This is the first oil leak on the greens in a very long time, at least five years.  We've been lucky and also took some of the potential leaks off of the greens by going to walk mowers every day.  Streaks of oil on the rough and fairway seem to happen 3-4 times a year when hoses burst under pressure.  Our fairway units have over 30 different hydraulic hoses to keep track of.  Owner's manuals suggest replacement of hoses every two years, but that is cost and time prohibitive. 

In this instance, the broken hose was on our Salsco Greens Roller.  The operator did not see the oil in the morning dew until multiple stripes were laid down on the green.  Rob called Richard over immediately to wash the oil off of the leaf blade to minimize injury.  He used some wetting agents and a bunch of water to try to wash away the damage. 

So far, we've been happy with the limited damage in the four days since the event occurred.  There is some yellowing and we'll probably have some turf loss, but nothing too major. 

The staff handled this problem very well while I was enjoying the start of a three day weekend.  The oil was watered to minimize injury almost immediately.  The roller was taken back to the shop, repaired and out rolling again in no time.  The Proshop was informed promptly with the location, description, and projected damage to pass on to our golfing members.  The day continued like any other after this small disaster took place. 

So a big pat on the back to Rob and the staff for all of their hard work.  Sometimes the most important work a maintenance staff does is not evident by beautiful conditions, instead it's the lack of horrible conditions that were avoided.