Equipment checks for golf courses
Mower, sprayer and cart checks before the first tee time.
CheckBadges puts a QR sticker on each mower, utility vehicle, sprayer and golf cart on your course. Maintenance staff and cart attendants scan it with their own phone and do its check in the browser, with no app or login. A problem, such as a hydraulic leak on a greens mower, emails the equipment manager with photos at once and warns the next person who scans it.
What pre-use checks have to handle
A hydraulic leak on a green
A leaking hose can mark a line across a green before anyone notices. A leak check before the mower leaves the shop costs a minute.
Seasonal staff every spring
Students and retirees join the crew each season. They scan with their own phone and type their name; there's nothing to install.
Carts out every morning
Brakes, tires, charge and cleanliness before golfers take them, and damage photographed when they come back.
Cutting units set right
A number question records height of cut on every check, so the equipment manager sees each mower's setup without walking the shop.
Sprayers and chemicals
Hoses, nozzles and tank lids leak chemicals, not water. Where staff handle corrosive materials, eyewash facilities are required (1910.151(c)).
One manager, dozens of machines
The dashboard shows which machines were checked today and which have open problems, before the first group tees off.
How a golf maintenance crew runs equipment checks
Each machine gets a QR sticker by the seat or controls, and the operator scans it in the shop before heading out. Their phone opens that machine's checklist: hydraulic hoses and fittings for leaks, cutting units, height of cut, tires, brakes, lights, the operator-presence switch, ROPS and seat belt where fitted, fuel or charge. A problem needs a note and can carry up to three photos.
A summer morning at an 18-hole course with 25 maintenance machines and 60 carts:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 5:15 a.m. | The crew arrives. Greens mower operators scan their mowers and check hoses, reels and height of cut. |
| 5:22 a.m. | On greens mower 2, an operator finds oil at a reel motor fitting and marks it as a Problem, with a photo. The equipment manager and the superintendent get the email. |
| 5:23 a.m. | Mower 2 stays in the shop and shows red on the dashboard. The operator takes the spare. |
| 6:00 a.m. | Cart attendants scan the carts going out first: brakes, tires, charge, horn, damage. |
| 6:30 a.m. | The superintendent checks the dashboard from the first tee: which machines have been checked today, one open problem. |
| 9:00 a.m. | The technician replaces the O-ring and marks it fixed with a note. Tomorrow's operator sees no warning. |
Which rules apply on a golf course
There's no OSHA standard written for mowers, utility vehicles or golf carts, so each machine's operator's manual sets the daily checks. The rules that reach a maintenance facility are the general industry ones:
- Eyewash: where staff may be exposed to corrosive materials, such as some chemicals or battery electrolyte in the cart barn, 1910.151(c) requires suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing. ANSI Z358.1 calls for plumbed units to be activated weekly.
- Fire extinguishers: visually inspected monthly, with an annual maintenance check (1910.157(e)).
- Sprayers: application rules and applicator licensing come from your state's pesticide regulator; the sprayer's manual sets the daily equipment checks.
This summarizes the rules; check your state plan and local requirements.
Golf carts: a check per cart
A sticker on each cart gives every cart its own history, which is what you need when a golfer says the brakes were soft or a cart comes back with a cracked windshield. Attendants scan carts as they go out, and the checklist can carry a dropdown ("Going out" or "Coming back") so the same sticker records both ends of a round. Photos attach to items marked Problem, so damage found on return is photographed and emailed at once, and the cart shows red until someone marks it fixed.
If per-cart history doesn't matter to you, one sticker per row in the cart barn, with a short checklist, is cheaper; you'll know a row was checked, but not which cart had the soft brake.
What you get
- Problem emails to the equipment manager and superintendent, with photos.
- A warning for the next operator on that machine until it's marked fixed.
- Today at a glance: which machines and carts have been checked today.
- A history for every machine, printable and exportable as CSV, including height-of-cut and hour meter readings if you add number questions.
