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SERVING THE TURFCARE INDUSTRY
August/September 2009
Issue No. 26 £4.50
pitchcare
The turfcare magazine
from pitchcare.com
SPECIAL FEATURE
CLUB CRICKET
We visit three clubs where volunteer
groundsmen are doing sterling work,
often on a very limited budget
BRIGHT & MACKAY
An in-depth interview with Andy
Mackay, Head Groundsman at
Sussex County Cricket Club
The Wiles
Side of Life
Bob Wiles, the ‘Driving Force’ at the Royal Automobile Club
in Epsom, is set to retire next year. What changes has he
seen in over 30 years and what will his legacy be?
PLUS
FERGIE’S
VIEW
What does Sir Alex think
of the groundstaff at
Old Trafford?
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WELCOME TO
Say that again!
pitchcare
“I’d rather someone shoot me
down for trying and failing
than for not trying at all”
Andy Mackay, Head Groundsman
Sussex County Cricket Club
The ‘FACT’
factor?
Well, it appears that the gloves are off,
the cards are on the table, or any other
phrase you care to mention, with regard
to the ‘state of play’ within our industry
and, as so often happens, a few have
‘grabbed the wrong end of the stick’!
Let me begin by stating that Pitchcare is
not looking to form an all
encompassing, breakaway association.
Fact.
What we, and many others within the
industry, are calling for is one
association and one annual exhibition
for the turfcare industry. Yes, we’d love
to be involved and, indeed, our
members have almost insisted upon it.
We may even be the catalyst for change,
but we are not looking to be ‘the
association’.
Pitchcare has a strong voice within the
industry. We are respected by
Groundsmen and Greenkeepers for
offering sound advice, quality training
courses and a vehicle to air grievances,
ask questions and, importantly, get
answers. We are respected by the
national media too, for they know that
we are, at heart, a grassroots team with
extensive knowledge of the job.
We provide an industry leading website
and magazine to be able to impart this
knowledge, not only from our in-house
team but also from turfcare
professionals across the UK and abroad.
We encourage debate, as the recent
articles on golf greens cutting heights,
the use of sugars and ‘the Gingerbreads’
have shown.
I guess that we are in a fortunate
position, in one sense, as our hands are
not tied by the constraints of an
association committee with strict rules
and guidelines. In short, we can pretty
much say what we want.
And that is what I have done in my
previous two forewords. There seems
little point in being ‘the voice of the
industry’ or, as the strap line on the
magazine states, ‘serving the turfcare
industry’ if we do not use our collective
media to make that ‘voice’ heard.
Those who have leapt to the defence of
their own association, often without
mentioning the dreaded ‘P’ word, whilst
throwing criticism back at us, are
missing the point - big time. Their
actions are understandable, but
misguided. This is not about selfglorification; this is about uniting a
fragmented industry under one
association.
Remember, I am in the fortunate
position of both working at the ‘coal
face’ and also leading a successful and
vibrant membership organisation.
Therefore, I hear all the industry gripes
first hand, from all sectors - practising
groundsmen, greenkeepers and
contractors, and industry manufacturers
and suppliers. And, they all want
change. Fact.
I have already stated my views on the
two major associations within the
industry and will not go over old
ground. But, clearly, with one of them
‘fighting their corner’ change is not
going to be swift. In many ways I
applaud the recent BIGGA vote to
encourage groundsmen into their
association. But, whilst it may appear to
be a step in the right direction, it will
not unite the industry. It may even
fragment it further.
The industry is about to lose one of the
smaller associations. It may already
have folded by the time you read this. It
was formed with the very best
intentions, and with a highly qualified
and intelligent group of greenkeepers
at its helm. But, because, in effect, it
was a splinter group, it just could not
gather any real momentum. There is no
criticism implied here, just an example
of how difficult the road to unity can be.
There are two very interesting articles
(well, actually thirty-six) in this issue
that I encourage you to read. The first
is by Will Bowden, Lecturer in
Greenkeeping and Sportsturf at
Cannington College, who bemoans the
lack of quality and numbers of
youngsters coming into the industry.
The second is an informed view of the
industry by Head Greenkeeper, Terry
Farkin.
Pitchcare prompted neither of these
articles but, both authors, along with
many others, see Pitchcare as being able
to get their message and concerns
across to the widest audience.
Dave Saltman
Managing Director
“Clubs need to learn to stop
using their pitches like an old
door mat. Remember, no pitch
equals no players, no revenue
and, then, no club”
Ian ‘Keep of my grass’ Reid,
Head Groundsman, Leicester Vipers RFC
“With food labelling, you
expect your breakfast cereal box
to list what it contains - it’s the
same for grass seed mixture”
Simon Taylor, British Seed Houses
“Initially, we did have some
problems with filters and
nozzles blocking up, but have
cured this by raiding my wife’s
lingerie draw!”
Lauchlan Millar, Head Greenkeeper
Hayling Island Golf Club
“You either get the soil to work
for you and reap the benefits of
plant and soil evolution, or use
soil as a receptacle for
chemicals”
Martin Ward, Symbio
“Schools continue to portray
land based industries as areas
for low achievers and for those
that can’t really do anything
else”
Will Bowden, Programme Manager
Cannington College
“Both self-motivation and selfdiscipline are needed for
success at work. One without
the other is just not enough.
Both need to be in place”
Frank Newberry, Trainer
and Conference Spearker
Contents
Colin Robinson,
King’s Lynn GC
General
Fergie’s View!
What does Sir Alex Ferguson think of the
groundstaff at Old Trafford? Pg8
The next generation
Will Bowden, Lecturer in Greenkeeping and Sports
Turf at Cannington Centre, ponders the issues of
bringing youngsters into the industry. Pg40
Cover Story - Bob Wiles, Course Manager,
The Royal Automobile Club
Inside
THIS
ISSUE
Driving is second nature for
members at the Royal
Automobile Club’s
Woodcote Park estate,
where golf and memories of
the freedom of the open
road rub shoulders. Tom
James meets Course
Manager Bob Wiles
The Driving Force......Pg28
THE PC TEAM
DAVE SALTMAN
Managing Director
Deadline Dave shocked
everyone this month by
providing two articles
‘hours’ ahead of
schedule. This new
found regard for times
and dates is to be
applauded and, at
least, means that his
eighteen month old
son, Max, won’t be
waiting outside
nursery school to be
collected!
JOHN RICHARDS
Operations Director
Getting noticeably
greyer by the day
which, apparently, has
nothing to do with the
gaggle of women now
employed in the office
(honest). John
recently confessed to
‘feeling older’
because he can no
longer keep up with
his grandson, Oscar ...
who has just started
to crawl!
Drift Away ...
Golf
Syngenta have been trialing new spray nozzles that
have shown promising results so far. Pg54
What’s in the bag?
And here’s to you
Mr. Robinson
British Seed Houses’ Simon Taylor gives the
lowdown on brand awareness, quality cultivars and
unscrupulous seed suppliers. Pg58
Having had a ‘year out’ to travel around the
world, Colin Robinson returned to take up the
position of Course Manager at King’s Lynn Golf
Club in Norfolk. Pg16
Commonsense
Greenkeeping
Artificial Turf
Notts Sports Andy Carter looks at the history of a
product that, this year, celebrates its 45th birthday.
Pg102
A Walk in the Park
Terry Farkin, Course Manager at Dartmouth Golf
and Country Club, wants to see a more
commonsense approach to greenkeeping. Pg20
Justin Grew looks at the checkered history of urban
open spaces from the early decades of the 19th
century up to the present day. Pg110
Stone Me!
Battersea Park
Greenkeepers learn new skills at Mold Golf Club and it has nothing to do with grass! Pg22
How Wandsworth Borough Council restored the
park to its former glory after some rather inglorious
decisions by the GLC. Pg112
Alias Smith and Golfers!
Peter Smith, Head Greenkeeper at the Cavendish,
is on a mission to bring the Alister MacKenzie
designed course back to its former glories. Pg34
LAURENCE GALE
Editor
A very quiet couple of
weeks in the office
with Loz on his annual
family trip to
Pembrokeshire (sorry
Wales!). He phoned in
a few times to check
if he was being
missed - he wasn’t. As
a result, all the team
have agreed to chip in
to pay for him to be
away for an extra
week next year!
PETER BRITTON
Sales & Production
You would have thought
that regular trips up
and down the stairs to
make coffee would see
the pounds dropping
off Peter. Sadly, each
visit to the kitchen is
accompanied by one to
the snack cupboard!
Our MD commented
recently “you’re always
eating” and, in truth,
the evidence is there
for all to see!
Recession Busters!
How one company is combating the effects of the
recession with the help of statistics. Pg118
ELLIE TAIT
PR and Marketing
A recent holiday to the
Canary Islands
charged up Ellie’s
batteries for the
onslaught of PR and
media stuff she has to
do for Saltex. She
came back relaxed,
tanned and raring to
go. Two weeks of the
weather she returned
to has left her
stressed, pale and
raring to go back!
ALASTAIR BATTRICK
Web Monkey
Setting a healthy
example to all
concerned with his
regular cycling to and
from the office (round
trip of around 30 miles),
until the summer rains
came. Still insists on
displaying his legs to all
and sundry. Recently
had a nasty incident
with some crocs (the
shoes) - the scars are
only just fading.
DAN HUGHES
Sales Manager
Nothing he likes better
than a day out sea
fishing. His latest
adventure, off Shell
Island, near Harlech,
brought a nil catch
(nothing to do with the
beer, I suppose). Like
many other anglers,
Dan was upset to learn
of the death of that big
carp, Benson. Consoled
himself by having a fish
and chips supper!
Also in this issue:
David Blacknall, Colchester United
Andy Mackay, Sussex CCC
Winter Sports
Technical
Who are U’s!
Bug Trek!
Colchester United’s move to their new ground in
time for last season put head groundsman, David
Blacknall, under the local spotlight. Pg86
Kevin Munt discusses the trend towards beneficial
micro-organisms and suggests that the practical
world is way ahead of research into the subject. Pg42
Premier Renovations
Tea time
Investment in a full time groundsman and a
committed, forward-looking turf maintenance firm is
paying off at Swindon Town’s County Ground. Pg90
The last 20 years have seen rapid developments in
the use of compost teas in all areas of commercial
and amenity plant production. Pg44
Vipers strike back
Strawberry Hill Forever!
Is a well maintained surface the reason why the
Leicester Vipers Rugby Club had a cracking 2008/9
season? Pg94
Glen Miles, Head Greenkeeper at Strawberry Hill
Golf Club, talks about a compost tea programme
he is using to restore the greens. Pg46
Under Attack!
Cricket
Dr Colin Fleming on enhancing the performance
of turfgrass under nematode attack. Pg54
Bright & Mackay
Sussex CCC’s Head Groundsman, Andy Mackay, is
mixing science, sense and passion. Pg60
Polo
Club Cricket
Divoted to his job!
Hagley, Curdridge and Great Melton cricket clubs
come under the spotlight where volunteer
groundsmen are doing sterling work. Pg66
How can you keep the playing surfaces for polo, a
dramatic, no-holes-barred sport, in pristine
condition? Pg10
Blotter on the landscape!
Edgbaston Head Groundsman, Steve Rouse,
endured awful weather in the run up to the third
Ashes Test. How did he cope? Pg74
Employment
Keeping your job!
Renovations Snapshot
We take a snapshot of the work to be carried out,
from county grounds to schools and club sides. Pg80
Frank Newberry asks, is there anything you can do
to dodge the redundancy bullet if it has your name
on it? Pg120
Fescue Rescue .................... 48
Biodiversity .......................... 52
Drift Away .............................. 54
It’s less bovver ...................... 82
The Weather! ........................ 84
Master of all he surveys ...... 98
A brush with reality .......... 106
Hoping against Hop! ........ 108
Grumpy Old Git! ................ 116
Postal desde Espäna ........ 122
Maintenance of outfields 124
An holistic approach ........ 126
In Clover .............................. 128
Purse Strings ...................... 130
Plant Nutrition .................... 132
MANAGING DIRECTOR:
David Saltman
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR:
John Richards
Telephone: 01902 440 256
Fax: 01902 440 253
mail: mail@pitchcare.com
Em
FEATURES AND EDITORIAL:
Laurence Gale
Tel: 01902 440 260
Email: laurence@pitchcare.com
ADVERTISING & PRODUCTION:
Peter Britton
Pitchcare Magazine, 17 Barton Hill,
Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8DQ
Tel & Fax: 01747 855 335
Email: peter@pitchcare.com
PITCHCARE SHOP:
Dan Hugh
hes
Tel: 01902 440 258
Email: dan@pitchcare.com
IT & WEBSITE:
Alastair Battrick
Tel: 01902 440 255
Email: al@pitchcare.com
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATTIONS:
Ellie Tait
Email: ellie@pitchcare.com
ACCOUNTS:
Sharon Taylor
Tel: 01902 440 261
Email: sharon@pitchcare.com
TRAINING COORDINATOR:
Chrisstine Johnson
Email: chris@pitchcare.com
Tel: 01902 440 263
Pitchcare.com Ltd,
The Technology Centre,
Wolverhampton
Science Park,
Wolverhampton,
West Midlands
WV10 9RU
Tel: 01902 440 256
Fax: 01902 440 253
Email:
mail@pitchcare.com
CHRIS JOHNSON
Training Coordinator
A lover of the wide
outdoors, a regular
walker of the highways
and byways near her
Northamptonshire
home. Likes nothing
better than a tramp on
the moors. Has
admitted that one of
her ambitions is to
walk from Lands End
to John O’Groats,
stopping at every pub
en route!
STUART BURTON
Web Designer
Has been seen
recently proudly
sporting a dazzling
pink mobile phone
after dropping his
previous one in the
sink (don’t ask).
Combined with his
recent habit of turning
up clean shaven, his
lunchtime liaisons
with Kiran are
beginning to be looked
at in a different light!
KIRAN CONTRACTOR
Sales Administrator
A bit quiet at the
moment. Not sure that
he is overly confident
that his team (Man
Utd) will do it again this
season. Treated
himself to two days
holiday to watch them
in a pre-season
friendly, and even took
the latest love of his
life with him. Yes, it
was a girl, he insists
(but no concrete proof).
JULIE ROBINSON
Sales Administrator
Feeling like a new
woman at the
moment; a self
imposed low fat diet
has resulted in an
impressive loss of
weight. To celebrate,
her and husband Dave
spent a few days
spoiling themselves at
a luxury hotel. No
surprise to learn that
the diet was put on
hold during the break!
SHARON TAYLOR
Company Accountant
Continues to add more
and more horses to her
stable. Sensibly,
however, it appears
that the passing years
have eventually
instilled some caution
into her makeup and
she is now delegating
rides to others. There’s
a noticeable difference
in her appearance - a
lot fewer cuts and
bruises.
LYN PRICE
Accounts
Administrator, and
newest recruit
Guaranteed her position
when, during the
interview, she stated that
she would do anything for
money. A woman of many
talents, as you will
discover in future postings
(providing she lasts).
Described on one of her
school reports (when she
was 5) as a chatterbox.
Her teacher wasn’t wrong!
No part of this publication
may be reproduced without
prior permission of the
publisher. All rights reserved.
Views expressed in this
publication are not
necessarily those of the
publisher. Editorial
contributions are published
entirely at the editor’s
discretion and may be
shortened if space is limited.
Pitchcare make every effort
to ensure the accuracy of the
contents but accepts no
liability for its consequences.
Images are presumed
copyright of the author or
Pitchcare unless otherwise
stated. Pitchcare Magazine is
printed by the Gemini Press,
Dolphin Way, Shoreham-bySea, West Sussex BN43 6NZ
Pitchcare and Amenity Land
Solutions in Strategic Alliance
Improved customer service and
nationwide, next day delivery will be a
significant move forward
THE e-commerce arm of Pitchcare.com
Limited, the online website for the turf care
industry, is teaming up with near neighbours,
Amenity Land Solutions, in an alliance which
will bring great benefits to the customers of
both companies.
Pitchcare has been rapidly developing its
online shop over the last two years and now
boasts the widest online range of professional
and domestic turf care products in the UK. By
teaming up with ALS customers will now be
able to benefit from the nationwide
distribution.
Pitchcare’s Managing Director, David Saltman,
said: “We have been looking to expand
Pitchcare, as our business has grown quickly
over the last few years. To further improve our
service to customers, the natural step was to
invest in premises to enable us to hold stock
and to offer next day delivery on most items.
I have known and worked with the staff at
ALS for over 15 years and they are all very
knowledgeable and committed people with a
real passion for our industry.
