Brush Mowing Trial

 

You may have noticed a few newly cleared areas around the course in recent weeks. We trialed a new brush mulching machine that mounts on the front of our Kubota skid steer. We mowed down areas behind 6 green, left of 7 green, behind 14 green and the left side of 18 fairway. In years past these areas may have been kept free of broom and blackberry. Trying to keep up on these areas in a challenging labour market is obviously next to impossible. We prioritize down the middle areas and greens of course and these outside areas have been somewhat neglected.  

While not all of our broom / blackberry areas could be mowed by this machine, some hand work would still be required, being able to tackle large areas with one operator in a matter of hours as opposed multiple Team Members taking days to complete the same area by hand is very appealing. 

Left side #18 before....

Left side #18 a few hours later.

Were we to purchase this machine, the goal would be to mow down these areas a couple times per year and eventually be able to establish a fescue grass area as opposed to areas filled with broom, thistle and blackberry. As you can see by the last photo, this area on the left of 18 was originally shaped as part of the course and it would be nice to recover some of these lost features.

As labour continues to be scarce and the cost rising, investing in machinery that can replace multiple Team Members only makes sense. We will be further evaluating this plan in the coming months but please do provide any feedback you may have.