the reel welding that went with it. I like the idea that if we hit something that object will pass through, or if an operator catches a sprinkler head, the bedknife will dislodge rather than get into the reel. But we haven’t had a MAGKnife come off.”

The SLF-1880s are equipped with 11-blade reels, and in combination with the MAGKnives Kelly says the quality of cut is very uniform.

“I can’t remember seeing our fairways as nice and perfectly smooth as they are now,” he adds.

Monitor turf health
Kelly uses several tools to ensure that his soil has the right chemistry levels and that the turf is healthy. He takes soil samples in spring and fall and tests the quality of his irrigation water annually.

“We’ve been trying to change some of the levels in the soil, and analyzing soil samples lets us know if our programs are working,” he says. “It takes time to make changes, but some of our numbers are off and we need to do something. I use fertilizer with a lot of calcium and drag in other amendments when we aerify. As we get closer to our goals we can fine-tune the program and concentrate on specific areas.”

Kelly also uses the services of a turfgrass consultant who visits the course at specified intervals to check for disease and other issues.

“If we have something we don’t recognize or want to confirm a problem we suspect, he takes samples and gets back to us within 24 hours,” Kelly says. “This is especially important on greens because a lot of things look the same when we’re mowing at 1/8 inch. We’re on the lookout for issues everyday, but he sees so many courses. He knows what’s coming. For example, he will know that a particular insect may be two weeks early. I don’t have to spend as much of my day tracking down potential problems. And, disease control programs are so specialized that it’s possible for us to spray the wrong chemical. It may not damage the turf, but it will certainly waste money.”