The synergy of working closely with ALS will
allow our continued expansion plans to take
effect more rapidly and strengthens our
resolve to promote turf care
to a much wider audience.
Our magazine and website
will be unaffected by this
alliance; they will continue
to operate impartially, as at
present, providing news,
information and advice to
the industry.”
Jonathan Carr, Managing
Director of ALS,
commented that the
marriage of Pitchcare’s
internet supply business
with that of ALS is a
significant move forward for
both businesses and their
customers.
“The alliance gives the
Pitchcare online store the
centralised infrastructure, storage and
delivery systems needed for the efficient
despatch of goods. It provides their customers
with full access to an experienced and skilled
technical base and field sales force whether
they require on site or telephone help and
advice. It gives ALS a great opportunity to
Dave Saltman (left) with Jonathan Carr of ALS
introduce many of its innovative products and
services to Pitchcare customers. There will
also be economies of scale that will offer
better value to customers of both businesses.
It’s an exciting new business model for the
future of our industry combining the internet
with traditional skills.”
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Higher Education courses in Sportsturf and Turfgrass Science. Places are still
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4
It’s time to
nominate
your
unsung
heroes ...
Popular award, now in it’s
seventh year, is looking for
your nominations for the
stalwarts of this great
industry
Left to right - Dave Saltman (Pitchcare), Andrew Kay, Billy Mitchell, Lynda Green (Terrain
Aeration), Steve Gingell (STRI) and Paul Kelly (EGU) at this year’s awards ceremony.
NOW is the time to nominate your Unsung Heroes.
One Greenkeeper and one Groundsman will join
the twelve sterling individuals from all over Britain
who already hold the title, nominated by YOU, their
contemporaries and judged by representatives
from BIGGA, the IOG and the STRI.
Now in it’s seventh year, Terrain Aeration’s Unsung
Hero Awards, sponsored by long term supporters
Pitchcare, and the English Golf Union are about to
be opened and depend on YOUR nominations.
Billy Mitchell, Head Greenkeeper at Perranporth
Golf Club in Cornwall and Andrew Kay, Head
Groundsman at York Racecourse, currently hold
the titles but how many more Unsung Heroes are
out there waiting to be recognised? Regardless of
status, or the size of their workplace, the Unsung
Heroes are judged on their dedication, over and
above the call of duty, often in the face of small
budgets, small staff sizes, difficult locations, and
environmental and reconstruction restrictions. In
other words, they’re fighting against the odds but
still manage to put in that little bit extra.
You know who they are; they’re the ones who
make the difference. Have they helped you or
someone you know? Download a nomination form
from the Pitchcare website, the English Golf Union
website or contact Terrain Aeration on Tel: 01449
673783 and talk to Lynda (Green) direct. Whatever
you do make sure your personal Unsung Hero gets
the chance to be recognised.
Nominations open on 8th September and the
Awards will be announced during Harrogate Week.
Organised and
sponsored by:
See us at stand W58
+44 (0)1332 824777
www.dennisuk.com
PROUDLY BRITISH
5
STRI scores highly in
independent testing
THE Sports Turf Research
Institue (STRI) continues to
attain the highest standards for
its Independent Testing
Services.
It has recently retained
accreditation status to conduct
independent testing of rootzone
materials, and has
demonstrated high levels of
competency in testing, as
specified by the USGA’s
Recommendations for Putting
Green Construction.
This latest review included a
full audit carried out by an
assessor from the American
Q u a l i t y
o n
Association for Laboratory
Accreditation (A2LA). This
involved assessing STRI’s
quality procedures and ASTM
(American Society of Testing
and Materials) compliance.
Dr Stephen Baker, Head of
Soils and Sport Surface
Science at STRI, said, “This is a
great achievement and
demonstrates our goal to
continually deliver world-class
testing, analytical and
evaluation services to golf
courses and other sports turf
facilities across UK and
Europe.”
Your say!
This successful review upholds
STRI’s position as one of only
ten USGA approved physical
soil testing laboratories across
the world.
Full details of all the testing
services available from STRI
can be found on the newly
launched website at
www.stri.co.uk/services
D e m a n d
“I would just like to compliment you
and your team on another excellent
edition of the magazine (issue 25).
The content is outstanding and puts
you head and shoulders above
anything else out there. It’s just
useful, practical stuff straight from the
coal face. I’m part of a small team
and, despite the obvious benefits, time
off site to learn how others do things
is often too hard to find. Being able to
read about it in the pages of the
magazine is the next best thing and,
in the case of stories ranging from the
South West to the Western Isles, is
even better. My favourite article in
this edition was Andrew Turnbull on
machinery ownership. It seems only
Pitchcare could produce and print an
article such as this, which is aimed
only to help and not sell. Long may it
last, thanks.”
Tim Jenkins, Head Greenkeeper,
Princes Risborough Golf Club
“You are all doing a great job with
the magazine. Keep it up.”
Greg Evans, Head Greenkeeper,
Ealing Golf Club
“The magazine arrived yesterday.
Thank you so much. The best!!! All
the best to you and take care!”
Henrik Friberg,
Lands Gräsentusiaster, Sweden
“Magazine brilliant. It just gets
better. Hats of to Laurence, a proper
interview with good old Frosty at
Taunton. Unheard off. Will it be Bill
Gordon next?”
Gordon Gill, ECB Pitches Advisor
The last edition of Pitchcare was
excellent and included some very good
technical articles, especially those on
plant nutrition.
Laurence Pithie,
Master Greenkeeper
Baroness mowers have been produced with a golf
course focus for more than 50 years.
Our reel and bedknife technology has been the
bedrock of our fine turf reelmowers since the very
first prototype 50 years ago.
Today we have a rapidly developing range designed
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Kyoeisha Co. Ltd of Japan,
a ISO 9001 company
“What a great issue, loads of
informative articles by top cricket
groundsmen. Haven't ploughed
through it all yet but look forward to
a few more of the articles. Good to see
the odd acquaintance in there too.”
Vic Demain, Head Groundsman,
Uxbridge Cricket Club
What a brilliant article on Andy
[Mackay] ....one of the very best I
have read in any of the Trade
Magazines over many years. I have
despaired many times over the
amateurish content of the mags we
receive. Pitchcare has been consistently
good since the first copy appeared and
is getting better and better.
Margaret Smith, Surrey Loams
6
Olympic venue on schedule and on budget?
WITH just under three years to go until the
flame is lit at the Olympic Stadium, organisers
face a year of significant challenges.
During the next 12 months the project will
enter its most crucial period with the London
Organising Committee of the Olympic Games
(Locog) moving from planning into operational
mode as it makes crucial decisions about how
to spend its £2bn budget.
Meanwhile, the Olympic Delivery Authority
that is responsible for constructing the
venues, will enter the busiest phase of the
“big build” as the workforce doubles to
10,000.
Hopes that the ODA will be able to deliver the
project within its £8.1bn budget, despite the
recession, have been raised by good recent
progress. The steel struts of the £538m
stadium now dominate the skyline while the
Prosecution
for discharge!
EA officials looking at
washwater containing
detergents
wavy roof of the £244m Aquatics Centre, the
signature architectural statement amid a sea
of otherwise functional designs, is beginning
to take shape.
The ODA say that, by next July, the structure of
the stadium will be finished, the two 50 metre
swimming pools dug out and the velodrome
roof complete.
The economic slump meant the ODA had to
dip into its contingency budget to fund the
£1.1bn athletes village and the £355m media
centre after private investment dried up, but
has also enabled it to cut costs elsewhere.
Yet, there remain fears about the ability of
sub-contractors to weather the economic
storm and ODA chairman John Armitt
promised to guard against complacency. “The
big challenge is the sheer scale of activity and
the logistical challenge of managing the
workflow,” he said.
There remain question marks over some of
the venues. Locog is determined to hold the
equestrian events in Greenwich Park, arguing
that it will thrust the sport into the spotlight
and provide a spectacular venue. But Nogoe,
the local group set up to oppose the move,
claims it will disrupt local residents and
businesses, and will contest planning
permission.
Question marks also surround whether or not
Locog will be able to dispense with a £40m
temporary venue originally planned for the
Greenwich peninsula by moving boxing to
Wembley Arena and also the site of the
shooting events.
Paul Deighton, Locog’s CEO, said all the
outstanding issues would be “absolutely
crystallised by the end of the year”.
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Before deciding on a washpad system,
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7
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager
in football history. His team’s silky skills require
a superb playing surface but, what is his
relationship with the groundstaff and where do
they fit into the scheme of things at the Theatre
of Dreams? Bob Hall finds out ...
FERGIE’S View
I
t’s been an uncharacteristically busy
summer for Sir Alex Ferguson and
Manchester United.
The Premier League champions have
lost their biggest star, Ronaldo, and
Carlos Tevez’ has ended up at their
cross city rivals, Man City.
But, when it comes to the condition
of the pitches and the grass at their
Carrington Training Ground and Old
Trafford, Sir Alex can sleep easily.
It was the 1st July and Sir Alex’s first
official day back at the desk he is
usually at by 7.00am every weekday
morning. Tanned and rested from his
traditional summer break in France and
ready, as he approaches his sixty eighth
birthday, for another season, he is
easily the longest serving manager in
the UK game.
The enthusiasm and will to win more
trophies is undiminished. And don’t,
for a moment, think that there are only
expensive players and even more
expensive new recruits on his mind!
“The grass is first class - it should be
at this time of year, you know, but, even
so, it looks tremendous - ready for the
lads to get going again” The latter
comment made with more than a wry
chuckle in his voice.
All of which is, in part at least, a far
cry from his early days at St Johnstone,
a club he joined as a teenager from the
Glasgow district of Govan. There, he
was a raw boned centre forward from
junior football with his first
professional contract.
“The pitch at McDiarmid Park in
Perthshire was one of the best in the
country - superb. Every time you went
out to train or before a game you’d see
the groundsman on his hands and
knees pulling the weeds out and
putting them in a leather bag he wore
around his waist. He had such pride in
what he did - and the pitch early season
was terrific.”
But not always.
“By mid November you were playing
in a swamp” Sir Alex recalled. “It was
terrible and it got worse throughout the
winter.”
“In March it became very firm and
really lively because, with the winds
whipping across, it had dried out in the
runs formed by the swamp of the winter
months. It was bumpy and terrible to
play on. Those April winds didn’t help
either” he recalled.
Today, in keeping with all managers
and sportsmen, all that has changed
and managers at the top of their game
take a keen interest in the state of the
pitch for training and matches.
“Tony Sinclair, our Head
Groundsman at Old Trafford rings me
up at least twice a week to keep me
updated. and I always talk to him about
an hour and a half before the game.
“Sometimes you want more water on
it. Other times just the top moistened,
depending on the weather we have had
up here. Even though it’s always
supposed to rain in Manchester, believe
me, it doesn’t.”
Tony Sinclair commands a team of
five - a team which, to use Sir Alex’s
favourite word, do a “fantastic” job.
“The ground (at Old Trafford) has
had a lot of issues over the years. When
I first came here, in November 1986, it
was a mess. No other word for it. It was
a terrible surface but, nowadays,
managers and groundsmen are very
much more aware.”
“The groundstaff know what to do
and how to treat it. I don’t understand
too much of what they tell me but I
know that drainage is important, as is
the cut, and that they put sand on it
when it’s not so good.”
“Trouble is, at Old Trafford, they
play rugby as well, and that worries the
hell out of us. England’s first XV
played Argentina and it’s still the
popular venue for rugby league’s Super
League play off final.”
“It’s great in many ways, but I tell
you, for the groundstaff, and me for
that matter, it’s a big worry!” said Sir
Alex.
Though the game’s most successful
manager admits to neither knowing nor,
you suspect, wanting to know, too much
about the nuances of growing and
playing on turf, and just how much a
ninety minute blood and guts Premier
League game affects the grass, no one
should be fooled into translating that
into ‘don’t care’.
The canny Scot keeps his all-seeing
eyes on everything that goes on at his
club and relies on experts to keep him
up to date.
Great attention to such detail was
taken when Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium
was built to ensure that there is plenty
of light, air and sun getting onto their
pitch, and that this is good for growth
and maintenance of the grass. Better
perhaps than any other Premier League
ground, including Old Trafford.
And Sir Alex is aware that pre-match
warm-up routines, which are getting
ever longer, don’t help.
“When I was playing, and even not so
very long ago it seems, they had a
fifteen minute kick about. No more.
Nowadays, some of them almost play
half a game before the match starts,
which is amazing” he said.
And he had praise for clubs that
provide portable goals located between
the match goal posts and the corner
flags to save too much wear and tear in
the goalmouth.
“They’re doing it at Villa Park,
Tottenham and Arsenal, as we are, and
that’s good - everybody should do
that.”
Being in Europe season after season,
as well as taking its toll on the squad,
also makes Sir Alex keep a keen eye on
his match day pitch.
“UEFA rules mean that teams train
the night before a game, on the pitch
itself. I think that should be just half an
hour, or something like that. But you
see some of them shooting for ages and
giving the pitch a real battering.”
“And I think that’s not on. When
Inter Milan were here, Jose Mourinho
(their manager) came to me and said
how long can we use it? He was terrific.
They all should be. But, if the
groundsman yells at them to stop and
get off, they just ignore him.”
Clearly, with all that has to exercise
Sir Alex Ferguson’s mind, most people
would be surprised that he does
concern himself with the pitch. True,
he leaves the small print and the detail
of grass growing and grass care to the
five groundstaff team. In turn they
know what he wants.
And, showing an interest probably
goes someway to explaining just why he
is so successful as a manager, and has
been for so long. He’s probably
forgotten more than most will know.
How can you keep the
playing surfaces for
polo, a dramatic, noholes-barred sport, in
pristine condition? Jim
Wellbeloved finds that,
Julian Russell-Hayes,
Grounds Manager
at Cowdray Park, is...
DIVOTED
TO HIS JOB!
I
t’s hard to get lost when visiting
Cowdray Park Polo Club. The
distinctive mustard yellow signage, a
trademark of the club since the first
matches were played there in 1910,
guides your way into the village of
Easebourne, Midhurst, West Sussex,
where the striking colour adorns the
paintwork of houses and shops alike,
proclaiming that these are tied
properties of Lord Cowdray’s estate.
Considered the home of British polo,
Cowdray Park sits in an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty on the
peer’s 17,000-acre estate, and is
renowned as one of the leading clubs in
both the UK and abroad.
Perhaps, more than any other club, it
proved pivotal in re-establishing polo in
England following the Second World
War. In a sporting sphere seen as still the
preserve of royalty and the affluent,
Cowdray Park is a venue where even the
grounds manager has a double-barrelled
name.
And he is 33-year-old Julian RussellHayes. London born and bred and four
years in the post, Julian came to the job
after a varied early career. Raised in
Wimbledon, opposite the All England
Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, he
acquired an early taste for the racquet
sport but relocated to Sussex after
finishing his A Levels.
After a short stint at Portsmouth
University, he discovered, early on, that
academe was not the route for him, so
decided to move into agriculture after it
was recommended to him.
He went on to study at Brinsbury
College, near Billingshurst, West
Sussex, before landing the assistant
groundsman’s position at Middleton
Sports Club near Chichester, where
he worked for some five years. “Whilst
there, I saw the job at Cowdray
advertised in a local paper and
thought I’d apply. They offered me the
job and I haven’t looked back since,” he
enthuses.
When I met Julian, he was busy
preparing the final touches for the semi
finals of the Verve Clicquot Gold Cup,
the highlight of the British polo season
and one of the sport’s premier
international open tournaments, drawing
up to 20,000 spectators for the weekend
final, including the occasional visit from
Prince Charles, an avid player and
supporter.
“It’s tough preparing
the lawns for such a
prestigious event,” Julian
confesses. “The players
know the standard the
turf needs to be, so
there’s always a pressure on
me to deliver the goods for
events like this. The rewards
though outweigh any pressure,
especially if I receive good
feedback from the players.”
Polo at Cowdray requires all
entrants to the Gold Cup to enter a
four-strong team with a joint handicap
of up to 22 goals, with the best players
holding a 10-goal standard. Any team
worldwide is eligible to enter the Gold Cup
as long as it can attain the necessary level.
When you enter the world of polo, you think
A polo pitch can look
something akin to a
battlefield after play a state that must be
addressed with
minimal delay
12
big in terms of scale of machinery and
acreage managed. For Julian, the scope of
the task is almost agricultural, so vast is
the complex of playing surfaces he and his
staff maintain.
The club runs 14 main lawns, each
measuring 300 yards long by 160 yards
wide, across two sites separated by Sussex
farmland.
