No more lost balls on the driving range thanks to automation

Fully automating the driving range

Every golf course manager knows how complex the day-to-day management of staff and course maintenance can be. The challenge is to provide ideal playing conditions while causing as little disruption as possible to golfers, manage seasonal peaks in activity efficiently and optimise maintenance schedules wherever possible. By automating golf course maintenance, these challenges become easier to address while simultaneously saving time and energy.

On a golf club driving range, hundreds, if not thousands, of golf balls are struck every day. Naturally, all of these balls must subsequently be collected and returned to circulation. Collecting them manually is a time-consuming and labour-intensive task. Just as with robotic mowing, this demanding job can now be performed using an efficient, fast, quiet and unobtrusive automation solution: Belrobotics’ robotic BallPicker. To complete the process, the BallPicker can be integrated with a ball management system that washes the balls and returns them to circulation. The result is a clean driving range and a continuous supply of balls.

Automation delivers numerous benefits

The busier the facility, the more frequently golf balls need to be collected. There is no longer any need to rely entirely on the availability of maintenance staff: the robotic BallPicker operates continuously and autonomously throughout the year, at the required frequency, during the morning, evening and weekends. Programming schedules can be tailored entirely to the club’s requirements.

As with the BigMow robotic mower, whose cutting heads are fitted with protective discs that preserve ball quality and, thanks to their lightweight design, prevent balls from being pressed into the turf, the BallPicker eliminates this issue and ensures that no balls are lost.

The automated collection process also significantly reduces maintenance costs, including labour and equipment costs, while freeing staff to focus on other important tasks. At the same time, it offers the reassurance of a reduced environmental impact. An additional benefit is that the robot operates silently, ensuring that players’ concentration is never disturbed.

Autonomous machines working in perfect harmony

Once collected, the robotic ball picker transports the balls directly to a collection pit. The same unit can then activate a system that transfers the balls to the washing station.Various systems are available, including the solution developed by VDB Technics, Belrobotics’ partner in Limburg.

“Our ball management system, Drop-pit, washes the balls and transports them to the dispenser, which then returns them to circulation,” explains Lode Moies, Sales Manager at VDB Technics.

“Once the collection capacity – approximately 300 to 350 balls – has been reached, the BallPicker travels to the unloading area and our Drop-pit system takes over. The BallPicker has a collection capacity of between 15,000 and 16,000 balls per day. Our Drop-pit system can process approximately 12,000 balls every 24 hours.

By automating both mowing and golf ball collection, the playing surface remains in perfect condition without disrupting golfers and without generating CO2 emissions,” says Lode Moies.

A perfect playing surface, completely hassle-free

The combination of the BigMow GPS robotic mower, the BallPicker ball-collecting robot and the automated ball management system guarantees a flawless cut, optimal ball collection and redistribution, all without human intervention and without disturbing golfers. Furthermore, the robots are connected and can be monitored and controlled remotely via an app. Simple and efficient!

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