The maintenance equipment used on Japan's more than 2,400 golf courses is usually the same as is used in other parts of the world, but sometimes the equipment is quite different – the Yanmar helicopter comes to mind.

Last week at Hokkaido I saw the self-collecting fairway aerifier in action, and was again surprised at how fast the fairways can be cored, and at how clean the finish is.

The cores are collected in central drums and are emptied in about a minute beside the fairway.

After that fast and clean coring of the fairways, sand topdressing is applied, and these creeping bentgrass fairways are better prepared for the upcoming summer season.