I have played and enjoyed golf for over thirty years. In that time, I have become well aware of what is great about a course, what is just good and what is really bad. A course that is well designed, that is challenging but not punitive is a true pleasure to play. Especially if the greens, fairways, bunkers etc. are well maintained.
However the bad is well worth mentioning, because these are the areas that hurt our scores, detract from the enjoyment of the game and can leave a bad feel for the course itself. Mud holes, poorly maintained cart paths, gopher mounds as well as squirrel holes probably lead the list of preventable negatives that can be resolved by good management.
Mud holes and cart paths are usually fairly self-evident in finding a solution. Gopher mounds and squirrel holes are a lot more problematic. The use of propane/oxygen explosions are a nonstarter because of the nearby residences as well as player traffic. The poison grain is hazardous because it can be picked up by pets and wildlife. Trapping can make the maintenance of the trap line during playing hours a problem. Traps cannot be left set on the course when golfers are playing and for most courses that includes almost every daylight hour.
This leads us to the PERC system (Pressurized Exhaust Rodent Control). I invented and developed the PERC system in 2005 and 2006. H & M Gopher Control began marketing in December of 2006 and has been involved in an ongoing evolutionary development. Our company is offering the rodent control industry a very sophisticated machine that utilizes pressurized exhaust, which includes carbon monoxide, to kill burrowing rodents in their burrows in about three minutes or less.
A PERC unit can be utilized much like any grounds utility machine such as a lawn mower or other grounds maintenance equipment. It is very safe (zero reported injuries with over 700 units in the field) with noise levels equivalent to other grounds maintenance equipment.
The PERC system utilizes the exhaust from a gas engine that drives a compressor pump. The pure exhaust is routed through a set of cooling coils into the intake ports of the compressor pump. It is pressurized in a pressure tank and depending on the model has two, four or six reels, each with 50 foot hoses. A T bar hand piece with a ball valve and probe are utilized to probe the gopher mound. When the tip of the probe breaks into a burrow, it will literally fall into the burrow run. The ball valve is then turned on and the burrow is flooded almost instantly with pressurized exhaust. By the time the gopher realizes what is happening, it is to late, he is in the middle of a lethal concentration of carbon monoxide gas from the exhaust.
Treatment of ground squirrels is similar but since they have open holes, the probe is put in the hole and a shovel full of dirt is used to plug the hole and hold the gas in the burrow.
The PERC is effective in the treatment of moles, but the operator has to get the tip of the probe into the lower burrow of the two tiered burrow system of the mole for it to be effective.
The three model systems, the 206, the 412 and the 620 have various options. Hose reel combinations, trailer or skid, and turf tires or road trailer units are just some of the possibilities. Our expert technicians can work with property managers to help identify the best unit at the best price to get an effective job done.
Our web site, www.hmgophercontrol.com is our first line of information, with equipment descriptions, price lists and how to instructions.
