Telehandler Preps Course for PGA TOUR
January 10, 2007 • Preparing a golf course for a PGA season-ending playoff is no small task. In fact, Adam Sperling, operations manager for the PGA TOUR's Championship Management, said his team often has less than two months on-site to get everything up to par. The right equipment plays a significant role in Sperling's quest to prep a course for a headline-making event. Depending on the size of the affair, the team will run up to two straight-mast forklifts, a front-end loader, and a scissor lift in various areas of the course.
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To prepare for the Barclays Classic, the PGA TOUR employed a Mustang 634 telehandler instead of a straight-mast forklift.
Recently commissioned with preparing the grounds of Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y., for the Barclays Classic • a U.S. open precursor hosting PGA TOUR stars like Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott • Sperling and his team employed a new piece of equipment to set the stage.
The Practice Swing
Rather than the typical forklift, Championship Management decided to try out a telescopic handler for pick-and-place tasks. Sperling rented a 6,000-pound capacity Mustang 634 telehandler with a maximum reach of 34 feet to see how it would compare to the typical equipment he used for course preparation.
The machine was introduced to Sperling by Chris Kennedy, co-owner of O'Sullivan-Kennedy, Co., a Burlington, Mass.-based equipment rental and sales dealership. Kennedy has distributed Mustang products for several years and thought the telehandler would be perfect for Championship Management
"Reach is important when we are unloading a pallet of concession cups from the back of a storage truck, but capacity becomes essential when it comes to delivering very heavy fence sections to the player walkways," said Sperling.
On the Back Nine
With a course laid out over nearly 7,000 yards, the Westchester Country Club posed a familiar challenge for the organizers, who are responsible for setting up everything from corporate hospitality tents to security fencing on expansive properties across the
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The Mustang 634's speed and versatility were crucial timesavers for the PGA team.
"Depending on the site, we usually have to travel a good distance to prep the golf course," said Sperling. "Being able to rely on a machine with good speed is favorable."
The Mustang 634 telehandler can reach speeds of up to 20 mph. This was of particular importance to the Championship Management team once the tournament play started, as its only route to the vendor yard was outside the course, down a neighborhood road, and through a maintenance area, totaling a quarter mile. According to Sperling, the telehandler made the trip much faster than a straight-mast forklift.
Come Rain or Shine
Starting some days at 5 a.m. and working straight through until sun down makes comfortable and efficient machines a vital team member. Sperling estimates the set-up team and the vendors on-site used the telehandler approximately 30 hours per week for six weeks.
The 634 telehander's two-joystick design was instrumental to operator comfort. Using computer simulation in the design process to optimize ergonomics, Mustang created a solid control center tailored to the needs of its customers. A newly reengineered canopy with increased room for the operator and a storage area under the seat adds to the relaxed environment of the telehandler's interior.
"The weather-protected cab of the telehandler was not something we were used to, and it was a luxury," said Sperling, who harkened back to the rainy morning he was grateful to be protected inside the operator's station.
With the Barclays Classic set-up complete, Sperling and his crew set their minds to the next event, at which they will use a combination of equipment. According to Sperling, a telehandler is likely to join the team on many of its future jobs.
