When the Foley grinder is humming at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club at the University of Oklahoma, the sound echoes through the maintenance facility like an aria playing across campus in the Cimarron Opera House.
"That's music to my ears," said superintendent Eddie Roach, Jr. "When I hear (the grinder) running, I know the blades are going to be perfect."
Perfect reels are important at Jimmie Austin, where just about everything except fairways and roughs are kept trimmed with an expansive fleet of walk mowers. Roach keeps about 20 walkmowers on hand, as well as a stockpile of about 50 reel and bedknife units.
Keeping those reels as sharp as possible is the job of equipment manager Rex Schad. And although golfers at Jimmie Austin might not know Schad, who eventually came to the golf business after learning diesel mechanics in the U.S. Navy, the side effects of his grinding skills are felt from the first tee to the 18th green.
Schad, who eventually came to the golf business after learning diesel mechanics in the U.S. Navy,
"We have a Foley bedknife grinder, and he keeps it rocking and rolling at least two times a week," Roach said. "He always a grind first mentality. He wants reels perfect all the time. He always has a bunch ready to go so he can pull others out and work on them. This way, everything is always ready when you need it."
Because of his ability to allow Roach and his staff to provide excellent quality of cut every day, Schad has been named one of three finalists for the 2015 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro.
Criteria on which nominees are judged include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.
The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award (a real gold-plated wrench) from TurfNet and a slot in Toro's Service Training University at the company's headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.
In his eight years as superintendent at Jimmie Austin, Roach has been so impressed by Schad's grinding skills that he has dedicated space to him on his turf maintenance blog in hopes of sharing with patrons just how valuable he is to the golf course maintenance operation.
"His position specifically is not one that is highly visible to members, but he has a tremendous impact on our product that we put out there every day," Roach said. "He gives us exceptional quality of cut. Our members and patrons don't see that, or know his face. He's not the guy who gets a lot of 'attaboys' like other people who golfers see out on the course."
Providing this kind of quality of cut means more than just keeping reels and bedknives in top condition. It means keeping all mowing equipment in as-new condition. And often, that means fabricating a tool for a specific task.
For example, when the hydraulics that hold gang units on the rough mowers in a closed position relaxed over time, causing the wings to drop when not in use, Schad fabricated a brace system to hold the decks in place.
"They created too large of a footprint," Roach said. "We needed that space."
Other inventions include a trailer system for spreaders that connects directly to utility vehicles.
It's not enough for equipment to run like it's new, it has to look that way, too.
"It's aesthetic, I know. But there is an image we are putting out there," Roach said. "You can have an old clunker piece of equipment that still achieves a superior quality of cut. But what is the golfer's perception of that? I don't want them to think we don't know how to take care of anything. It has to be an asset to the golf course."