What it costs
CheckBadges is free for up to 3 machines. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that, so 25 maintenance machines is $42 a month. Adding a sticker to each of 60 carts brings it to $132 a month. Staff are unlimited, so the summer crew costs nothing extra.
When CheckBadges isn't the right fit
CheckBadges has no cart GPS or fleet management, and it doesn't schedule reel grinding, oil changes or other services, or track parts. It needs a data connection, so if the shop or the far holes have no signal, check machines where there is. If you need maintenance scheduling, a turf equipment maintenance system fits better, and CheckBadges' CSV export can sit beside it.
Free checklists for golf courses
Print them, or put each one on a QR sticker so operators fill it in on their phone.
- Free checklistLawn mower inspection checklistFree daily mower inspection checklist for zero-turn, stand-on and walk-behind mowers: blades, deck, discharge chute, seat switch, ROPS, belts, tires and fuel.
- Free checklistUTV inspection checklistFree UTV inspection checklist for side-by-sides, utility vehicles and golf carts: ROPS, seat belts, doors or nets, brakes, steering, tires, lights and horn.
- Free checklistTractor inspection checklistFree tractor inspection checklist for farms and grounds crews: ROPS, seat belt, PTO shields, hitch, hydraulics, tires, lights, SMV emblem and brakes.
- Free checklistEyewash station inspection checklistFree eyewash station inspection checklist: weekly activation, clear access, dust caps, clear flushing fluid, tepid water, signs and self-contained unit expiry.
- Free checklistFire extinguisher inspection checklistFree monthly fire extinguisher inspection checklist and form: access, gauge in the green, pin and seal, hose, damage, label, weight and annual maintenance tag.
Set it up in three steps
- 01
Add your machines
Name your business, list your machines and pick a starting checklist. No signup, sales call or card — make an account once you like it.
- 02
Stick on their QR codes
Every machine gets its own sticker. Print them on label paper and put each one where operators look before they start.
- 03
Operators scan and check
Phone camera, tap, answer, submit: about a minute. A problem emails you and warns the next person to scan that machine.
Frequently asked questions
What should a golf course mower inspection checklist include?
Hydraulic hoses and fittings for leaks, cutting units and bedknife contact, height of cut, tires, brakes, lights, the operator-presence switch, ROPS and seat belt where fitted, and fuel or battery charge. Follow each mower's operator's manual.
How do I inspect a golf cart fleet each morning?
Put a QR sticker on each cart and have attendants scan carts as they go out, checking brakes, tires, battery charge, horn, steering and body damage. A problem flags that cart and emails you, so it stays out of the line until fixed.
Do I need a QR code on every golf cart?
Only if you want each cart's own history, which helps when a golfer reports a problem or a cart comes back damaged. Otherwise one sticker per row of carts, with a short checklist, records that the row was checked for less.
Can seasonal course staff do checks without training on an app?
Yes. There's no app: they scan the sticker with their phone's camera, type their name and answer the questions you wrote. Each item can carry a hint saying what a pass looks like.
Keep reading
- Checklists without an appHow to get operators to do equipment checks without installing an app: paper, a shared tablet, Google Forms, or QR stickers that open the check in the browser.
- QR codes for equipmentQR codes on equipment can open a manual, asset details or a pre-use checklist. How to choose, static vs dynamic codes, durable labels, and codes that log checks.
- Lawn mower inspection checklistFree daily mower inspection checklist for zero-turn, stand-on and walk-behind mowers: blades, deck, discharge chute, seat switch, ROPS, belts, tires and fuel.
- Get operators to do pre-use checksOperators skip pre-use checks when they're slow, far from the machine or ignored. Nine ways to get real checks done: make them quick, fix defects, review daily.
- Pricing
- WarehousesWarehouse forklift checklists on a QR sticker per truck. Operators and temps scan with their phone, no app or login. Problems email you and warn the next shift.
Check every mower and cart on the course with one scan.
Stick a QR code on every machine and operators do the pre-use check on their own phone — no app, no login. Free for up to 3 machines; try it with your real machines before you sign up.