Recently we had the opportunity to use a new unique piece of equipment, which there are only 3 in the world, operated by Ryan Moriarity, owner of SportsTurf Solutions. (www.sportsturfconstruction.com) This piece of equipment allows a playing surface to be laser leveled to any degree or angle and only removes soil and leaf tissue. Rhizomes, underground roots, remain intact and gives the turf manager the opportunity to level an uneven surface and not resod the area. This provides a savings in sod, topdressing, and man hours needed to complete the project. The rhizomes left in the soil can regenerate leaf tissue and fill in the area in a matter of weeks. We tested the machine on #10 Gold Tee, which had a 6 inch rise down the middle of tee in a crown design. After the process was completed the tee is level with a 1% slope away from the walk on area of the cart path. We are anticipating about a 4-5 week recovery time since we are later in the year. This was a very exciting event to watch with many spectators from the club and other golf course superintendents from the area. Thank you to Ryan and his staff for his help and demonstration of the piece of equipment.
#10 Tee Before
These short videos illustrate the machine removing 1-2 inches at a time with each pass.
First Pass
First Pass Down the Crown of the Tee
Finished Product
A Little Topdresing to Lock Moisture In