Every fall the course shuts down for 5 days to perform what Apple calls “aggressive agronomic practices.”  This short window of time allows the maintenance team to take that extra step to nurture and care for the greens they have worked hard all year to maintain. They use this time to aerate, top dress and mow down native fescue grasses. Every part of the course will get taken care of from the tees, greens, bank grasses and fairways. Located on steep inclines and sloping terrain, most of the course’s native grass areas only get mowed down a couple times a year and they rely on the Ventrac Tough Cut mower deck and tractor, equipped with dual wheels, to handle the job nicely. The Ventrac Aera-Vator helps out with the aeration process on the rough while core cleanup is easy with the Turbine Blower.  It takes many machines to care for a course this size but they depend on their Ventrac tractors to make the process run like a well-oiled machine.

Watch the video for the full story and see why Ventrac is such an important piece to the puzzle of golf course maintenance. No matter how perfect a golf course, the team at the Pete Dye Course at French Lick always strive for a better one.  Great work guys!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-gtO2LWpE

Our visit to this prestigious golf course began on a cool, breezy fall morning in Indiana as the sun beamed over the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort.  The quiet shadows created an ambiance across the course highlighting every intricate detail of its design.   Golf champion and World Golf Hall of Fame course designer, Pete Dye, showed considerable passion when building the course and the results speak in pure Dye fashion.

Avid golfers come from miles to get the Pete Dye Course at French Lick experience…and an experience, it is.  Nestled atop Indiana’s highest peak sits this creation of poetic symmetry in landscape with grand panoramic views.   The 18 hole course depicts Pete’s signature style with a heavy influence from great Scottish courses that feature small greens, pot bunkers and undulating fairways.   Each green features challenging shot-making holes strategically designed and sketched into the severe terrain of the Mt. Airie property that is now the home of the Pete Dye course at French Lick.

Pete made his first visit to the site and said there was no way to build a golf course on the property – the rugged terrain and severe slopes would be almost impossible to work with.  But within 24 hours, Pete was back scheduling a second visit.   The tough landscape couldn’t stop his passion for designing and he was awarded the contract for the project, which became the biggest project he had ever done.

Construction began in 2006 as every inch of ground was selectively placed by the direction of Pete and his course architect and construction manager, Chris Lutzke.  Pete and Chris were meticulous in where every hill, slope and mound of dirt was pushed, moved and shoved.  They embellished the beauty of the natural site to give each hole its own personal identity with Pete’s style of fashioning each hole out of the ground.  The course boasts rolling, winding gravel cart paths, wild grassy areas and water sites for an architectural layout that replicates nature.  Together they took a nearly impossible landform and turned it into a world class championship course.

Maintaining a course of this caliber has many challenges, yet course superintendent, Russ Apple, has maintenance under control.  Russ and the grounds crew make certain that each green , tee box and fairway are meticulously groomed for precise play action.  The grounds crew love what they do and pay particular attention to the care they give the grounds, tapping in to Pete’s advice and guidance along the way.  Given the course was built with many sculpted slopes and bunkers as well as steep hillsides, equipment that could handle the terrain was necessary.  To maintain the dynamic landscape, the French Lick grounds crew turned to Ventrac to help assist them in the daily grooming and maintenance of this course.  Given the massive number of undulations and steep inclines, the Ventrac contour mowing deck is able to mold itself to the basins and over the bunkers without scalping or tearing up the terrain, saving the grounds crew hours of hand trimming and sod repairs.

The grounds crew relies on the unbelievable traction of Ventrac when grooming the course, allowing them more maneuverability around the hillsides and up steep grades, taking them where other equipment can not safely drive. To mow the rough native grass areas of the course, the grounds crew uses Ventrac tractors exclusively – mowing these natural habitats about twice a year.  One massive hill of native grass in particular they mow with Ventrac surrounds the highest peak on the course where the stately clubhouse resides.

Voted “Best New Course” of 2009 by Golf Magazine and Golf Digest, the Pete Dye Course at French Lick continues to receive rave reviews by all.  Truly a grand work of art, Pete feels it is the best inland course he has built yet.  And to think all of it was started with a simple sketch scratched on to a paper napkin….all from the creative mind of Pete Dye.

The day began early with a short presentation  full of new tools and strategies for dealers to absorb and take home to use.   There was great interaction amongst everyone as highlights of the new Ventrac website were presented.   Ideas on sales tactics, equipment tips and marketing were also discussed.    Ventrac was able to provide some valuable information to help dealers with marketing their equipment with a concentration on specific sales markets.

