TurfOps Weekly #38 | Beyond Acres Per Hour

Welcome to TurfOps Weekly

“How many acres will it mow?”

It’s the logical initial question when evaluating an autonomous mower, but the answer may not tell us as much as we want or need to know.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate to visit Sand Valley’s Lido facility and spend a little time with members of the maintenance team, including Brandon Behrend and Charlie Beyer. I saw firsthand how they’re using Husqvarna autonomous mowers where the technology has been implemented. Husqvarna rates its commercial machines by maintained area, ranging from smaller Automower models to CEORA, which can maintain up to six acres per day under its highest turf-quality schedule. Other manufacturers describe capacity differently. Kress, for example, says its new KR238G can mow up to 20 acres within 48 hours. Segway says its Terranox CM240 can mow six acres within 72 hours.

But the golf course gets some input, too.

A recent USGA Green Section report by Steve Wilson offers a prime example. On a three-hole course adjacent to Sand Valley maintained by The Lido team, one autonomous mower handles everything except the greens, automatically changing heights for rough, fairways, tees and green surrounds. The team liked the cut quality and turf response, but the actual capacity initially fell short of advertised specifications.

Assistant superintendent Charlie Beyer eventually uploaded a property map and their desired mowing frequencies into an AI platform. It redesigned and optimized the mowing zones and schedules, which Charlie transferred into the mower’s existing control system.

The result? According to the USGA report, capacity increased by 0.60 acre every 24 hours, a 40% improvement.

Nothing changed mechanically. The mower didn’t get wider or faster. AI didn’t drive it.

But the operating plan got better.

Maybe that’s the most useful way to think about autonomous capacity. The specification tells us what the machine can theoretically do. Mapping, scheduling, terrain, charging, travel and human decision-making help determine what actually gets done.

Our friends at Frost understand that accurate application is a big part of producing quality turf. From traditional utility-vehicle and trailer sprayers to GPS spray controls and the ASTRO autonomous sprayer, they’re building and supporting equipment designed around the needs of golf courses and sports turf operations.

Take a look at what Frost is bringing to turf spraying HERE.

Stories to share?

The best perspectives in this industry come from the people doing the work every day. Not all of them consider themselves writers.

I want to open TurfOps Weekly to more of those voices.

If there’s something happening in your operation, a lesson you’ve learned, a technical subject you know well, or an industry issue you’ve been thinking about, I’d be interested in hearing from you. You don’t need a journalism degree and a completely finished article. An idea and a willingness to work through it is enough.

Sure, not every submission or idea will become a TurfOps story, and anything published will remain subject to editorial review. But if you’ve ever thought about writing for the turf industry and weren’t sure where to start, this could be your place to try it out.

Reach out here and let’s discuss your next story.

Shop Talk

Think about an autonomous mower over 24 hours. How much of that time is actually spent cutting grass?

There’s mowing, but there’s also turning, traveling between work zones, returning to charge, charging, navigating obstacles and moving back into position. On a golf course, add bunkers, trees, slopes, narrow passages, golfers and other maintenance activity. The USGA specifically points out that published capacity figures are typically based on ideal conditions that don’t look much like many golf courses.

Manufacturers are increasingly designing around those inefficiencies. Toro’s GeoLink autonomous eTriFlex can move between fairways based on mapping input and randomize turnaround paths to reduce repeated traffic. The Turf Pro 500S allows operators to establish transport paths, no-go zones, mowing patterns and working perimeters. Kress includes path-planning technology and inter-zone navigation on its KR238G.

Those sound a lot like software features. But operationally, those are capacity features.

A robot sitting at its charger isn’t mowing. Neither is one making unnecessary turns or taking an inefficient route between zones.

Maybe the question isn't simply, “How many acres will it mow?” It’s, “How efficiently can it maintain my property?”

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ICYMI

What about the specialty equipment you only need a few days each year? Core sweepers, large-area rollers, specialty aerators, root pruners and other machines can provide real operational value without necessarily justifying ownership. This story looks at rental as another option alongside buying, leasing, sharing equipment or hiring a contractor, and asks a broader fleet-planning question: Is reliable access sometimes more important than ownership?

Read the full story ➡️ The Equipment You Need, But Maybe Shouldn’t Own

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Behind the Business

Autonomy is changing what equipment support looks like.

For decades, mower productivity has largely been a hardware discussion: cutting width, ground speed, horsepower, cutting units and reliability. More often recently, productivity also lives inside maps, schedules, software and how well the machine has been integrated into the physical property.

That creates an interesting business question: Who’s responsible for optimizing the machine after it’s installed?

Husqvarna combines its commercial robotic equipment with fleet-management software and dealer support. Toro’s GeoLink platform allows properties to map mowing areas, assign patterns, monitor progress and manage multiple machines. Kress and Segway are similarly building navigation, mapping and remote management into their commercial platforms.

The Sand Valley example takes it one step further. The added capacity didn’t come from a new mower or factory update. It came from Charlie Beyer finding a better way to deploy the asset.

That suggests installation will become the beginning of the customer relationship rather than the end.

Dealers and manufacturers have traditionally supported the machine. In an autonomous operation, there will be growing value in helping users optimize the work the machine is being tasked with completing.

📷 From the Driver’s Seat

The good mornings look like the sky is on fire. ☀️

Do you have a sharable pic from the driver’s seat? Reply with submissions.

Check It Out

Audubon International has introduced a new Club Amenities certification that expands environmental stewardship beyond the golf course and into the broader club operation.

The program considers facilities including clubhouses, dining operations, wellness areas, pools, racquet sports, event venues and lodging. Among the areas it evaluates are:

Certification involves completing Audubon International’s Club Amenities Program Assessment followed by an on-site verification. The self-paced process can take several months to a year, with recertification required every three years.

What makes the new certification even more interesting is its whole-property approach. Sustainability isn’t confined to turf management. Buildings, food service, recreation, infrastructure, staffing and resource use are interconnected parts of the same operation. This program provides another framework for looking at how all of the pieces work together. ⛳
Find all of the details HERE.

Take a look at Business in Golf…