Six pitches make up the Lawns complex
by the main village entrance of the club,
while a further eight are sited at the
Ambersham complex, two miles away, on
what was once an old World War Two
airfield that suffered at the hands of
wartime bombing.
Polo pitches receive more of a
hammering than perhaps any other
sportsturf. Polo ponies are carefully
selected and bred for explosive
acceleration and speed, as well as stamina,
agility and manoeuvrability - all factors
vital for the excitement of the sport but
ones that take their toll on turf.
And, to limit the likelihood of these
equine dynamos careering into the crowds,
a ten yards deep safety zone surrounds the
pitch, keeping spectators out of harm’s
way of heavily braking horsepower.
“Accidents are few and far between,”
Julian confirms reassuringly.
“Our grass needs to be extremely
durable and able to recover well,” he
continues. “I use a mix of perennial
ryegrass supplied by British Seed Houses
(BSH) and go through 800 x 20kg bags a
year. “BSH produces a really good seed at
a very reasonable price,” he adds. “When I
joined we were looking to change a few
things with the turf so decided to go out
to tender. BSH gave us the best price for
what we thought was a superior seed.”
As much for sporting dynamism, polo is
known for the countless numbers of divots
that ponies hurtling at top speeds
inevitably create.
The deepest ones - up to three inches materialise when ponies dig their hooves
in. A polo pitch can look something akin
to a battlefield after play - a state that
Julian knows must be addressed with
minimal delay.
Repairing the lawns begins immediately
after a match - good time management is
a crucial part of the mending process, he
emphasises. “It’s vital to get straight on it
and is even more pressing after heavy
rain, my worst nightmare in the job. The
pitch can end up in a pretty terrible state,
so we get straight out after chukkas and
start on the repairs. The earlier it’s done,
the more successfully the pitch will
recover.”
Repair is so critical that Cowdray pays
an agency (JFD Associates) to bus in a
team of mainly Eastern European
treaders-in to walk over the pitch, filling
in divots using a sand, seed and green
waste mix. “There’s usually about fifteen
workers, but we can employ anything up
to twenty-five depending on the match
and the state of the pitch,” adds Julian.
These latterday journeymen follow the
calendar of polo events and, for obvious
reasons, are much in demand.
The more general maintenance involves
topdressing twice a year with sand in
March and June, using more than 4,500
tonnes across the fourteen lawns, applying
a minimum of 250 tonnes of sand per
lawn. “We are lucky to have a natural
sandy loam-based soil here,” Julian
explains, “which means drainage has
never been a problem. That’s a blessing
considering the size of the estate.”
Taking on a new post as head
groundsman can often be a fraught one,
as ideas on how best to run a maintenance
programme, preferred choice of seed and
makes of machinery thought most suited
for the task can all be highly personal
ones and result in a major overhaul by the
new incumbent.
For Julian though, the transition was
largely a smooth one. “Fortunately, I
inherited grounds in great condition,
which needed little changing, but was met
with an ageing fleet of machinery. The
pitches were in fantastic nick but the
machinery needed replacing and
updating. I was lucky to be given a
generous budget for renewing our fleet.”
Julian set about replacing all the
tractors with a new fleet of New Holland
units, introducing all new cutting
equipment, new towing machines, two
vertidrainers and a Weidenmann Terra
Spike - used for deep spiking and
aeration.
”I specified hydraulically folding cutters.
There are very few currently on the
market, but Kesmac gang mowers were the
best for the job. With winding country
roads separating the Ambersham and
Lawns complexes, it was vital that we had
a machine that could travel back and forth
without any problems,” he says.
One machine few and far between in the
industry, but one Julian and his team
swear by is the Bowcom Trike motorised
line marker. “Few clubs in the UK have
one, possibly because, at £3,500, it’s not a
cheap piece of kit,” says Julian. “You really
“The best part of my job is the satisfaction of seeing thousands of people
descend on Cowdray during Gold Cup week to enjoy the polo, played on
surfaces that we’ve dedicated so much time to”
Julian Russell-Hayes, Head Groundsman, Cowdray Park
divots after chukkas,” says Julian.
Applying the right fertilisers is as
important as utilising the correct
machinery, he believes. “We have an
ongoing fertiliser programme and, in
winter, send our soil off for analysis to
NRM laboratories in Woking, Surrey, to
reveal any nutrient deficiencies. The
sandy soil here leaches potassium very
quickly, requiring us to apply high
potassium fertiliser in the autumn and
spring. We top up with nitrogen in the
summer to help the turf recover from the
rigours of play.”
He has only a few words to say on
weeds but his spray programme, carefully
recorded, clearly brings results, judging
by the pristine condition of the turf. “We
spray with Headland Transfer weedkiller
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from mid-April to the end of September,
upkeep of the grounds is a year-round
undertaking. “We maintain a 20mm cut
height throughout the playing season
and for match days,” Julian explains,
“but leave the sward to grow to 45mm
through the winter months to allow the
divot damage to properly repair, ready
for the new season.
“Our regular programme of postmatch maintenance involves the initial
filling-in of all the holes post chukka,
followed by cutting if the weather
permits, then finishing with a light roll
with the roller mowers.”
Cowdray use a 20ft Major roller
mower, in addition to a fleet of Kesmac
gang mowers, also of a similar cut width.
“It’s a great machine for consolidating
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need the space to justify the purchase.”
Something in plentiful supply at
Cowdray Park.
With a 5.5hp engine, a top speed of
18mph and the ability to line a lawn in
20 minutes, the Trike suits the large,
agricultural scale of Cowdray Park down
to a tee, not to mix the metaphor.
“Before purchasing the machine,
lining a pitch by hand could take up to
an hour and a half, so it’s been a
worthwhile investment for us,“ says Tony
Lewis, one of the team of four
groundsmen at Cowdray. The line
marker needs to be a workhorse, he
adds, as Cowdray plough through more
than sixty big tubs of the marble-based
marking material a year.
Although the polo season only runs
E
S HA P IN G T H
13
You might like to know that ...
Chukkas
The full game of polo is eight chukkas, but often,
in club matches, four or six chukkas are played.
Each chukka is timed to last seven minutes.
There are intervals of three minutes between
chukkas and five minutes at half time. Ends are
changed at every goal scored - this has been
found fairest when there is a wind.
Ponies
Ponies can play two chukkas in an afternoon with
a rest of at least one chukka in between. There is
no limit to the height of ponies.
Each player in high goal (top level professional)
tournaments uses a fresh pony for each chukka
because the game is played at a very fast pace,
with the horses galloping much of the time. In
club games, ponies may play two chukkas in a
match.
Should overtime be required, a seventh mount
may be called upon, or a player may go back to
his best mount of the day. Three minutes are
generally allowed between chukkas to change
horses.
Handicaps
Each player is handicapped (on a 4-6 chukka
basis) from -2 up to 10 goals (the top professional
players).
The aggregate handicap of the four players in a
team is the team handicap. e.g. if all players have
a handicap of two goals each, the team handicap
is eight goals and is referred to as an ‘8 goal
team’.
In handicap tournaments, if both teams do not
have an equal aggregate handicap, one team is
given a number of goals start which is calculated
as follows: the number of goals start is obtained
by multiplying the difference between the two
teams’ handicaps by the number of chukkas and
dividing by six, any fraction counting a half a goal.
in spring and apply insecticides in the
autumn to control leather-jackets and
frit fly. I bring in ACS, a Midhurstbased firm, to do the spraying for me.”
Despite the constant upkeep needed
to maintain Cowdray’s internationally
high standards, Julian relishes the
challenge. “My job is a wholly
demanding one which means we do
work long hours, especially in the
summer, but it’s enjoyable and we’re all
looked after really well by the club.
The opportunities to work lots of
overtime are welcomed by all of us,
especially through the busy summer
months. “We run a well oiled machine
- everyone knows what they are doing
and no-one minds getting on with the
job as it’s important to make hay while
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14
the sun shines, as they say.”
Groundsmanship on such a huge
scale requires a balance between
maintaining such a vast area in a cost
and time efficient manner and
addressing the finer detail of nurturing
well-groomed turf for top class polo.
There’s no getting round the fact
though that irrigation – or “irritation”
as Julian and the team fondly refer to
the process - is one task that is never
anything other than monumental in
scope. “Our irrigation is conducted on
a massive scale,” he declares. “Water is
pumped out from the river Rother,
which runs nearby the Ambersham
complex. It’s pumped up through a
ring main to water hydrants at the end
of each lawn. We then use agricultural-
The Gold Cup
style irrigators, with rain guns
attached, to water the playing
surfaces.” Repair work he leaves in the
capable hands of KGB Contractors of
Chichester.
“However, the equipment I inherited
is on borrowed time,” he adds, “as we
are looking to replace the irrigators
with boom sprayers because the reels,
now 15 to 17 years old, have come to
the end of their lifespan.”
The job of grounds manager at a
sports club as prestigious as Cowdray
brings its fair share of headaches,
Julian concedes, but he is keen to stress
that the positives far outweigh any
downsides to the role.
“The best part of my job is the
satisfaction of seeing thousands of
people descend on Cowdray during
Gold Cup week to enjoy the polo,
played on surfaces that we’ve dedicated
so much time to,” explains Julian.
“The downside to the job would be
playing on very wet days and
machinery breakdowns.”
Yet all this pales into insignificance
when you are showered with praise
from some of the most respected
players in the game. “My best
individual moment to date was during
my first season in charge when I
received an email from management
notifying me that Carlos Gracida, one
of the greatest-ever polo players, rated
lawn one a ten out of ten. I still have
the email, framed and hanging on my
wall at home.”
The Gold Cup for the British Open Polo
Championship was inaugurated at Cowdray
Park in 1956. In the early days, Prince Philip
was a regular contender with Her Majesty the
Queen having presented the Gold Cup on more
than one occasion. Cowdray Park’s own team
lost in the very first final but was victorious in
1958, 1961 and 1962, coming runners-up 11
more times.
For the past 15 years, leading champagne
house Veuve Clicquot has sponsored the Gold
Cup. Taking on the sponsorship was the brand’s
first venture into the UK polo scene but it fitted
perfectly with the company’s status as
‘Champagne of the Season’. It also helped that
Clicquot’s branding closely matches the
distinctive bright yellow paint used throughout
the Cowdray estate.
The Gold Cup is the most coveted trophy in
polo and 2009 saw sixteen teams in contention
in the British Open Polo Championship and the
world's finest players in action. The tournament
opened on 23 June with forty matches played
before the final was contested on Sunday 19
July, when some 15,000 spectators flocked to
the famous Cowdray Lawns for a day of worldclass polo.
This year’s winners were La Bamba
www.cowdraypolo.co.uk.
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15
And here’s to you
MR ROBINSON
Having had a ‘year out’ to
travel around the world, Colin
Robinson returned to take up
the position of Course
Manager at King’s Lynn Golf
Club in Norfolk.
He talks to our editor about
his plans for improving one of
East Anglia’s finest courses
S
ituated just a few miles to the
north of the historic market
town of King’s Lynn at Castle
Rising is one of East Anglia’s
premier golf clubs.
King’s Lynn Golf Club was founded
in 1923 and the club moved to its
current site in 1975. The 18 hole course
was designed by Dave Thomas and
Peter Alliss and, at 6609 yards par 72,
is a real challenge for even the most
accomplished player.
Carved out of the picturesque North
West Norfolk pine and silver birch
forests, and just down the road from the
Royal Sandringham Estate, this sandy,
well-drained course compares
favourably with some of the finest
inland courses in the UK.
The club has recently employed the
services of Colin Robinson LCGI, MSc
as Course Manager. Colin, who
previously worked at the 36 hole John
O’Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire for
twelve years, had taken ‘a year out’ to
travel round the world. Fifteen months
later he was back and looking for
employment.
When the opportunity to join King’s
Lynn became available Colin jumped at
the chance. “I liked the club’s
philosophy on golf management” he
said. “In addition, it’s a challenging
opportunity with a lot of potential.
There’s a hint of Wentworth, a touch of
Woking and a sprinkling of Woburn
here.”
King’s Lynn is an inland links course
that sits on a rich vein of natural sandy
soil, providing the perfect profile for a
golf course with free draining greens,
tees and fairways. The sheer depth and
fineness of the sand certainly helps to
act as a perched water table, assisting
moisture retention for the native
grasses and plants around the course.
“I’m currently taking a number of
soil samples from around the course to
establish exactly what I have got here”
said Colin. “Once I have the results it
will help me manage the course more
effectively.”
“I’ve set myself a number of targets.
In the short term I just need to deliver
the course in the best possible
condition with the resources that I have
inherited. In the longer-term I aim to
improve sward composition, reduce
fertiliser inputs and encourage finer
bent and fescue grasses.”
“As soon as I started, I identified a
couple of areas, that were not getting
the right treatment , so we purchased a
Toro 648 aerator and John Deere ride
on triple mower so we can do much
more aeration and cut areas that were
uncut before.”
“What I have got is an experienced
team under me. My deputy, Dale
Morley, has been here for sixteen years
and knows the course inside out. I’ve
also got three other long serving
members of staff, Alistair McCoy (30
years) Richard Lepoidevin (23) and
Alan Cawston (20). Shaun Carroll is our
greenkeeper/mechanic and he’s been
here for seven years. And, I’ve recently
taken on Matt Goss as an apprentice,
he’ll be studying for NVQ Level 2.”
“We’ve got over 700 members, many
of whom like to start their rounds early
in the summer months, so we start our
working day at 6.00am to keep ahead of
the golfers. Most days we will have
mown all the greens, tees and half the
fairways, changed the holes and raked
the bunkers by 9.30am. Then we have
breakfast! We generally finish our day
at 2.30pm.”
Holes are changed four times a week,
on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and
Saturday.
“The greens are, at present, 60-70%
poa, 30-40 % bent with a little bit of
fescue, with some greens moving
towards a 50/50 split. My aim, over the
next few years, is to improve the
fescue/bent population with a
programme of overseeding and reduced
fertiliser inputs. This year I’ve
managed to get nitrogen inputs down
below 70 kg/N per Ha, which is a step
in the right direction.”
All the greens are raised sand/soil
and very free draining. “We feed them
monthly with a Scotts 12:4:6 folia feed,
plus a programme of PrimoMaxx. I’ll
also incorporate seaweed extracts and
some timely applications of chelated
iron to maintain colour, especially
through the winter months. And, I use a
monthly dose of wetting agents to help
control dry patch.”
“During the growing season we
topdress the greens monthly with a
Baileys 70/30 fen soil rootzone,
applying about fifteen tonnes in total
over the eighteen greens.
We verti-drain prior to any
topdressing programmes
and during the winter
months when conditions
allow. We also have a SISIS
AerAid Javelin and use this
once a month throughout the
growing season. In August
we’ll overseed the greens with
some bent and fescue grasses.”
“The greens are cut to 4mm
on a daily basis. For
competitions we’ll perhaps
double cut and roll just to speed
them up. In winter they are kept to
6mm.”
"Tees are hollow cored twice a
year, in spring and autumn, and we
leave the cores on the surface to break
down. After a few weeks any debris
remaining is boxed off. They are
oversown with Bar 6 ryegrass to provide
a more hardwearing sward, and fed with
granular 10% nitrogen slow release
fertliser. I maintain a height of cut
around 12-13mm all year round. I'll deep
aerate with the verti-drain in October.”
“We maintain the fairways at 16mm all
year round, they were fed, for a short
period, to re-establish some grass cover.
Once this was achieved I then reduced
the amount of nitrogen to allow the finer
grasses to establish. We also vertidrain
on a regular basis as and when
conditions allow.
“Normal rough is cut weekly at 50mm.
Rough containing heather is only cut
three times a year at 175 mm. This is a
new mowing regime for the heather and
it is responding well. I’m hoping to see
some stunning colour in autumn.”
“Our irrigation system is fairly old.
The water is drawn from a borehole and
we also have a natural lake on the course
that we can draw from. The system is in
need of an upgrade. We’ve already made
a start by replacing some of the pop-ups
with new John Deere precision heads.”
“Next year I will be proposing to the
general committee that we need to
dredge the lake and removing part, if not
all, of an island to increase its capacity
and make it a better feature of the
course.”
“This will be ongoing work until all the
old ones are replaced. Next year we will
start dredging the lake and removing
part, if not all, of an island to increase its
capacity and make it a better feature of
the course.”
“Last winter we were kept busy
refurbishing the 11th and 15th tees; both
were relevelled and returfed. This winter
we will be thinning out some of the trees,
opening up areas to allow more light and
allowing the remaining trees to develop
into better specimens. Air flow around
the greens is one of our biggest
problems. At the moment it is restricted
by the denseness of the woods, so this
thinning work is really important.