After a great lunch, the meeting headed outdoors to the Ventrac plant for an afternoon of equipment demos and hands-on training.  Breaking into several groups, dealers and salesmen were able to learn more about the various tractor models and attachments available through Ventrac.   On hand for questions and assistance were representatives of the Ventrac product support and R & D departments, as well as sales personnel.   Eight Ventrac tractors were distributed throughout the demo area, all equipped with different attachments to allow dealers to get the full effect of operation.    They were able to try out new attachments or maybe just one they never had the opportunity to work with before.    Stump grinders were available to demo along with finish mowers, the contour mowing deck and the field mower.    Several slopes and hills were used for testing out the Ventrac’s powerful traction for mowing hillsides.    Several attendees tried their hand on the slope and were amazed at the traction the Ventrac provided as they maneuvered down the hill, stopped on the hill, then backed up the hill with the tractor and mower deck.   It sure was something to watch!   By the way, you can see more photos from these demos on Facebook.

Taking on the slopes with Ventrac

It was quite a flurry of activity as all the tractors were running at once while operators used the brooms, blowers, mowers, tillers and scoops.   Aerators, power rake and terra rake were on hand as well.   The trencher attachment was a hit and the sod cutter gave dealers a chance to try something new.    The new tractor cabs were on hand for all to see as well as the newest spreader attachment which will be available later this year.    One demo area that received a lot of attention was the tractor with the Versa-Loader attachment.   It seemed to be a big area of interest for all.   Many gathered around to see just how well the loader bucket dug into the sod, scooped and hauled away the dirt.  The post hole digger was added for some extra fun.

Tractor with loader and post hole digger

Overall, the day was a hit and we were surrounded with great people and a whole bunch of Ventrac tractors and equipment.   I believe we can say that fun was had by all.   Thanks to all who took time to participate and attend this great 2010 dealer meeting at Ventrac.   We wish you all the best in the upcoming season.

Visit the Ventrac Facebook page for more photos from the day.

New Ventrac Home Page

An exciting newly designed website has just been launched. The new website at www.ventrac.com has dynamic new features as well as additional product information, Ventrac Advantage pages, loads of new video and outstanding photo galleries.

At www.ventrac.com, discover a whole new look and feel to the site.  Pictures tell a big story, and there are more photos and video than ever before.   Inspiring customer testimonial pages feature stories and photographs from customers who love their Ventracs and tell what Ventrac does for them.

Ventrac Advantages pages are new additions that feature key points explaining the advantages of using Ventrac.  Included are highlighted points explaining tractor features and performance like slope mowing, articulating frame, Minute Mount, Finish Mowers and Driver Comforts.

The new Markets section highlights various sales markets like Municipalities, Landowners, Schools, Golf Courses and Landscapers.   These specific sections will help define what these various markets may be looking for and what their needs are when purchasing new equipment.

Monthly Featured Product information is also readily available for viewing with an emphasis on a different Ventrac attachment every month.   Ventrac’s commercial grade attachments are designed and built uniquely for the Ventrac compact tractor and every attachment works like a separate piece of equipment with unmatched performance.

The new website has easier navigation, a wider knowledge base and an expanded photo and video gallery, making www.ventrac.com the place to find expert information about Ventrac.  With a fresh new look and appeal, the website will continue to grow and expand with more content and information, providing cutting edge information for the industry.

Also new for Ventrac in 2010 is a presence on several social media platforms. Follow the latest happenings related to Ventrac on the new Blog and  Facebook Page, watch the newest Ventrac video clip on their YouTube Channel, and follow all these happenings on Twitter. All of these links are available at www.ventrac.com.

Ventrac equipment is sold and serviced through a network of authorized dealers in the USA, Europe, Canada,  South Africa and Southeast Asia and supported by the company’s corporate headquarters, Venture Products, Inc. in Orrville, Ohio.   Ventrac develops highly innovative compact tractor models with front-end commercial grade attachments that serve a wide variety of customer markets from golf courses, landscapers, municipalities, schools, and homeowners/landowners.  Ventrac is dedicated to providing a unique, superior quality product while maintaining the highest standard of business ethics making Ventrac a leading force in the compact tractor industry.

Learn more about  “Your One Tractor Solution”.

Watch the powerful Ventrac tractors on YouTube!  See them in action and see what you are missing!  View the power…take in the perfection…the ultimate slope mower!

You will want one.  Check it out now!