Comprehensive Report on Equipment Challenges

 

I am writing to present a detailed account of the numerous equipment-related challenges we've faced throughout this year at our golf course.

1. Fairway Spray Rig: Our spray rig experienced a cascading failure beginning with a malfunctioning water pump that led to an engine overheating and a blown head gasket. This resulted in a two-month-long downtime during critical fungicide application months. Parts were delayed due to supply chain issues, requiring us to resort to eBay for a replacement water pump.
2. Fairway Cutting Unit: An unforeseen hydraulic leak in a hard-to-locate area cost us a month of downtime. The replacement part sent to us was incorrect, forcing us to weld the original part for a temporary fix.
3. Sidewinder Hydraulic Leak: A leak occurred in the hydraulic hose that affected our rough mowing unit, causing minor turf damage and staining the cart path. We've since trained operators on how to handle such leaks to minimize further damage.
4. Groundsmaster 4500D: Our newly leased five-deck rotary mower, which had less than 50 hours of operation, displayed multiple error codes. The issue necessitated three visits from service personnel and two major computer board replacements, causing over a month of downtime.
5. Irrigation System:

• Spring Issue: A 22-year-old VFD drive computer failed and required replacement, hampering our watering capabilities.
• Late Summer Issue: A leak in the cooling system flooded the main power panel, causing the irrigation system to operate at half capacity during a dry period.  The involved a 3 week downtime.

6. Top Dresser Overheating: The top dresser overheated during aeration. We temporarily borrowed equipment from Hendersonville Country Club to complete the required top dressing.  16 of the greens and all of the tees where topdressed using the HCC topdresser.  Thanks Will!!!
7. Rough Mower Fire: A catastrophic fire on hole number 17 destroyed one of our sidewinder units, leaving it unusable.

These equipment challenges have put considerable strain on our operations. Coupled with personnel and weather-related challenges, this year has been uniquely difficult in my tenure as a golf course superintendent. 

Thank you for your attention to these matters.

Best regards, Josh