Fusarium has been a real problem and
I’m expecting the increased air flow to
help resolve that. At the moment it is
controlled with preventative spraying
which I want to reduce over the coming
years. It’ll all take time though.”
“As for pests there are not too many to
worry about. Some localised worm
infestations were suppressed with a dose
of Carbendazim, and a four hectare area
had to be treated with Merit to control
chafer grubs that were a problem last
year. However, fingers crossed, they have
not been an issue this year.”
Colin has recently completed his first
year at King’s Lynn and I asked him how
he was enjoying being ‘back in golf ’ after
his rambles? “It’s been really good” he
responded instantly. “I cannot fault the
way I have been treated by the club’s
management, and how well they, the staff
and the members have responded to all
my proposals.”
“The club do not operate a greens
committee system of management. I
report directly to the general committee
on a monthly basis. Providing an
overview of the work carried out on the
course during the last month. I also meet
John Reynolds (Golf Manager) every day
on an informal basis. This allow us to
talk about issues relating to the
maintenance of the course.”
“At every other club I have worked at I
had to attend a greens committee, who
very often tried to find things to fill a
two-three hour meeting. Here I meet
with John and talk about any course
issues that may have been brought up. I
have a great working relationship with
John and hope this system of work
continues for a long time to come. It has
been a very refreshing experience to
work in a simpler, effective way.”
What’s in the shed?
Mowers
John Deere 2500E - Greens
John Deere 2500A - Greens and verticuts
John Deere 3235C - Fairways
John Deere F1145 - Rough
John Deere 2635 - Fairways/fringes
Jacobsen Greens King 5
Toro Reelmaster 3100D - Tees/approaches
Lloyds Paladins x 2 - Greens
Drag Gang - 3 unit - practice ground
Tractors
John Deere 4310
John Deere 4520
John Deere 4200 and front loader
Trucks/UVs
John Deere Gator - electric
Cushman - diesel
Club Car buggy
Aeration
Charterhouse Verti-drain 7416
SISIS Javelin
Ransomes 214 Vert-Cut
Cushman Core Harvester
Toro 648
Topdressing
Pro-Pass 180CE
SISIS Brush - tractor mounted
Drag Brush
Fertiliser Spreaders
Wessex - tractor mounted
Scotts Drop/Rotary x 2
Earthway EV-N-Spred/Rotary
Leaf Collection
Tornado Blower- tractor mounted
Wessex Leaf Sweeper - tractor mounted
Stihl Backpack blowers x 3
Robin Backpack blowers x 2
Other
Hunter Juno Grinder
Trailers x 4
300 litre Team sprayer - tractor mounted
20 litre CP3 Knapsack sprayers x 3
Scurry Rake - tractor mounted - for car park
Cambridge Rollers x 3 - for car park
Major Stump Grinder
Robin Brushcutters x 3
Allen Hover Mowers x 3
Stihl HT75 long reach chainsaw
Stihl MS260 chainsaw
Stihl H575 hedgecutter
Husqvarna 141 chainsaw
Stil RE116K jet wash
representing us and being complacent
in their so called superior positions.
I hope, through this article, to offer a
little support to the majority of good
greenkeepers who do a great job with
limited resources. Change is great in
any situation, but it’s got to achieve the
long term objective.
What is sustainable golf?
I
have read many articles, and have
followed the sustainable golf theory
with great interest. But, not
necessarily, implementing this theory to
our own maintenance practices. I have
also recently followed the Greg Evans
scenario closely and definitely won’t be
implementing any of his theory.
I have heard many comments around
the south west counties from
greenkeepers that are intrigued by his
bold statements. They are all interested
in the Greg Evans School of
Greenkeeping. He has definitely
stimulated discussion, and I commend
him for this.
In addition, I would never be one for
stopping anyone knocking leading
bodies and organisations. They need it
sometime, a bit like the government who
think they are doing you a favour by
The first area that any golf club should
approach via ‘sustainability’ is their
financial status. UK golf has always
been sustainable, and always will be in
the commercial world. This is mainly
down to the minimal resources and
management carried out on them.
An average 18 hole course in this
country will be staffed with four to six
greenkeepers, with an operating budget
of between £120k to £150k, including
wages, if they are lucky.
I operate a 27 hole golf resort, The
Dartmouth Golf and Country Club,
where our customers expectations are
very high. After all, they have just
forked out £70 to £80 for a one night
golf break to include B&B, evening
meal and two rounds of golf. Not bad
value, is it!
The course remains open all year
round with main greens and tees
playable throughout the year, perhaps
with the exception of the odd day
during the winter when it rains
continuously. With over 42,000 rounds
on the main championship course and
18,000 on the 9 hole course, our
greenkeeping operating costs, including
wages, currently stands at £197k. This
provides a fairly sustainable golf course
and business, although share holders do
want to see more profit, as in any
business.
A private members club or a
commercial business may well have
different agendas, but both will want
perfect playing conditions. There are
not many golf courses being run with an
open cheque book and a fulfilled
greenkeeping wish list.
Although we are experiencing a
downturn in golf, both in this country
and around the world, it will be the
majority of golf courses in the UK that
will come out on top, because we have
always utilised our minimal resources
and labour available. So our product
will not diminish too badly, even with
reduced budgets.
Sustainable practices are a normal
day to day operation on most courses
run by professional and experienced
course managers. Improved
management skills and individual
development has seen the monitoring of
these practices being recognised and
improved.
The course managers and head
greenkeepers that I associate myself
with do not mow their greens at 2mm,
and they would really struggle to justify
200 tonnes of topdressing a year within
their budgets, for the sake of it. And,
then there’s the massive inconvenience
to play trying to get it down during the
growing season. Is that when you
should apply dressing, when the grass
is growing?
We all question ourselves, on
occasions, about whether we are doing
the right thing, but these are the
pressures of the job.
Greg mentioned that mowing was the
Terry Farkin, Course
Manager at Dartmouth
Golf and Country Club, and
golf course maintenance
advisor, wants to see a
more commonsense
approach to greenkeeping
and suggests that giving
in to the golfers with big
egos is not the way to go
COMMONSENSE
GREENKEEPING
Not so common?
most important practice. Setting a
mower at 2mm will require a
tournament blade and will probably last
about a week mowing at 2mm on greens
with 200 tonnes of sand per annum
being applied to them. Sustainable! Not
quite sure.
Greg and Ealing Golf Club must be
very happy with each other and I hope
they have a long and prosperous time
together.
But, in my view, there is a better way
of having good putting surfaces all year
round that will keep the majority of
your members happy. And not just the
ones with big egos who want fast putting
surfaces to justify their lack of ability to
play on the best possible surface put in
front of them by good, professional
people trying to do their best with the
limited resources provided to them.
I have been a greenkeeper for twentyeight years and currently provide
advice to three other courses in the UK.
I do not dictate how these courses are
managed, as they all have very
competent head greenkeepers who
understand their course and have a
good vision on how they should be
managed and presented.
They all work with limited resources,
and all have greens that are playable all
year round with minimal disturbance to
the golfers that play on them. My role is
to support and guide them, as
necessary, and to help them make good
business and agronomic decisions, set
targets, and report back to the Company
Directors.
This whole process is a good,
sustainable approach to continually
improve and maintain standards of
course presentation and turf condition
throughout the year. A sustainable
business, but where is our sustainability
within the grass species that we are
trying to encourage?
Apart from Dartmouth, the other
courses I am involved in are The
Lambourne Club in Buckinghamshire,
Dummer Golf Club in Hampshire and
Blackwater Valley Golf Centre in Surrey.
The biggest issue at these clubs, prior
to my involvement, was the amount of
thatch within the greens. On average the
depth of thatch was between 35 to
40mm. The courses were not losing any
play, but the performance of the greens
was inconsistent. They were very much
poa annua dominated but all did have a
good foundation of a sandy rootzone not a full USGA specification, but a
good quality rootzone to work with.
With hard work and commitment
from all the greenkeepers, along with
some investment in aeration equipment,
the courses now boast surfaces with
thatch level as little as 10mm. The turf
composition has transformed from 80 to
90% poa annua, to a good blend of poa
and 30 to 40% bent.
I do not believe we are consciously
thinking of the R&A ladder of
sustainability, but all of the head
greenkeepers make conscious efforts to
promote fine grasses with good
balanced feeding and watering
programmes.
The poa/bent surfaces are performing
well throughout the year with good
customer feedback, and the surfaces are
maintained, throughout the year, with
minimal disturbance to play - a vital
criteria to all the clubs, financially.
The key to the greens improvements
has been thatch management and
reduced nutrient input. If we continue
with this commonsense approach to
greenkeeping, I am sure we will
continue to see the change in grass
composition, even though this is not
vital for any of the courses. What is
important is good, consistent, smooth
running surfaces, with a good ball roll
of 8 to 9 ft - sufficient enough for any
amateur golfer and preferred by the
majority. And, of course, lower
maintenance costs.
So, don’t give in to the ones with the
big egos who lack natural ability to play
on surfaces put in front of them.
Reduce costs - reduce labour
These are the demands that we are all
being asked to achieve. It’s not easy
continually reducing cost whilst
maintaining high standards of turf
quality and presentation.
This is the biggest challenge that
greenkeepers will have to cope with
over the next few years. Improving your
management skills and training staff is
the most sustainable way of seeing
yourselves through this difficult period
of economic decline.
So, this controversial approach ups
the stakes by trying to reinvent the grass
plant and increase costs and labour.
Now make up your own mind!
About the author: Terry Farkins, Course Manger
Dartmouth Golf and Country Club, Company
Golf Course Maintenance Advisor, Internal
Verifier and Assessor to the Duchy College
Cornwall.Qualified to NVQ level 4 in Business
Management. I.W.E.M. Environmental
management certificate. Runner up in Toro
Award for Excellence 2000. Finalist of the Toro
Greenkeeper of the year award 1991.
“There are not many golf courses
being run with an open cheque book
and a fulfilled greenkeeping wish list”
Head Greenkeeper Colin Jones (second
left) with colleagues Paul Evans, Karl Parry
and Peter Richards, and (back row) Club
Captain Martyn Scholes, with Gareth Bellis,
and Les Robins (volunteers)
M
STONE ME!
Greenkeepers
learn new skills
With an old dry stone wall at Mold Golf Club in
Flintshire falling into disrepair, Head
Greenkeeper Colin Jones and his staff enrolled
on a college course to learn how to restore it to
its former glory using traditional methods
22
old Golf Club is celebrating its
centenary in the autumn of this
year. The club was formally
constituted at a meeting held in the
Town Hall in the autumn of 1909. A golf
club at nearby Hafod Hall had been
established in 1905, but a contemporary
report indicates that, “owing to the stiff
climb necessary to reach the course
preparatory to play the interest flagged.”
According to minutes of that first
meeting “there was a large and fully
representative muster of golf devotees of
the neighbourhood present” and it was
decided that there should be an entrance
fee of half a guinea for ladies and one
guinea for gentlemen, and a yearly
subscription of one guinea for all
members. The minutes also state “A
goodly list of members was enrolled.”
The club acquired its first clubhouse in
January 1910, when it bought the cricket
pavilion from Mold Recreation Ground.
Severe gales in February necessitated
some “readjustment” of the structure.
Back in those early days the fairways
were maintained by a Model T Ford
pulling gang mowers. Things have
moved on a touch since then!
In 1927 the club moved to Pen y Parc,
due to the risk of flooding and poor
drainage qualities at the original site,
claiming “the new land is all mountain
turf and is ideal for golf.” The course
was originally a nine hole, bounded on
one side by a dry stone wall - age
“I am a great believer in the old adage ‘why pay
someone to do a job when you can do it yourself ’
and, if I can save the club money, it means there’s
more funds available for new machinery!”
unknown, but thought to date back
hundreds of years.
The modern course at Mold is an 18
hole, 5603 yard, par 67 uplands course
with stunning views of the Clwydian
Hills, Cheshire and the Peak District.
The additional nine holes were added
the other side of the old wall.
Head Greenkeeper is Colin Jones. He
began his greenkeeping career at
Padeswood and Buckley Golf Club at the
age of sixteen, whilst on a YTS scheme
and studying at the Welsh College of
Horticulture.
By the age of nineteen he was Deputy
Head Greenkeeper at Padeswood and
Buckley before moving six miles ‘up the
hill’ to Mold to take on the Head
Greenkeeper role at the age of twentyfive. He has been with the club for eleven
years and says “I really enjoy working
here”. Not difficult to understand when
you see its stunning location.
Colin has three staff to assist him, Paul
Evans, Peter Richards and ‘new boy’ Karl
Parry.
One of Colin’s bugbears in his time at
Mold has been the old dry stone wall
which was falling into a state of disrepair
and, in places, considered dangerous.
Golfers were probably partly to blame for
its demise as they were hopping over it
to look for their wayward golf balls. So,
last year, he decided to do something
about it. Colin takes up the story:
“I tried to get a grant to help fund its
repair from CADW, the historic
environment service of the Welsh
Assembly Government. ‘Cadw’
(pronounced cad-oo) is a Welsh word
meaning ‘to keep’.
Unfortunately, there was no grant aid
available and the cost of repairing this
massive stretch of wall would have been
around £13-14,000. The budget for that
was simply not available as I was in the
process of rebuilding my old clay based
greens to USGA specification, doing all
the work in-house and tackling one
green a year.
Gordon Hughes, a member of our
Greens Committee and a keen walker of
the course and surrounding countryside,
had expressed his concerns about the
wall, and how this wonderful piece of our
heritage was not going to be around for
much longer if nothing was done.
He suggested to me that the
greenkeeping staff could go on a dry
stone walling course to learn this age old
skill and rebuild the wall in-house.
I took this on board and thought, why
not, we do everything else in-house? I’m
a great believer in the old adage ‘why
pay someone to do a job when you can
do it yourself ’ and, if I save the club
money, it means there’s more funds
available for new machinery! I spoke to
my staff (which, at the time, included
John Williams but not Karl, his
replacement) and, to my delight, they
were all keen and willing to go on the
course with me.
We joined the course at Llys Fasi
College, where our tutor was Craig
Evans, the dry stone waller on Moel
Arthur, part of the Clwydian Hills.
In January 2008 we started rebuilding
the 285 metre stretch of wall that
separates two fairways. The work was
scheduled around the more important
greenkeeping tasks and, obviously, the
upkeep of the course came first. We
worked in the rain, sleet and some pretty
windy conditions - Mold is an exposed
site some 850 feet above sea level.
As a lot of the stone had gone missing
over the years, I decided to make more
gaps in the wall. I thought this made
good sense as it would save a bit of time.
But, I quickly realised it was more
difficult and time consuming to make
two ‘cheek ends’ to form the gap.
When the grass started growing, the
work on the wall had to stop. In the
autumn we also added drainage to an
old clay based green, as a cheaper
alternative to a complete rebuild, as I
didn’t want too much disruption to the
course in its build up to the Centenary.
The work has already proved an instant
success.
In January 2009 the work
recommenced on the dry stone walling.
Members were constantly making
positive comments on the job, so I put
up a notice to see if anyone was
interested in learning this old skill and
helping us.
Our newest member of staff, Karl
Parry, joined the team along with some
keen and willing volunteer members,
Gareth Bellis, Bill Spence and Les
Robins. The wall was finished in March
and it certainly makes a superb feature
for the club in its Centenary year.
The feedback from the members has
been incredible; everyone has
congratulated us on the job and even
had a raffle to give us a bonus as a token
of their appreciation.”
A ‘green’ approach
“As mentioned previously, the greens are
gradually being upgraded to USGA
specification. So far nine have been
completed, six of them in-house. The
remainder are mainly ‘a horrible clay
base’!
They are a mixture of bents and poa.
We cut at 5mm in the summer and 8mm
in the winter. Each green is hollow cored
23
Course plan of Mold Golf Club showing
where the old dry stone wall separates the
7th and 15th fairways
with 8mm tines twice a year although this
has been reduced for the Centenary. I try
to aerate once a week throughout the
year alternating between solid tining,
deep slitting and star slitting depending
on competitions and conditions.
I haven’t used temporary greens for
many years now, but I know I still have
problems with my old greens and we’ll
continue with the upgrading
programme.
We use 100 tonnes 70/30 topdressing a
year. In spring a 4:0:4 turf hardener is
applied, followed by 8:0:0. I follow that
up with light liquid nitrogen feeds if and
when necessary. I use seaweed
throughout the summer and applications
of iron all year round. Aquazorb is the
wetting agent of choice.
