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Photo quiz |
Answers:
PHOTO A: The tufts of bentgrass sod on this green’s approach were caused by vandalism. It happened late at night by someone driving a vehicle with off-road tires. They targeted a green on the golf course and did several donuts, a brake stand and jumped two bunkers. The rooster tails of sod coming from the tires threw sod more than 30 yards into the green’s approach. The same vehicle did damage around town that night, taking out several mailboxes and forcing a parked car into a ditch. The tire tread was very distinctive and has now been featured in a local Crime Stoppers program. The superintendent built a custom sod plugger from old bedknives that measured the exact size of the tire and used it to plug the bad ruts. The crew also used a turf plugger for the smaller marks. They decided to go with plugs so they would have more root mass than they would get from using a conventional sod cutter. After plugging, they topdressed and push-broomed the topdressing in for two months. Photo submitted by Jim Peacock, Class A superintendent at Meadow Lakes Golf Resort in Columbia Falls, Mont., and a nine-year GCSAA member.
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PHOTO B: This line of dead turf across the green was caused by a leaky backpack sprayer. Apparently, a crew member had a leak in his or her backpack sprayer and took a shortcut back to the maintenance facility directly across this green. The material was leaking out the entire trip. This is a reminder that all equipment should be checked by maintenance personnel before each use to prevent things like this from happening. Large equipment is often properly maintained; however, small equipment like backpack sprayers also contains seals and gaskets that should be checked to prevent damage like this. One can also speculate about the crew member’s alertness to detail after seeing the straightness of the line they were walking. Photo from the collection of John Mascaro, taken by his father, Tom.
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