GPS Mower

[Crazyface]

I played golf at The Manor yesterday and they had a GPS Mower going about it's business on a fairway. Apparently it can work 7 days a week and when it's low on power pops back to the garage to re charge then goes back out to carry on mowing. Night and day! Amazing. It's keeps three fairways perfect. This, may I suggest, it the golfing maintenance future.

 

[Tashyboy]

They had one at our place on loan and it was rammel. The greenkeepers spent more time fetching it when it had broken down than actually doing there jobs. They are not cheap.

 

[jim8flog]

I have a much smaller version and it has been a godsend.

Earlier this year my grass had got to around 10" tall I got in a gardener to take it down to a reasonable height, then my daughter came round to take it back to normal height.
Robomower ever since.

The one I have it a bit less technical to use it has camera on the front and sees where the lawn ends and the path starts and cuts the lawn in a random fashion but does a good job.

 

[Fade and Die]

I played a local course on Friday and they had one bumbling up the next fairway over, big thing it was, don’t know what it does if people step in front of it?

 

[splashtryagain]

Whole fleet of them at Carus Green, they are doing a good job.

 

[NearHull]

I played a local course on Friday and they had one bumbling up the next fairway over, big thing it was, don’t know what it does if people step in front of it?

We are just procuring the system. They tell us that it will stop if it bumps into anything. It also doesn’t mark a golf ball if it runs over one.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I played a local course on Friday and they had one bumbling up the next fairway over, big thing it was, don’t know what it does if people step in front of it?

Presumably they have sensors that will tell them to stop, or change direction, if an object is in the way. A bit like modern cars, if fully automated. That seems logical.

 

[D-S]

I thought it seemed like a good idea as they can do their work at night when golfers are not present. I was surprised that they were tootling around in the daytime with golfers around.

 

[jim8flog]

I thought it seemed like a good idea as they can do their work at night when golfers are not present. I was surprised that they were tootling around in the daytime with golfers around.

I do not think the insurance companies will go with that.

 

[splashtryagain]

If they encounter an obstacle they will move past it and come back later solar power banks provide the juice and they just recharge when needed. App lets user choose the patterns they want too.

 

[Fade and Die]

We are just procuring the system. They tell us that it will stop if it bumps into anything. It also doesn’t mark a golf ball if it runs over one.

I wonder how it does that? It was clipping the fairway pretty tight!

I played Cleave Hill today, they have just got the older models…

 

[rudebhoy]

We had one on trial a few weeks ago. It was quite impressive, but they are pretty expensive, I was told the one we had retails at 20k.

 

[Crazyface]

The bloke I was with said their cost 35k. He was very very impressed with them.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I guess the cost / value depends on the number of hours they can work compared to the cost of existing equipment plus labour hours sat on the mowers. If these machines can do the unskilled cutting, it leaves the greenkeepers to do the more skilled jobs. A win win for everyone.

 

[rudebhoy]

I guess the cost / value depends on the number of hours they can work compared to the cost of existing equipment plus labour hours sat on the mowers. If these machines can do the unskilled cutting, it leaves the greenkeepers to do the more skilled jobs. A win win for everyone.

Or they sack a greenkeeper or two in the belief this will cut costs over time.

 

[Crazyface]

I guess the cost / value depends on the number of hours they can work compared to the cost of existing equipment plus labour hours sat on the mowers. If these machines can do the unskilled cutting, it leaves the greenkeepers to do the more skilled jobs. A win win for everyone.

I'm going to suggest that we buy one, then our GK can crack on a get the rest of the course tidied up, and maybe we can show that we are doing things and get our lost members back. God I miss them. Of course this won't happen.

 

[Hacky]

Golf Mates have an interesting video about greenkeeping at Carus Green which covers their use of robotic mowers. It’s certainly the future despite the large outlay costs. Undoubtedly at the cost of greenkeeper jobs (though having said that, many places are finding it difficult to recruit/retain staff anyway)