The course is very high up with lots of
rocky limestone outcrops, but there is
also a lot of overlying clay brought down
by glaciers. I use my verticutters a few
times in summer, set 3mm above the
ground, just to tidy up the coarse lateral
growth that comes with some of the
browntop bent grasses.
I overseed with good bent cultivars in
late August or early September, using
Primo-Maxx to slow down the
competition.
I’m all for the STRI’s Disturbance
Theory and think the ‘gingerbreads’ are
doing a fantastic job of sharing their
aims and beliefs through the pages of
this magazine. Yes, I know that it is
nothing new but, sometimes, you need to
be reminded that it takes time to achieve
your goal. That you can’t rush things. It
has to be a ‘gently, gently’ approach! I
firmly believe in sustainable golf and, to
that end, have entered into the STRI
Environmental Award.
One other thing that has proved
popular with members and visitors is a
hole by hole wildlife booklet that I have
written for the club. It explains to golfers
what they can expect to see as they play
each hole.
I am trying to raise the awareness of
golfers as to how important golf courses
are to the environment. That they are
not just sterile tracts of land but, if
managed properly, can become wildlife
havens”
GRADEN
I would consider it the biggest innovation
in greenkeeping since vertidraining –
Mark Timberlake – Golf Club Lich – Germany.
Kensett Sports Ltd Tel: +44 (0)1883 342632
Email: info@kensettsports.com www.kensettsports.com
24
TWENTYQuestions
Colin Jones - enjoys a damn good barbecue, and
would like to enjoy Kelly Brook - it’s the eyes!
Who are you? Colin Jones, Head
Greenkeeper, Mold Golf Club.
Family status? Engaged to Sophie, with
three children, Oliver 12, Jacob 7 and Lily
Grace 2.
Who’s your hero and why? Bob Taylor
from the S.T.R.I, because of his excellent
knowledge of wildlife and the
environment.
What is your dream holiday? Anywhere
with my family.
What annoys you the most? Golfers that
don’t bother raking bunkers after
themselves, it’s just lazy.
What would you change about
yourself? I’d learn to relax more.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? Alex
Ferguson, do you need a reason?!
Favourite record, and why? Don't stop
me now, by Queen. It just makes me
smile.
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? Sorry Soph, but
I’d choose Kelly Brook (she’s got lovely big
eyes!).
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Buy the golf course
and ban those few members who just
moan about everything!
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? A piano, because it can be
quiet and sometimes loud.
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? My Mum once said “keep
your eyes and ears open and your mouth
shut” - its not always easy though!
What’s your favourite smell? A damn
good BBQ.
What do you do in your spare time?
Play golf with the kids and go fishing.
What’s the daftest work related
question you have ever been asked?
Do you do anything in winter?
What’s your favourite piece of kit?
200L Gambetti sprayer, it was my first
purchase at the club.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Quiet, honest, and
hard working.
What talent would you like to have? To
be a natural golfer.
What makes you angry? Dogs running
around the course in the evenings, in and
out of bunkers, arrghh!
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? Well, that’s got to be
dogs on leads in public places, especially
golf courses!
6+$53(102:(56
)25*5((1(5*5$66
3HARPENINGMOWERSWITH
(;35(66'8$/$1*/(0$67(5
PRODUCESASURGICALLYSHARPCUTLEADINGTO
SUPERIORTURFANDALOTOFHAPPYGOLFERS
6+$53(562/87,216
‡ZZZEHUQKDUGFRXN
25
Colin Jones’ hole by hole wildlife
booklet has proved popular with
members and visitors. It aims to
show just how important golf
courses are to the environment as
well as enhancing the golfers’
enjoyment of the course. Here is a
précis of Colin’s booklet which, we
believe, is a great idea
Breaking the Mold!
Hole 1: The gorse to the left and right flowers
every spring and winter; it is good hazard and a
useful wildlife habitat, which provides a good
roosting and nesting site for long-tailed tits and
other small birds, whilst the flowers of this
species act as an excellent nectar source for
bumble bees. The right side of the fairways are a
variety of trees such as ash, beech, silver birch
and scots pine. Greater willow herb and nettles
encourage hoverflies, bees and butterflies
amongst the gorse to the left.
Hole 2: The rough to the left of the fairway is not
only out of bounds but is left undisturbed for the
benefit of the wildlife. Greater celandine (yellow)
and garlic mustard (white) take advantage of
this naturally wild area. A variety of evergreen
and deciduous trees segregate this hole from
the 1st.
Hole 3: An uphill par 3 with great grassy
undulations, a slice and the ball is all but lost in
unforgiving long rough grass amongst a copse of
silver birch, where moles are active. Cow parsley
borders this hole along the untouched hedgerow,
popular with the gatekeeper butterfly. The grey
squirrel is fairly common on the course, they do
have a reputation as a pest that damages trees
but we have not witnessed any problem within
the course from this agile denizen.
Hole 4: The woodland up the right side of this
hole is abundant with all sorts of wildlife; nesting
buzzards are easily seen and heard. As you
reach the green, listen to the sounds of the
smaller songbirds within the woodland fringe.
Chiffchaff and willow warbler will provide the
spring chorus giving way to resident species
such as blackbird, song thrush and robin through
spring to early summer. Sparrowhawks nest in
the woods and can often be seen darting along
the edge of the woodland in search of prey.
These birds only take their prey on the wing,
eating it where it falls - hence the piles of
feathers often seen on the fairways.
Hole 5: Flanked by dense mature woodland,
tawny owls can regularly be heard around the
woods at dusk. Listen out for the harsh cry from
the colourful member of the crow family, the Jay.
Golfers have reported seeing adders down the
wall on the 5th, an ideal location for them as
this east facing wall warms in the early morning
sun. Be careful how you retrieve your lost ball.
Hole 6: The gorse is the best wildlife habitat
here, and is the favourite place for rabbits and
longtailed tits. Ox-eye daisy flourishes on the
wild banks of this tee. There is a badger set
hidden away amongst the undergrowth. Their
damage activity is rarely seen on the course as
the greens staff quickly repair it every morning
before complaints.
Hole 7: Purple orchids favour this ground at the
top of the quarry, where there is very little soil.
Ivy can be seen on many trees through the
tunneled walk through the woods. It’s one of the
few plants to flower in September providing
valuable nectar for bees. It also provides
excellent year round protection for many insects
and birds. Opinions are split on ivy being a
nuisance to trees; it will not kill a healthy tree
although a weak tree will succumb to ivy
infestation. At Mold we have done some ivy
cutting, but left some for the wildlife. This
ancient wall facing the prevailing wind is covered
with lichens. Alongside the 7th green lady's bed
straw (yellow), cow parsley (white), and tufted
vetch (purple) can be seen attracting many
insects.
Hole 8: On the left of the tee is an area
untouched for long grass, bracken, thistle and
wild flowers which, although can look unkempt,
provides outstanding conservation value. Keep
an eye out for the kestrel that comes hunting for
voles in this area.The hovering bird of prey kills
and eats on the ground after ‘dropping’ on to its
target. Halfway up the hill is an Aspen tree. Its
leaves can be heard fluttering in the breeze. In
autumn it is always surrounded by fly agaric - a
striking red and white spotted toadstool
commonly represented in childrens’ books.
Hole 9: A pair of peregrine falcons nest in the
quarry behind this green; they can be heard
calling and seen carrying pigeons and crows
back to their nest in summer. They are the
fastest bird in the world so blink and you’ll miss
them. Ravens, the largest member of the crow
family, can also be seen around this area, but
keep an eye on your golf ball as they have been
known to carry them away mistaking them for
eggs. Dog rose that borders the 9th wall is
armed with curved thorns and look close if you
enjoy gooseberries as there are wild bushes
here.
Hole 10: On your way to the 10th tee enjoy the
walk through the gorse and you’ll see red and
white campion. Try to be very quiet and you
could see wood mice, stoats and other wild
animals. There are plenty of wild raspberry
bushes in this area for golfers and animals to
feed on in August. Don’t get confused with the
puff balls growing in the rough, as they do look a
little like golf balls from a distance. The summer
of 2007 was extremely wet which was good for
fungi as they are not normally active until early
autumn when conditions are damper.
Hole 11: Behind the green is a ten year old crab
apple tree which will bring future wildlife to
enjoy its fruit. Behind the tee is a fox’s den, the
inhabitants have been spotted many times early
in the morning crossing the course on their way
home. Pipistrelle bats can be seen around this
area at dusk, but occasionally appear in the
daytime.
Hole 12: This quiet corner of the course is
popular with field forget-me-not, rabbits abound,
not forgetting the magpies. Although magpies,
being opportunists, will take eggs and chicks,
this has been shown by the RSPB to have little
direct relevance to the song bird decline that is
being experienced through the country. In fact
recent research shows that smaller birds in
woodland situations do tend to occur in greater
numbers around magpies and other larger
predatory species, possibly due to feeling more
secure through much of the year!
Hole 13: In summer, yellow iris will fill the pond,
which is also full of dragonflies, frogs and pond
skaters whilst the water lasts. A slice could land
you in the pond or in the wildflower rich rough
grassland which will provide a visual treat for the
golfer in mid summer. Over hit your shot and you
can find yourself looking for your ball in the
blackberry bushes. Bramble is an important
shrub providing cover and a rich food source to
many smaller birds and invertebrates.Rooks
regularly visit this area for food; divots are
replaced by golfer and greenkeeper only to be
turned over again by the rook, jackdaws and
carrion crows.
Hole 14: Bluebells border this area in spring,
which encourage bees and butterflies. A dead
hawthorn can also be seen which is left for
insects and small birds, such as treecreepers
and nuthatches, to feed on. A newly planted oak
tree can be seen in the foreground, an excellent
tree for wildlife. Ragwort is a component of the
grassland well behind the tee. This species is
often persecuted for its harmful properties to
cattle and horses when cut into hay. It does,
however, provide an important ecological
resource, particularly for the cinnabar moth,
which is endemic to this species. At Mold we
control ragwort to limit its extent, whilst leaving
sufficient to enhance the wildlife.
Hole 15: The hawthorn on this hole always looks
a picture when flowering in May which is also
the name of the hawthorn’s flower. It is normally
late flowering due to the course’s altitude. You
can also see birdsfoot trefoil - the main food
plant of the common blue butterfly. The old
limestone wall shows how moss is colonising the
damp shady conditions under the ash and
sycamore trees.
Hole 16: The cowslips survive well amongst the
uncut wiry fescue. The tall leylandii at the back
of the green provide a good nesting site for wood
pigeon. Broom is natural here and is spreading
well. We are trying to encourage it, along with
the gorse, on various areas of the course as it
attracts butterflies and insects, and is also a
good golfing hazard when established.
Hole 17: This is the highest point of the course
with dramatic views in all directions. Buzzards
can be seen soaring and taking an easy meal of
worms off the fairway early on a winter’s
morning. The old building is used by pied
wagtails every year for a nest site. We’ve also
put up a bat box, but it has not been used as yet.
Field voles have made the competition tee their
home; these holes have been used for years. The
tee is made with local limestone making good
cavities for nesting. The poor quality of the grass
is caused by a combination of very little soil
overlying rock and huge leylandii conifers
sucking up water, leaving arid conditions for
grass growth.
Hole 18: Shaggy ink cap can be found around
the tee. When taking your last putt do give
consideration to the amount of wildlife and
habitats seen during your round, and consider
the role the golf course plays in the environment
- golf courses are brilliant nature reserves.
Driving is second
nature for members
at the Royal
Automobile Club’s
Woodcote Park
estate, where golf
and memories of the
freedom of the open
road rub shoulders.
Tom James meets
Course Manager Bob
Wiles and finds that
he has been ...
THE DRIVING
T
ucked away amid a parade of plush
Epsom properties, off the A24 trunk
road in Surrey, lies the 400-acre
Woodcote Park estate - home to the
famed Royal Automobile Club, a national
‘institution’ whose history is as colourful
and dramatic as the manicured parkland
site itself.
The club goes back to 1897 when
Frederick Richard Simms and Charles
Harrington Moore translated the
constitution of the Automobile Club de
France (ACF) into English, to create the
basis for the Automobile Club of Great
Britain and, later, Ireland (ACGBI).
Woodcote Park, positioned next door
to Epsom racecourse, was first purchased
as a country club in 1913, on the site of a
twelfth century abbey. The imposing
mansion, built in 1679 by Richard Evelyn
(brother of diarist John) and mentioned
in his diaries by Samuel Pepys, became
the clubhouse.
28
However, a fire in 1934 burnt it to the
ground but it was rebuilt in similar
classical style, reopening nearly two years
later in May 1936. Throughout the
1970s, the Club underwent a programme
of expansion and refurbishment, which
led to the restoration of the clubhouse
and significant improvements to the two
18-hole courses, an achievement largely
the masterwork of one man - the then
head greenkeeper, now course manager,
Bob Wiles.
Due to retire in February 2010 after
thirty-three years at the club, and one of
the longest-reigning head greenkeepers
in the business, Bob has fashioned the
sporting estate into the premier facility it
is today.
In that time he has met golfing
legends such as Seve Ballesteros, Nick
Faldo, Colin Montgomery, Lee Trevino
and Greg Norman, as well as the late and
sadly missed comedian Bob Hope, whom
he met during the Club’s staging of the
Bob Hope Classic in 1980. Today,
Woodcote Park still hosts international
Pro-Am tournaments, notably the Tesco
event run straight after the Open
Championship.
One can only admire the
professionalism and commitment of
golfing’s elite when Bob marvels: “Last
year’s Open champion, Padraig
Harrington, was playing here literally the
day after winning the event.”
Bob joined the Club on 18 September
1977, moving into the post of head
greenkeeper the following month, after
working in agriculture, then in the
timber trade, at Bishops Castle,
Shropshire, before embarking on his
marathon greenkeeping stint at
Woodcote Park.
The estate boasts two courses - the
Old, whose 18th hole sits serenely in
front of the grand clubhouse, and the
FORCE
Coronation. Both blend
mature downland and
parkland, so tree
management duties are
always on the itinerary. The
first nine holes of the
Coronation course were
constructed in 1953 to
commemorate Queen
Elizabeth II taking the throne
that year, the others being
added later.
The Club also features a
sports complex with allweather tennis courts, four
sunken squash courts, croquet
lawn, swimming pool and
fitness suite, all of which
underwent significant
improvements ten years ago.
Woodcote Park’s first major
competition, the Martini
International, was staged in
1978, followed two years later
by the Bob Hope Classic. “I
had a heap of maintenance
work to attend to in a very
short time to get the course
ready for the Classic,”
remembers Bob, “involving
an extension of the course
and relaying a number of
tees.”
Aiding him in the upkeep
of the courses is a team of
fifteen greenkeepers, nine on
the Old Course, six on the
Coronation, Bob himself and
no fewer than three in-house
mechanics, one of which Tony Worsford - has the job
of tending to the club’s fleet
of vintage cars, as well as an
extensive range of turfcare
machinery. “We are Toro
here,” declares Bob proudly,
“When I first came
here, I was nearly
sacked after a week
when I severely deep
spiked the greens and
veticut them to relieve
compaction and thatch”
Bob Wiles, Course Manager, The RAC Club
open’ courses and deplored ‘superficial
cosmetic improvements’ of golfing
greens. “When I first came here, I was
nearly sacked after a week when I
severely deep spiked the greens and
veticut them to relieve compaction and
thatch.”
Like Jim Arthur, Bob believes in fine
turf, arguing against heavy feeding and
watering. “The most essential ingredient
for good greenkeeping is regular
aeration, more crucial, to my mind, than
any amount of fertiliser. It’s a necessity
not a luxury. I’m a firm believer in only
watering enough to keep the grass alive,
not making it green.”
indicating a swathe of red in the
machinery shed. “All our greens, rotary
and hand machines are that make, but I
also run a number of Ransomes
Cushman Trucksters - a favourite of
mine. They can do anything.”
“If I had to put my finger on one
machine that’s really changed the shape
of greenkeeping it would be the
Cushman. It’s versatile with the ability to
use many different applications, allowing
us more time to devote to other things,”
he explains.
“We’ve been pleased with Toro as well
and have enjoyed a good relationship
with them for a number of years. I’ve
visited their headquarters in the States
twice in my time. That was really
enjoyable.”
Bob aims to replace machinery every
three years and is given the annual
maintenance budget - some £350,000 to allow him to do it. A recent machine
update amounted to £154,000. “I’m
fortunate in having a healthy figure to
work with,” he beams.
