Installation Instructions

ManualsBrandsToro ManualsAttachmentsUniversal Groomer Drive MVP Kit, Reelmaster 22-inch or 27-inch EdgeSeries Cutting Units with 7-inch Reel

Operation

Introduction

Groomingisperformedintheturfcanopyabovethe

soillevel.Groomingpromotesverticalgrowthofgrass

plants,reducesgrain,andseversstolons,producing

adenserturf.Groomingproducesamoreuniform

andtighterplayingsurfaceforfasterandtrueraction

ofthegolfball.

Groomingshouldnotbeconsideredasareplacement

forverticutting.Verticuttingisgenerallyamore

rigorousandperiodictreatmentthatcantemporarily

damagetheplayingsurface,whilegroomingisa

routineandgentlertreatmentdesignedtomanicure

theturf.

g006671

Figure23

1.Grassrunners(stolons)

2.Thatch

Groomingbrushesarelessintrusivethanconventional

groomingbladeswhenadjustedtolightlycontactthe

turfcanopy.Brushingmaybebetterfortheultra-dwarf

cultivars,sincethesegrasstypeshaveanupright

growthpatternanddonotllinwellthroughhorizontal

growth.Brushescaninjureleaftissueiftheyareset

topenetratetoodeeplyintothecanopy.

Groomerbladesshouldneverpenetratethesoil.They

areeffectiveincuttingrunnersandremovingthatch.

Becausegroominginjuresleaftissue,avoidgrooming

duringperiodsofhighstress.Coolseasonspecies,

suchascreepingbentgrassandannualbluegrass,

shouldnotbegroomedduringhigh-temperature(and

high-humidity)periodsinmidsummer.

Manyvariablesaffecttheperformanceofgrooming,

includingthefollowing:

•Thetimeoftheyear(i.e.,thegrowingseason)and

theweatherpattern

•Thegeneralconditionofthegrass

•Thefrequencyofgrooming/cutting—bothhow

manycuttingsperweekandhowmanypasses

percutting

•Theheight-of-cutsettingonthemainreel

•Theheight/depthsettingonthegroomingreel

•Howlongthegroomingreelhasbeeninuse

•Thetypeofgrass

•Theoverallmanagementprogram(i.e.,irrigation,

fertilizing,spraying,coring,overseeding,etc.)

•Trafc

•Stressperiods(i.e.,hightemperatures,high

humidity,unusuallyhightrafc)

Thesefactorscanvaryfromfairwaytofairway.

Inspectthemowingareafrequentlyandchangethe

groomingpracticeasneeded.

Note:Usingthegroomerreelimproperlyortoo

aggressively(i.e.,toodeeportoofrequentgrooming)

mayunnecessarilystresstheturf,causingsevereturf

damage.Usethegroomercautiously.

Note:Continuechangingthedirectionofcut

wheneveryouusethegroomer.Thisenhancesthe

effectsofthegrooming.

Note:Operatethegroomerinastraightlineasmuch

aspossible.Usecautionwhenturningwhileoperating

thegroomer.

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