The winter work has begun

  Probably the #1 question I get asked this time of year is "what do you do all winter?"  Well, this year, I plan to answer that.  I will document your maintenance staff operations this winter and occasionally post pictures and information to give a little insight into how we keep busy while the golf course hibernates. 
  We are 90% finished with our end-of-season pesticide applications, but we need weather above freezing for the sprayer to function properly. With temperatures at or below freezing for the next week or so, the staff has been forced inside to begin the winter chores. 
  Basically, we break up into two groups.  Under the watchful eye of my shop/equipment manager Art, the assistants Dave and Jason begin tearing equipment down and replacing all the necessary wear parts such as bearings and seals, while doing oil changes and servicing all units big and small, right down to the last weedeater.  The second portion of the work is prepping and refinishing all the accessories on the course such as tee markers, ball washers, stakes, and benches.  Here's a few pics to show where we are at currently.

Once all the utility vehicles are serviced, we start with the walking greens mowers.  Here, Jason has removed the engine for grinding purposes and is changing the oil.

All the greens mower engines ready to be serviced.

Here's Dave grinding the 'bedknife' or the blade on the bottom of the machine that stands the grass up before the 'reel' clips the grass.

Dave is now grinding the reel to ensure a sharp outer edge on the blade.

To grind the top edge of the reel blades, we put the mower on a machine that I believe is older than the golf course itself.

In our makeshift painting area, all the tee markers are assembled for stripping and refinishing.

Ball washer bases have been pressure washed and painted.

Gary has started on the always exciting task of cleaning and painting every single hazard stake on the course.  He often tells me how much fun he has while he is doing this.