The view from the balustraded balcony
of the clubhouse is a flurry of activity as
Royal Automobile Club members busily
go about their golf at seemingly
breakneck speed.
Some 70,000 rounds are played across
both courses annually - 40,000 on the
Old, 30,000 on the Coronation.
Championship standard, the Old course
owes its greater popularity to its longer
length (6,724 yards) and more open
contours, says
Bob. The
Coronation
though is hilly
and known to be
particularly
challenging. “We
treat both courses
exactly the same
and do not give
particular
preference to the
Old just because
of its
championship status. My mission is to
make sure that each course is equally
used. Recent modernisation of the
Coronation, with five new greens and
improved bunkering, is setting us in the
right direction.” Bunkers on the Old
though total 96, more than twice the tally
(41) on the Coronation.
The pre-World War One-style of
bunkering across the Old Course, while a
trademark of renowned golf course
designer W Herbert Fowler, makes hard
work for Bob and his team, he explains.
“Fowler’s signature rounded bunkering
is a real feature of the course that the
club rightfully doesn’t want to let go of
but, needless to say, this style makes our
job as greenkeepers trickier to maintain
to the standard we like.”
Bob is “a traditionalist at heart” and a
strong advocate of the practices of the
famous British agronomist Jim Arthur
who believed in the protection of ‘the
Although not advocating heavy
fertilising, he does believe in using
products that have proven results, a
policy that the club began to reap the
benefits of seven years ago when they
started using Symbio organic compost
tea. It is a natural product brewed in
much the same way as beer, then
routinely sprayed on the greens. “We
were having problems getting our roots
down as deep as we would like, so
decided to try the tea after seeing its
benefits outside the UK,” explains Bob.
“We were the first club in the country
to use it, and found that, after only a
relatively short time, the roots started to
go down as far as six or seven inches,
and the soil was becoming much more
friable - no mean feat in our chalky soil.”
The year 2007 saw results of the
organic treatment reach their pinnacle,
demonstrating says Bob, just how
effective compost tea proved to be when
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30
used with a strict maintenance
programme.
“We aerated weekly, topdressed every
two weeks and composted every other
week combined with the tea,” Bob
recalls. “Greenkeepers from
neighbouring golf courses, such as
Walton Heath, would visit us to take a
look and couldn’t believe the quality of
our soil.”
But, due to a heavy workload, the level
of maintenance was reduced, having an
adverse affect on the greens, Bob says.
“We had to cut down on topdressing
and tining, which started to undo all the
good work we had put in up to that
point. However, in 2008/09, we were
returned to our good maintenance
practices and things are now getting back
to how they were in 2007.”
Darren Farley, sixteen years Bob’s
deputy, also witnessed how turf quality
can be turned around, as well as the
dangers of letting standards slip.
“It took under a year for our greens to
regress,” he says, “whereas it will take us
another three years to get them back to
the position they were in then. Symbio
has not only given us healthier soil but
has also helped us reduce significantly
the levels of fusarium.”
With new EU legislation due to come
into force in the new year banning more
pesticides, it appears to be more
important than ever for clubs to actively
reduce their reliance on chemicals. For
Bob and Darren though, this is merely a
sign of the times and something they
have to move along with.
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“We only spray
once a year for
weeds now,”
confirms Bob, “in
May or June and
once for worms in
the autumn.”
Since the change
to compost tea,
the club has seen
dramatic
reductions in
nitrogen use from
200kg to 70kg a
hectare. “With pesticides now far weaker
and becoming less effective over a
shorter time than previously, it is a good
thing we are already reducing our
usage,” Darren adds.
Bob recalls the days when using “75%
proof ” products on the greens was part
and parcel of the job - chemicals that
have long since left the industry. “The
mercury-based pesticides would kill
everything in the soil for years after,” he
says. “Today, there’s much more of a
push on conservation, encouraging
wildlife to live and flourish alongside the
golf.”
Woodcote Park is home to a host of
wildlife including roe deer, pheasants,
foxes, rabbits, grey squirrels, Canada
geese, and ‘a medieval badger set’. An
English Heritage protected walled
garden is also a feature, one that once
grew fruit and vegetables.
Its two lawn tennis courts once drew
.EW'SERIES
the attentions of Wimbledon players,
who used them for practising. “English
Heritage now only requires us to
maintain the garden,” says Darren.
Golf courses are increasingly
recognised as hotbeds for wildlife but,
with that, comes the growing need for
forestry maintenance and wildlife
conservation programmes, as Bob
explains.
“We are keen on conservation here and
do what we can with the course through
recommendations from various wildlife
bodies. Currently, we leave the semi
rough and rough to grow longer.”
Bob takes an active involvement in the
upkeep of the wooded areas and has
planted a good number of trees over his
thirty-two years in the job. Memories of
the Great Storm in 1987, when seventy
large beeches were blown down, bring
painful recollections.
“I woke up the morning after to find
large beech trees lying across the 15th
fairway. I was so distressed at seeing it
that I lost concentration and drove into a
bunker,” he recalls emotionally.
Bob has seen nothing less than seismic
changes in the industry during his time
at Woodcote Park – moving from what he
describes as largely agricultural methods
to ones now principally machine and
computer led.
He singles out two key changes that
have dramatically changed the industry the quality of machinery and green
speeds. “Machine innovations have given
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really be good at the job”
The unique
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Great value - great
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The unique anti-clogging
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AgriMetal
32
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us so much more time.” he
says.
Two machines though stand
out from the rest, he believes.
“The Triplex mower has
made cutting much quieter,
whilst utility vehicles like the
Cushman Truckster and Toro
Workman make topdressing
far easier and less timeconsuming.”
Machine safety is clearly a
priority, and one that bleeds
into a wider safety initiative,
he believes. “The club is hot
on safety and gives us all the
necessary training on the
correct machinery - every
man is NPTC certified.” But
there is a limit to the quantity
of red tape the industry
needs, Bob stresses. “It’s good
that the industry is becoming
more safety conscious but
there’s a limit to how far it
can go. When red tape
impinges on our work, slows
it down or hinders it, instead
of helping it, then that’s when
it goes too far.”
Bob bemoans the need for
speed on greens. “The
Augusta syndrome has crept
into UK practices with many
clubs trying to achieve
lightning-fast surfaces.
Cutting the sward too severely
inhibits proper growth and,
in most cases, makes greens
unplayable by all but the
world’s best players.”
Working for the club
certainly carries its benefits,
Bob is quick to emphasise.
“We all get a basic RAC
membership and can be
involved with the
contributory pension scheme.
It is proof that all the hard
work we do here is
recognised.”
Bob is clearly well
respected by his team and
many in the industry who
have worked under him over
the last three decades. Yet,
one of the most important
aspects of the job that cannot
be taught - one that arguably
he values above all others - is
experience.
“Groundsmanship is one of
those professions where you
can have all the knowledge
and read all the books but,
without a good percentage of
hands-on experience, you
can’t really be good at the
job. You need to know how
each hole on a course works
and that takes time, labour
and passion.”
After gathering a
generation of experience at
Woodcote Park, Bob is
bequeathing a lasting legacy
that Darren believes has put
the Club on the right footing.
“What Bob has achieved
here speaks for itself,” he
states. “With the greens
getting back to their best and
our maintenance programme
on a good standing, Bob can
leave the job knowing
everything is in good order.”
In typical fashion, Bob talks
humbly about his many
achievements at the club ones that bring a sense of
pride to him. “I believe that,
in my time here, I’ve
managed to greatly improve
the courses as well as train up
lads that have gone on to take
head greenkeeper posts at
clubs both locally and
abroad.”
Darren reiterates: “Man
management is one of the
hardest aspects of the job.
Bob’s been a great boss.”
TWENTY
Questions
The Ecosol
Aero-fil System
PROVIDING STA
STATE-OF-THE-ART
TE-OF-THE-ART AERATION
AERATION AND DRAINAGE
Jonathan Gaunt - enjoys whale
watching and mountain biking - not at
the same time, obviously!
Who are you? Jonathan Gaunt,
Director and senior golf course
architect at Gaunt Golf Design
Limited.
The Deep Drill 60/18 and Drill ‘n’ Fill aerators bring
dramatic improvements to turfgrass quality, with
unrivalled performance:
Family status? Married to Maja
since 1995 and have a
daughter, Lily, aged 11.
• Drill, extract and backfill all in one action!
• Improve infiltration, percolation and gas exchange up to 18" deep.
Who’s your hero and why?
Tom Watson comes closest - a
true gentleman and inspiration
to me as a young golfer taking
up the game in the early 70s.
Still inspires today.
What is your dream holiday?
Probably Cuba or Brazil somewhere on a beach, where
the food, wine and music is
good. Otherwise, Nova Scotia,
sea kayaking, eating fresh
lobster and whale watching.
What annoys you the most?
Speeding cars overtaking too
closely when I'm out cycling.
What would you change
about yourself? Lose a few
kilos in weight, and be able to
speak a number of foreign
languages and play a musical
instrument.
Who wouldn’t you like to be?
Gordon Brown.
Favourite record, and why?
Everybody loves the sunshine by
Roy Ayers - inspiring and great
in-car entertainment
Who would you choose to
spend a romantic evening
with? With my wife, of course,
eating seafood and drinking
manzanilla in one of the seafood
restaurants overlooking the
Atlantic in Sanlucar de la
Barrameda, Costa de la Luz in
south-west Spain.
If you won the lottery, what is
the first thing you would do?
Buy land by the sea and build
my own links golf course.
If you were to describe
yourself as a musical
instrument, what would you
be and why? A drum, because
I'm noisy and I can't sing!!
What's the best advice you
have ever been given? By Gary
Player, “Whatever you decide to
do - pro’ golfer or golf course
architect, work hard and commit
yourself - oh, and keep doing the
daily press-ups, ideally with a
full suitcase on your back”. I do
work bl**dy hard, that's true,
but I haven't managed the press
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ups - I can only just about
manage 100 sit-ups a day.
What’s your favourite smell?
Sandalwood.
What do you do in your spare
time? Mountain biking - I go out
3 or 4 mornings in the week for
an hour or so and then 2-3
hours on a Sunday - it takes my
mind off the work and gives me
a chance to get some exercise
too.
What's the daftest work
related question you have
ever been asked? Can we build
a real golf course through the
streets of London (by Channel
Five).
What's your favourite piece
of kit? As I don’t design on
computer, my propelling pencil!
What three words would you
use to describe yourself?
Committed, positive, flexible.
31 Castle Road Hythe Kent CT21 5HB Tel: 01303 267636 or 01666 861250
www.ecosolve.co.uk email: info@ecosolve.co.uk
All these Open Championship
Clubs choose to relief grind
with a Hunter precision grinder:
St Andrews • Carnoustie
Turnberry • Troon • Muirfield
Royal Liverpool • Royal St Georges
Royal Lytham St Annes
What talent would you like to
have? To be able to consistently
hit my driver 275 yards down
the middle of the fairway.
What makes you angry?
Inflexibility and greed.
What law/legislation would
you like to see introduced? In
the Rules of Golf: to introduce a
law enforcing the use of a
standard (Tournament) golf ball
by golf pro's only - like they have
in tennis. In UK Government: to
introduce a law permitting every
house in UK to install solar
panels on their roofs, wind
turbines in their gardens and a
water recycling system that
would collect rainfall and use it
for domestic purposes, and to
hand out substantial grants to
every householder to do this.
Tel: +44 (0) 1462 683031 www.huntergrinders.com
33
“There are only two types of golfer;
those who have played Cavendish,
and those who wished they had”
Peter Smith, Head Greenkeeper
at the Cavendish Golf Club, is
on a mission to bring the
Alister MacKenzie designed
course back to its former
glories.
Laurence Gale MSc catches up
with him during a course walk
CAVENDISH
Alias Smith and Golfers!
T
he Cavendish Golf Club in Buxton,
Derbyshire, is a private members club
with a current membership of 450
The course was designed for the 9th
Duke of Devonshire on his Buxton Estate
by the renowned Dr Alister MacKenzie in
1923 and opened in 1925. It was sold to
the members in 1953 following the death
of the 10th Duke.
Cavendish was one of Alister
MacKenzie’s last UK commissions before
he gained overseas contracts in
Australasia, South America and the USA.
In the early 1930s Alister made his home
in the USA and died there in 1936. Two
of the gang who worked on Cavendish
also emigrated and worked for him at
Cypress Point in California. It was after
playing the latter course, and meeting
Alister, that Bobby Jones invited him to
design Augusta National, the home of the
Masters.
By modern standards Cavendish is
short at 5,721 yards; the golfer’s
shotmaking skills, not his power, provide
the challenge that keeps players returning
time and time again. In 1994, American
golf course architect, Tom Doak, placed it
amongst the top 100 courses in the world
with a par under 70 - it is currently 68 and also reckoned that the 10th was one
of the eighteen best holes that weren’t in
34
anyone else’s top 100 list!
On the club’s website they proudly
claim that “there are only two types of
golfer; those who have played Cavendish,
and those who wished they had” so, when
an invitaion came from golf course
architect, Jonathan Gaunt, to walk the
course with Head Greenkeeper, Peter
Smith, I jumped at the chance.
Also joining us were club historian,
Richard Ratherton, and head
professional, Simon Townsend, holder of
the course record of 65 - just three shots
under par. That suggests that the course,
even though it is short, is a considerable
challenge. Jonathan, himself an eight
handicap, says that he finds it a major
challenge.
We met in the bar (where else) and,
whilst waiting for one of many rain
showers to pass, talked about
MacKenzies’ design, the impressive layout
that used the contours of the terrain to
great effect, the small, undulating greens
(a MacKenzie favourite), the sloping
fairways and the positioning of tees.
Throw in bunkers, out of bounds and
rough close to greens, and the
unpredictable Derbyshire weather, and it
is no wonder the course can be a
challenge.
A prime example of this is the 17th, a
160 yard par 3. The green nestles in a
gorge, surrounded by bunkers and water.
It is approached from an elevated tee
where the wind seldom drops below force
5. Good golfers would be tempted to take
a wedge or a 9 iron - they would be the
wrong choice. It is a card wrecker of a
hole!
Having said all this, the major factor
that influences the golfer is how the
course is set up and maintained. The
smoothness and quality of the playing
surfaces are essential, especially on these
Mackenzie greens. Green speed is
deliberately kept at under nine on the
stimp most of the time.
Peter Smith came to the club two years
ago from Selsdon Park Hotel Golf and
Country Club, having previously worked
at Birch Grove Golf Course and Bradfield
College Golf Club.
Peter takes over and explains how he
manages the course and how, like many
clubs, the current recession has put
pressure on budgets.
“When I took up the position at
Cavendish two years ago it was very
apparent that the course was not in the
best condition. There had been little or
no aeration or overseeding for four or five
years and, as a result, most of the surfaces
had thin, weak swards, the tees were
uneven and there was little definition
to the course.
What I find really unprofessional,
and unnecessary, is a golf course that
lacks definition. When I first arrived
here it was typical of many that I
have seen, but one of the simplest
problems to rectify
There were about five different
heights of cut that left the golfer
wondering if he was on the fairway
or semi rough, semi rough or rough,
green or apron, and apron or
surrounds.
Most of the golfers that I know like
to see clearly defined fairways that
lead nicely up onto a green which
has a clear definition between green
and collar, then another clear
definition between collar and the
next cut. As a greenkeeper this suits
me as it means that I can simplify my
maintenance regime to present this.
At all my previous courses, and
here at Cavendish, I have kept the
cutting heights simple. These are as
follows: greens 4-6mm, tees, collars
and approaches 10-12mm, fairways
14-16mm and rough 50mm.
Following this simple cutting plan
means that I only have four cutting
heights on the course, the fairways
go straight into the rough, as do the
tees, collars and approaches. So far, I
have not had anything other than
compliments on how well defined
the course is and, as I have said, it
has a major bearing on how easy it is
to maintain.
Due to the relatively simple
presentation of the course we are
able to get by with a comparatively
small fleet of machinery.
We have three triples with varying
units that cut the greens, tees and
approaches; these are 2 x John
Deere 2500 and a Jacobsen
Greensking VI. We also have a Toro
5410 for cutting our fairways and a
Toro 4500 for cutting the rough. In
addition we have a New Holland
TC27 tractor, Kubota 4150 tractor,
John Deere 6x4 Gator, a John Deere
Pro Gator with HD200 spray system,
a Dakota 410 topdresser and two
Ransomes Super Certes.
Leading on from the machinery,
and again linked into our simple
maintenance plan, is our staffing.
