The walkmowers came out on greens today for the first time
this season. We use a ride on greens
mower, called a triplex, through out the winter and the shoulder seasons of
spring and fall. Once the greens are
cleaned up after spring aerification we start walk mowing the greens and do
that until we aerify in the fall.
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| A triplex going across the green early spring - 3 reels contour independently, tires on the green, front and rear small rollers |
The walkmowers provide a far superior putting surface after
they are mowed compared to the ride on mower, but it takes 3-4 operators,
mowers, carts, and fuel to do the job that 1 person and 1 machine can do the
rest of the season. That is why we only
walk mow during our prime golf season.
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| Walk mowing #18 |
The walk mowers provide a better surface because of a
multiple of reasons, 1) there are no
tire tracks going across the greens, 2)
the mower provides a better quality of cut the way it contours and rides
across the green, 3) they provide less stress on the plant which opens it up
for disease or more dehydration, and 4) it is much easier and more effective to
operate in tight places around bunkers and green surround. The two most
important benefits in my opinion are 1) the
walkmower rides on a rear drum that creates a rolling effect across the green
leaving a smoother surface. Similar to
the dedicated roller that we use on greens, just not as heavy or effective, and 2) we utilize brushes on the mowers to stand the grass up before it is mowed and take the "grain" out of the green.
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| Once the tires are removed for mowing, the machine rolls on a large rear drum |
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| Brushes on the mower that are put in the down position while mowing |
Triplex mowers have come a long way in engineering and
design the last few years but a walk mowed green is still superior to a green
mowed with a triplex.
