Machinery and Equipment Use in Golf Course Maintenance

• Work equipment can only be used by those who are competent and authorised to do so.
• Correct tools, machinery and equipment used efficiently and safely will make all tasks carried out safer, quicker and to a higher standard of presentation.
• The following text outlines the general principles of machinery and equipment use.
• From golf course to golf course there are different expectations in the standard of presentation and quality.
• A greenkeeper should become familiar with these expectations from their supervisory/management team to work efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of the business.
• For example, a traditional sandy links or heathland course would be firm and dry with light soils and grasses, may be slow growing in dormant periods. This needs diligent maintenance operations to ensure quality of playing surfaces. On the other hand, a parkland course may have heavier soils, comparatively vigorous growing grasses throughout the year. These will require well-planned regimes of mowing to maintain presentation standards. Also, each golf course presents their putting greens, tees, fairways and approaches differently, for example by use of different machinery types e.g. walk-behind (pedestrian) mowers and/or ride-on triplex mowers. Even the requirements for striping-up patterns of turf can vary between golf courses, irrespective of the type of site. These basic types of differences have an impact on presentation standards and the type, extent, intensity and frequency of machinery operations.
• Legislation and regulations such as the Provision for Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) apply to all tools, machinery and equipment. Employers are required to:
• Provide safe and suitable equipment for the job.
• Ensure that proper maintenance is carried out and recorded.
• All employees have the right to refuse to use equipment for which they are not trained, or which is unsafe or not in good working order.

Test your knowledge on the general principles of machinery and equipment use in golf course maintenance. Learn about the different expectations in the standard of presentation and quality, as well as the legislation and regulations related to the use of work equipment.