Even in the height of the growing
season we are able to cover all
mowing operations with just three
full time staff. This includes, at its
peak, cutting the rough, fairways and
Peter Smith
The MacKenzie method
L-r: Simon Townsend, Peter Smith
and Jonathan Gaunt
WRITING in his book Golf Architecture, first
published in 1920, Dr. Alister MacKenzie wrote the
following on ‘Course Construction and
Greenkeeping’.
As the truest economy consists in finality, it is
interesting to consider the essential features of an
ideal golf course. Some of them are suggested now:
1. The course, where possible, should be arranged
in two loops of nine holes.
2. There should be a large proportion of good twoshot holes, two or three drive-and-pitch holes,
and at least four one-shot holes.
3. There should be little walking between the
greens and tees, and the course should be
arranged so that, in the first instance, there is
always a slight walk forwards from the green to
the next tee; then the holes are sufficiently
elastic to be lengthened in the future if
necessary.
4. The greens and fairways should be sufficiently
undulating, but there should be no hill climbing.
5. Every hole should have a different character.
6. There should be a minimum of blindness for the
approach shots.
7.
The course should have beautiful surroundings,
and all the artificial features should have so
natural an appearance that a stranger is unable
to distinguish them from nature itself.
8. There should be a sufficient number of heroic
carries from the tee, but the course should be
arranged so that the weaker player with the loss
of a stroke or portion of a stroke shall always
have an alternative route open to him.
9. There should be infinite variety in the strokes
required to play the various holes - viz,
interesting brassy shots, iron shots, pitch and
run-up shots.
10. There should be a complete absence of the
annoyance and irritation caused by the necessity
of searching for lost balls.
11. The course should be so interesting that even
the plus man is constantly stimulated to improve
his game in attempting shots he has hitherto
been unable to play.
12. The course should be so arranged that the long
handicap player, or even the absolute beginner,
should be able to enjoy his round in spite of the
fact that he is piling up a big score.
13. The course should be equally good during winter
and summer, the texture of the greens and
fairways should be perfect, and the approaches
should have the same consistency as the greens.
“The key element to getting good green speed and
consistent roll is to have a dense sward, where the
ball rolls across the grass rather then through it”
tees and approaches twice a week and
the greens cut or rolled six days a
week.
We are supported by two seasonal
staff from May to October to help with
the extra work that includes all the
extra presentation such as strimming,
flymo-ing, weeding and edging.
With the implementation of the new
course development plan we will be
looking to increase our full time
staffing levels by taking on a trainee.
As somebody who holds the assessor
award, and with a good track record of
training staff, this is something that I
very much look forward to.
Cavendish, due to Buxton’s unique
climate, has a very short growing
season. Temperatures generally only
become consistent enough to support
growth from mid May through to the
end of September, another reason for
only requiring three full time staff.
As an example, in the last two years
between Oct and May, I can probably
only recall having to cut the fairways
three or four times and, as a rule, the
rough mower will not get used during
this whole period! I must say that, as
an active manager, and having come
from the slightly more temperate
south east, I am not sure whether I
like the long periods of inactivity
during the winter but, hopefully, with
the major projects that are planned
this will soon change!
Cavendish is not a long course, but
it is widely recognised that it is the
greens that are its test. MacKenzie
designed, and not altered since the
building of the course, they are a true
example of his work. You really have
to think about where to position your
ball on the fairways, to be able to get
close to any flag and, once on the
greens, there are so many subtle
borrows and breaks that nothing can
be taken for granted! Anything above
nine on the stimpmeter, and they
really do become unplayable!
This situation on the greens when I
arrived was not dissimilar to the
situation at the course that I had just
left, Selsdon, and the action taken
would be the same. Firstly, we had to
get the slight thatch problem
addressed. We intensively hollow tined
with half inch tines, three times in six
months, with dressings of 60 tonnes of
sand after each tine, and this was
supported with applications of
Symbio’s Green Circle to help boost
the populations of beneficial fungi.
In slight contrast to the STRI’s
Disturbance theory, rather than
waiting until we had controlled the
thatch, we also overseeded heavily with
traditional fescue and bents. I was
probably able to achieve this as the thatch
wasn’t that excessive and seed was able to
take and establish in the tine holes. I felt
it was important to do this, as the season
is so short for our members that the last
thing the club needed was a long period
where the greens were in ‘transition’,
which could have had a major impact on
our revenue levels.
After eighteen months we have
achieved an acceptable level of thatch and
created a much denser sward. In my view,
the key element to getting good green
speed and consistent roll is to have a
dense sward, where the ball rolls across
the grass rather then through it. It should
also be remembered that, without a good
grass coverage, a ball cannot grip, hold
and spin.
As we have now established a good
sward I feel that I now have something to
work with, which means I can concentrate
our efforts into reducing the coarser
grasses that dominate on some greens. I
wanted to wait until we had a good level
of grass coverage before we started to
verticut and groom regularly, so at least
there will still be grasses left on the greens
afterwards!
As with most of what we do as
greenkeepers on golf courses, I believe we
must always put the members and visitors
first. If I had been verticutting regularly
on a thin sward I would not have expected
our members to wait any longer for us to
improve the surfaces, and then we soon
would have seen a decline in members
and visitors, impacting on our long term
The clubhouse and ‘typical’ MacKenzie
approach to the small 18th green
plans for the course. So much of what we
do in our maintenance operations is a
fine balancing act, between long term
benefits for the quality of grasses and
short term financial gain!
Moving on, the future at Cavendish is
looking good, we are still two to three
years away from producing the top quality
playing surfaces that I feel is acceptable to
this course, but we are moving in the right
direction.
We have a board that are as dedicated
to improving the course as the greens
staff, a machinery replacement
programme has been implemented and a
development plan put in place. The first
stages of this plan will see most of the
bunkers restored to the original
MacKenzie design, and the greens
drainage improved.”
Having walked the course with Peter, it
was heartening to hear a young
greenkeeper talking with such passion for
the job. His grasp of the history of the
club, and his desire to return it the true
MacKenzie design is commendable. It’s a
challenge he seems to be relishing, with
the aim of offering the MacKenzie
experience to the next generation of
golfers at the Cavendish.
On the following page is Peter’s July
newsletter to the Cavendish members.
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Cavendish Golf Club Summer Greens Report
Warning!! So as not to tempt fate, this
report contains no mention of the weather!
As it is now July I felt that it would be
appropriate to let you all know how things
are progressing with the course and, as
always, we start with the greens and an
insight into how we are trying to manage
them to promote finer grasses.
Trying to put how we are trying to
achieve our objective in a simple
understandable sentence is very hard but, if
you are interested, then let me indulge you.
The best and finest grasses, such as
fescues, grow best in the most stressed
conditions where there is no fertility. For
example, it may be windswept, barren and
dry, and the grass is hardly ever cut. Think
of any links course or at the top of any
peak.
The same principle applies to growing
finer grasses on golf courses, more fertility
and water creates competition, which only
encourages coarser grasses that have a
larger leaf surface and can harness more
energy from the sun for production of
chlorophyll - and a bigger root system
which can uptake more water and nutrient.
Therefore, what we need to do is limit the
fertility and water (if we can) and stress on
the finer grasses, which is the fun part!
There are literally two kinds of stress, good
and bad. Put simply, good = low fertility
and little water, with little surface
disturbance makes the plant hungry and
scavenge for food. Bad = high fertility, lots
of water and lots of surface disruption
(scarifying) favours weed, grasses that are
adaptable and can survive continually being
disturbed.
I am very happy with how the greens are
progressing. If you remember, our aims
were to reduce the amount of fertiliser used
and discourage the poa and coarse grasses
that are present on the greens. This year,
the poa has been a lot less noticeable, and
there is a significant reduction in the
amount of coarser grasses. However, as with
all these things, it takes time to achieve our
goals and, strangely, although the situation
is getting better, it is as the poa and coarser
grasses get less prominent that they become
more visible.
Again, as we reduce the fertility and put
the poa under stress, I need to be vigilant
for diseases, especially anthracnose that
attacks weak poa. We are also starting to see
some type 1 fairy rings (the yellowish
roughly shaped circles). These are normally
caused by warm moist conditions at the
surface and should disappear quickly as
conditions improve. The green speed has
been around eight on the stimp which, I
feel, is an acceptable “friendly” pace. It is
our intention, for open week, to try to push
these up to around nine which, in a trial
run, we achieved four or five weeks ago.
Rough and Bunkers: What can I say, I am
in it more than most of you! The deep
rough in certain areas has now be bailed
and will be left to grow again. Over a few
years this process will help “thin” the
grasses. In the meantime enjoy it before it
starts growing again!
The cut rough, or “semi rough”, is cut, in
places, twice a week, and even then it is very
hit and miss as to what kind of lie you will
get. There is a lot of Yorkshire fog in our
semi, and a ball tends to nestle down into it,
which creates a bad lie. As yet, there is no
way of getting rid of this, short of killing all
the rough off and starting again!
There is talk within the industry that
there is a product being developed that will
kill only Yorkshire fog but, until that
arrives, it might be best to try and keep
your ball on the fairway!!
I, along with all of you, find the bunkers
in a poor state. We are trying to spot treat
the worst bunkers with new sand, but
without overdoing it. This is because we
may soon be entering a phase of complete
bunker renovation and, by replacing large
quantities of sand, we could be faced with
having to remove it all within the next
twelve months.
An additional problem is, if we replace
too much sand, this will dry and create
more problems with the “poached egg” type
lie. We are also in a position where we
simply cannot edge the bunkers any more,
as some already have six inch high lips on
them, which are in danger of collapsing and
undermining the banks around the greens
I hope this brief report has enlightened
you, and I will see you out on the course,
probably looking for my balls in the deep
rough, or repairing bunkers that I have
spent an hour trying to get out of!!
Pete
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TWENTYQuestions
Peter Smith - enjoys Greek island hopping - probably
whilst sniffing seaweed - and a whiney racket!
Who are you? Peter Smith, Head
Greenkeeper at the Cavendish Golf Club.
thing you would do? Take care of my
family and friends.
Family status? Married to Sarah. We
have two sons, Oscar, aged two, and
Henry, who is two months old.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? Bagpipes, a lot of huff and
puff, resulting in a whiney racket!
Who’s your hero and why? Kenny
Dalglish MBE, Liverpool legend - played
football in a way that made you want to
watch the game.
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Respect others opinions,
whether you agree or not
What is your dream holiday? Greek
island hopping around the Cyclades.
What’s your favourite smell?
Seaweed!!!
What annoys you the most? Lack of
respect and manners.
What do you do in your spare time?
Play golf and football.
What would you change about
yourself? Where would I start!!!!!
What’s the daftest work related
question you have ever been asked?
Too many to mention, but a particular
favourite is the concerned member that
once thought we were in dire need of
some new tyres for the greens mowers, as
they were bald!!!
Who wouldn’t you like to be? The Prime
Minister!
Favourite record, and why? Simple
Minds, Alive and Kicking, the ultimate
singalong song!
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? Who else could
it be but my wife Sarah!
If you won the lottery, what is the first
What's your favourite piece of kit? Toro
5410 fairway mower, simple, efficient
reliable and outstanding cut quality.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Passionate,
dedicated and opinionated!
What talent would you like to have? To
be a top professional golfer, playing all the
world’s best courses and earning money
as I do!
What makes you angry? Lack of respect.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? Where would I start! I
don’t think this is a subject that you want
to get me started on!!!!
“Schools continue to portray land based industries as areas for
low achievers and for those that can’t really do anything else”
Will Bowden, Programme Manager and Lecturer in Greenkeeping and Sports Turf, Cannington Centre
Will Bowden, Programme
Manager and Lecturer in
Greenkeeping and Sports
Turf at Cannington Centre
(Bridgwater College) has
come into education from an
industry background. Here
he ponders the issues
regarding ....
THE NEXT
GENERATION
H
aving previously working as a Golf
Course Superintendent in
Auckland, New Zealand, and also as
Head Greenkeeper on courses in the UK,
Will Bowden has brought his passion and
enthusiasm for the turfcare profession
into his educational role. In this article he
reflects on the career choices he has
made, what he believes the state of the
industry is, how we can foster young
talent and ensure the next generation of
turf managers are as passionate and
competent as their predecessors.
“I am now at the end of my first year
here at Cannington and I have already
experienced the immense satisfaction that
comes with getting to know and
developing relationships with students,
and then seeing them go on to fulfil their
potential both within academia and the
wider industry.
There is no doubt that education is one
of the most satisfying sectors of our
industry. Having the opportunity to assist
in the development and achievement of
young turfcare professionals is very
different, but equally as satisfying as
maintaining and managing a golf course
and its staff.
I came in to education from twelve
years of working as a greenkeeper. I
graduated from the old Cannington
College in 1999 with a Foundation Degree
in Golf Course Management. I progressed
up the career ladder whilst bolstering my
studies with educational scholarships to
the US, and further developing my love
of ecology and habitat management here
at university in the UK.
After almost two years of living and
working in New Zealand as a
Superintendent I saw the opportunity to
return to Cannington (now part of
Bridgwater College) and take up a role I
had always imagined I would end up in
eventually.
I have always been excited and
passionate about greenkeeper education
and, having fond memories of my own
years at college and how my tutors shaped
and forged my future within the industry,
the opportunity to try and do the same
for a new generation of turfcare students
was too good to miss.
I fear that the industry is in somewhat
of a decline at present. Being at the ‘coal
face’ of education, in my experience, we
are all struggling to encourage the once
large numbers of enthusiastic and able
students genuinely hungry for a career in
sportsturf. Whilst elements of work based
learning are thriving (under the new
government initiatives of Train to Gain
and the apprenticeship scheme) formal
and higher education is a harder sector to
manage.
I believe the problems we face as an
industry are largely threefold:
• Empathy amongst career advisors and
schools regarding the options available
in the landbased sector
• Government initiatives that encourage
schools to retain potential vocational
students for longer
• The ongoing perception that our
profession requires individuals to work
long and unsociable hours and for
minimal wages
Personally, I believe we, as an industry,
need to do more to raise the profile of
what we do. Although I hate to use the
term, we somehow do need to ‘sex up’
sportsturf and ensure we are appealing, as
a profession and as an industry, to those
youngsters who would love to make a
living from a career involved with sport.
In this past year I have run initiatives
actively inviting young golfers in to the
campus and on to our golf course and
facilities.
Despite these efforts we are often
disappointed with the lack of interaction
and communication across many of the
bodies and organisations that directly, and
indirectly, complement sportsturf careers.
For example, golf club secretaries,
junior organisers, educational officers and
school career advisors, local clubs, unions
and sports facilities have all been lacking
in the uptake of our proposals and
initiatives. Perhaps most worrying, from
an educational perspective, is the
determination of schools to retain
students as long as possible (linked to
government funding) and, in so doing,
potentially halt a pupil’s progression in to
the vocational qualifications of their
choice.
I am amazed and shocked by the apathy
that exists today in schools right across
the country when it comes to giving
advice on land based industries. Although
our profession has come a long way in
recent years, schools continue to portray
land based industries as areas for low
achievers and for “those that can’t really
do anything else”.
Ironically enough, it was a golf
professional many years ago who pointed
me in the direction of a career in
greenkeeping at a time when all I aspired
to be was a ‘Tour Pro’!
We need to get out there more and start
championing the heroes of our industry
and holding these people up as shining
examples of what can be achieved with a
commitment to what is, potentially, the
most rewarding of careers.
So, what is the solution?
At Bridgwater, a significant part of my
role is the marketing and recruitment of
students. As a sportsturf department we
are constantly focused on ways of
innovating and developing our courses at
the college to ensure we work closely with
industry and support what ‘you’ want
from a graduating student. We have a
dedicated team that includes our
greenkeeper at the college and also a full
time work based assessor who has an
HND and vast experience of managing
top class golf resorts.
We are also looking to develop short
courses and hold lecture/seminar events.
It is my vision to develop a ‘centre of
excellence’ within education at the
Cannington Centre along with a range of
opportunities that will continue to appeal
to those within, and outside, of our
industry.
Most recently I held a taster event for
local schools and we managed to attract a
number of young kids interested in a
career in sportsturf. We will continue to
thump home the theme that a love of
sport can be the perfect way in to a career
of caring for some of our major sporting
venues.
I believe we have a fantastic industry to
sell to young people and all we need to
keep doing is getting our message out
there and competing alongside other
professions.
We continue to develop initiatives
within our local golf and sports clubs,
inviting youngsters in to the college to
look at what we offer as an industry. We
work closely with industry bodies and
supporting organisations to develop
relevant curriculums and modes of studies
that you, as employees, require.
Above all else, I believe it is imperative
for our profile to be raised and we must
move away from preaching to the
converted. Those of us with a passion and
understanding of our industry know how
fantastic it is, we know how much more
professional we are and we know of the
endless opportunities and amazing
experiences that are out there.
In order to turn the current trend of an
ageing profession around we have to be
proactive and continue to develop
relationships with high profile people and
organisations. One thing I have been
amazed by is the support within the
industry for education.
But what we need to do is come out of
the comfort zone and step in to the
schools, colleges
and sports clubs
and present this
exciting and
dynamic face of our
industry to those
who just don't have
a clue ... and you
would be amazed
how many there are
out there!
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41
BUG TREK
Soil - The Final Frontier
Kevin Munt discusses the
trend towards beneficial
micro-organisms and
suggests that the practical
world is way ahead of
research into the subject
T
here is, undoubtedly, a growing
interest in this country in
‘growing your own’, and it is
spreading to golf clubs. I am not
talking about vegetables though.
No, I am talking about beneficial microorganisms, the life in the soil that
provides life on this planet. I have been
asked a lot lately what I think about their
part in management of golf greens, so
here is where I’m at on the subject of bug
life.
Before I go on, I am going to take it as
given that you have some knowledge of
the benefits of Mycorrhizal fungi,
protozoa, nematodes etc. I say this, as I
am not covering them in detail here.
And there are people, whom I shall
mention below, who are far better
qualified to explain the soil food chain
than me. The purpose of this article is to
give my practical opinion on whether
introducing and maintaining ‘soil life’
works in the golf green maintenance
environment.
The Green men are not aliens!
As greenkeeping cleans up its act, in
terms of intensive chemical and fertiliser
usage, in particular on golf greens, there
is a movement towards getting the good
guys to help out. Before everyone tells
me that greenkeeping is not that bad
with chemical cures and that farming is
much worse, I say it doesn’t matter where
farming is at, it is where you are at.
Quantities of chemical usage on golf
courses are only relative to chemical
usage on golf courses, not farms. It is
what we do with our individual courses
that matter, not what others in related
‘fields’ do or, for that matter, what other
golf course managers do. As with all
greenkeeping and course playing quality,
it is down to the individual manager.
I was never one for high chemical or
fertiliser usage, but there is no doubt
that, in the past, I have been instructed
to, or have, of my own free will, applied
some nasty man-made stuff (legally)
without a thought to the above ground
environment and, less still, for the soil.
Until the late 1990s most of us
regarded our rootzone ‘soils’ as simple,
dare I say, inert mediums that were there
to grow as much root as possible, as deep
as possible, so as to support the desired
fine grasses above. Little thought was
given to what else was supported by
those soils. Yes, we applied seaweed in
topdressings and in liquid form. We also
applied processed cow slurry (Farmura)
and still do these things. In the early
days some of us will remember applying
composted leaf and turf wastes in
topdressings, however I do not ever
recall anyone saying that that will help
the soil life to grow!
It is life Jim but not as you knew it!
Those of you that have Practical
Greenkeeping by Jim Arthur as your bible
will no doubt have read his teachings on
topdressings, including ‘Soil
Conditioners’ and ‘Sources of Humus’,
and you will have found not one mention
of soil life in any of this. This is not a
slight on Jim, it is just a simple fact that,
even at the time of his book’s second
revision in 1999, very little was known
about life in our soils. Any benefit to soil
life gained from sound greenkeeping
practices would have been purely an
accidental by-product, as long as you
weren’t applying straight Sulphate of
Iron and Ammonia that is!
No, it is only in very recent times that
mention of beneficial bacteria and, more
importantly, fungi have become part of
the greenkeeping language. I can hear
Martin Ward of Symbio shouting “but I
have been banging on about it for the
past sixteen years”. Yes Martin, but it
always takes the masses some time to
catch up with the pioneers. Not many of
us have climbed Everest or been to the
Moon yet either, but many of us have
had penicillin.
So here we are, ten years on, and the
boffins have been staring through their
electron-microscopes in an effort to
progress man’s knowledge of soil
microbial activity, as well as to make bent
and fescue more competitive against Poa
annua for the benefit of golf! Okay I
know, but it does put it all into
perspective. We do get a bit carried away
in our little golf world at times.
If you are well into this subject you will
have read research articles on the topic
by Dr Alan Gange, you should have come
across the name of Dr Elaine Ingham
and her ‘Soil Food Web’, if not Google
her, it will be well worth it. And you may
have even heard of the bug counting lab
at one time F1 world champion Jody
Schekter’s, Laverstoke Park.
If you have seen all of this, and have
managed to retain 20% of the technical
information, you are doing well. Now
that you have this information, and
remembering that you are a greenkeeper
which, in turn, makes you a natural
sceptic, does all this really help?
Mr Spock like mind control
If you are going to put energy, time and
cost into a programme that promotes
fungal rich rootzones you have to have
the right mind focus. Evaluation of what
impact your next greens maintenance
task is going to have on your
‘underground movement’ is required at
all times. This is no bad thing as it
focuses your management approach
further. It is no good applying a
beautifully brewed fungal rich tea and
then allowing it to bake on the green
surface, or applying a touch of Sulphate
of Iron to “give them a green up” post
“tea time”. In past reports on the subject
I have referred to it as “whole system
thinking”, that is to say, giving full
consideration to the complete biomass
that the grass plant occupies, and not
just the turf itself.
You need to prepare you rootzones to
be good hosts to a healthy soil life. There
is little point in adding soil conditioners,
such as seaweed as food for microorganisms, if you have none to start with!
An aerobic environment is vital to
maintain soil life and vital to the success
of any quality composted tea application
programme.
If you are already reducing your
fertiliser inputs, cutting out high salt
index feeds and going organic, as well as
aerating and topdressing on a regular
basis, then promotion of beneficial soil
life is a ‘shoe in’ for your programme
and can only tip the balance further in
your favour or, should I say, the favour of
bent/fescue swards.
As with a lot of greenkeeping practices,
and even theory, much of the positive
evidence for soil life is anecdotal, born
out of practical application. There are
many out there brewing compost teas
and applying them to their greens ten
times a season, who swear by the
improvements made. The benefits
claimed and recorded include
improvements in species type
toward bent/fescue, sward
density and health, reduction
in incidences of fungal
attack and even soil
rootzone drainage
improvements through particle
flocculation by the microbes (I have
witnessed the latter at The RAC club’s
Woodcote Park where Bob Wiles has been
using compost teas for over five years).
The key to achieving these objectives is
to evolve a microbial enhanced rootzone,
which utilises the nutrients locked up in
any organic thatch layer as food for plant
growth, not for fungal pathogens.
To bodly go where no researcher has
gone before
I believe that it will take a very long time
before the research catches up with the
practical world on this one. Someone has
said that the life in our soils is far more
complex and diverse than the universe
outside of it. As we are nowhere near
understanding the universe I would get
on with practical application. Apply
compost teas and see the beneficial
anecdotal results quicker than waiting for
research results.
Although there is still much to learn
on this subject, it is undeniably clear that
a healthy balanced life in the soil is the
key element of the plant/soil association.
In modern terminology it has been
described as the connective interface, the
lubricant, stimulant and antibiotic of
plant life.
It is fact that introducing competition
for fungal pathogens, and reduction in
available food source via thatch
digestion, leads to healthy, more
consistent and less disease affected turf.
Most fungal related turf problems
are caused by a single factor,
namely adverse environmental
conditions. For example,
soil compaction, high
moisture levels
(above and
below
ground),
consistent warm temperatures and
traffic/machine damage, all of which
result in plant stress.
What many turf managers don’t factor
into this equation is that the life below
ground is also stressed out by these
factors, or just plain dead because of
them!
Most turf pathogens are just
opportunists that are able to capitalise on
a situation that is tipped in their favour.
They pick on the weak and stressed
because they are able to. Under the
adverse environmental conditions that
we maintain golf greens, the fungi that
would naturally eat or control these
causal pathogens are missing from the
food chain.
In simplistic terms, a healthy soil
equals a healthy plant. I am not talking
just about the physical composition of
the soil (rootzone), I am talking about
the life that is supported in that soil. An
active soil biomass, full of equal
quantities of fungi and bacteria, will
ensure a ‘below ground’ food chain that
will provide the plant with the natural
growing environment it requires. An
environment that does not need
excessive additional
nutrient or
irrigation for
the desirable
grasses to
thrive.
Beam them
down Scotty
Therefore, in summary,
I believe that a regular
quality compost tea
programme, in the right hands, will
further tip the balance in favour of the
desired finer grasses. In fact, I would go
as far as to say that it should form the
backbone of any greens management
programme geared towards reduced
chemical inputs and species conversion
to bent/fescue swards. If you want, or do,
manage in this way, why wouldn’t you
want to get this type of help below
ground? I like to think of it as increasing
your greenstaff by a few trillion, without
the wage bill to match.
There is little point in adding
soil conditioners such as seaweed
as food for micro-organisms if you
have none to start with!
Kevin Munt, KMgc Consultancy
100 year old rootzone with good
biology managed with compost teas
The last 20 years have seen rapid
developments in the use of compost teas
in all areas of commercial and amenity
plant production. These developments
have been driven by substantial research,
aided by electron microscopy and other
investigative techniques, plus the urgent
need for solutions to the increasing
problems of soil depletion and pest and
disease pressure caused by continued
chemical inputs to the soil
TEA time!
T
here has been a lot of
discussion on the use of
compost teas in turf
management since the RAC
Country Club started using it in
2003.
The philosophy is simple, you
either get the soil to work for
you and reap the benefits of
plant and soil evolution, or use
soil as a receptacle for
chemicals. The use of compost
and compost teas is the simplest
way to develop healthy soil,
maximise yields and minimise
chemical inputs.
Unfortunately, compost is
almost impossible to apply to
golf and bowling greens, cricket
squares and other areas of fine
turf. But, compost teas give you
most of the benefits of adding
compost without the increase in
organic matter and the
problems that causes. It is also
an easy way to reintroduce soil
life to compacted waterlogged
football and rugby pitches.
What is Compost Tea?
“You either get the
soil to work for you
and reap the benefits
of plant and soil
evolution, or use soil
as a receptacle for
chemicals”
Martin Ward, Symbio
Compost tea is an extract of a
given compost of a given
constitution. It can be either
bacterial or fungal dominated
but, in all cases, a good compost
tea will contain:
• Enzymes and amino-acids
• Bacteria, fungi, protozoa and
beneficial nematodes
• Water soluble nutrients and
organically bound nutrients
The quantity, diversity and
quality of these micro-organisms
depend on the quality of the
compost used for the extraction,
the brewer used and
micronutrients and starters
added for optimum organism
growth.
Compost Tea is not a product,
but a solution to transport
micro-organisms. It is a
temporary survival unit that
allows living micro-organisms to
be taken from the compost,
multiplied rapidly and
introduced to the soil and leaf.
Why do we need living soil?
Typical sportsturf rootzones,
that have been used as a
receptacle for chemicals over
the years, are effectively
dead. These
rootzones
contain the
limited
biology
suitable for
poa annua, a
grass that
survives
because of
constant
seeding and
high
nutrient
water and
Typical 100 year
pesticide
old rootzone that
inputs.
is chemically
All
managed
plants
rely on
relationships
with soil microbes that
promote healthy growth. These
symbiotic plant microbe
systems, in which grasses, except
poa annua, apply about 20% of
their energy to root formation
and leak about 30% of the
energy they produce through
their roots to feed the microbes
forming the soil food web, have
evolved over millions of years.
In return, the microbes convert
the proteins and carbohydrates
that leak out of the root back
into plant food available at the
right time for optimum plant
growth.
For sportsturf, NEVER use animal or
human waste or discarded food in
your compost, as this can transmit
E. coli, Salmonella and other
harmful pathogens to the leaf and soil
Soil microbes have a range of
mechanisms to protect the grass
against pathogen attack, aid in
the decomposition of toxins and
produce plant growth
hormones. The net result of
this is that grass grown in a
healthy food web is stronger,
needs less inorganic fertiliser
and water, suffers less from
disease, fairy rings and dry
patch and tends towards
perennial grasses not poa
annua.
Compost teas allow you to
match the correct biology to
your grass from the
day the seed
germinates, so
exceptional
growth can
occur.
How to make compost tea
There are three essential ingredients
A compost tea brewer - you can make
your own. You need a container and an
air supply, but you must have a container
that is rounded so no anaerobic spots
form, and an air supply that keeps the
oxygen level at at least 6ppm all the
time. As brewers start at about £160 it is
better to get one that has been tried and
tested to produce good compost tea.
Good compost - For fine turf you must
apply fungal dominant tea, which means
your compost must be rich in a variety of
fungi (100% poa annua turf can have a
bacterial dominant tea).
To make fungal dominant compost you
need about 40% woody material, 30%
high nitrogen e.g. fresh spring grass
cuttings, alfalfa or legumes, 30% green
waste and about 50-60% humidity.
You can start it with a compost starter
but, within a few days, it should reach at
least 65OC, when it is turned. It should
be turned three times and be fully
composted in about six weeks. It is
essential that it gets hot to kill seeds and
pathogens, otherwise you can brew all
sorts of problems.
Again, it is better to buy compost that
has been tested for fungal activity and
proven to be free of pathogens. For
sportsturf, NEVER use animal or human
waste or discarded food in your compost,
as this can transmit E. coli, Salmonella
and other harmful pathogens to the leaf
and soil.
The correct nutrients - You need to add
foods to feed the bacteria and fungi so
that they can grow when they have been
extracted from the compost. Different
foods feed bacteria and fungi, so be sure
to use the correct nutrients for your
brew.
Analysis
If you develop your own brewer and
compost you should have the compost
and resulting tea analysed to make sure it
has the correct ratios of bacteria, fungi,
protozoa and nematodes. It is also a
good idea to have your soil analysed for
its biology so that you can make a
compost tea that solves your problems.
All reputable suppliers will have test
results for their compost
and equipment to
confirm that you can
grow active microbes
Above: Symbio Compost Tea Brewer
Left: Symbio Xtractor unit that can fit any
200-300 litre container
Below: Compost Tea brewing process - note
high intensity aeration
Benefits of compost
tea
In previous articles in
Pitchcare it has been
explained how perennial
grasses grow in a fungal
dominant rootzone,
while poa annua prefers
a bacterial dominant
food web. By applying
fungal dominant teas
you create the conditions for fine grasses
without stressing the poa annua.
Thatch is also food for fungi which live
on lignin and cellulose, so you will start
to see thatch degradation and humus
creation which, in turn, will allow better
percolation and more air, so you get less
black layer.
As the soil food web starts to develop,
fungal hyphae and beneficial nematodes
will move through the soil. These will
push fine soil particles apart, increasing
friability and assimilating the locked up
nutrient. In time, the excess iron which
causes iron bands and root breaks will be
taken up by the plant, and the rootzone
will become a rich brown colour as
chemicals are replaced by humus.
Nutrient inputs are also reduced as the
food leaked from the plant is converted
back into ammonia by the protozoa and
nematodes feeding on bacteria and fungi
- it is quite common for high input users
to see fertiliser requirements halve in the
first year.
When you get fungal dominance in the
thatch layer you start to outcompete the
basidiomycetes that cause fairy rings,
which cannot access the organic matter
to release nitrogen to form the green
rings, or release hydrophobic substances
over the soil particles, creating fungal
smelling dry patch.
Disease resistance is also improved
because you have stronger plants, with a
beneficial microbial barrier around the
root system, helping to keep fungal
pathogens at bay.
Application
Sadly, most sportsturf rootzones are
relatively low in the organic matter
needed to support microbial life, even
though a lot of microbial food leaks from
the roots during photosynthesis, so fairly
regular applications are needed. In an
80/20 rootzone you will need about 100
litres of compost tea per application.
Frequency of application depends
upon what you want to achieve. To clean
a chemically compromised rootzone, with
iron bands, black layer, barriers of fines
and root breaks, will need up to ten
applications per year, starting in spring.
If you have a relatively healthy rootzone
and want to get good early growth, help
manage dry patch and strengthen the
grass in autumn, five or six applications
appropriately timed may suffice.
In summary, compost teas are a
simple, inexpensive way (less than £100
per hectare) of getting soil biology,
chemistry and physics to work in
harmony for healthy, sustainable fine
grass growth.
45
Glen Miles has been Head
Greenkeeper at Strawberry
Hill Golf Club for nearly
four years. Here he talks
about a compost tea
programme he is using to
restore the greens
STRAWBERRY
HILL FOREVER!
“STRAWBERRY Hill Golf Club is located in
Twickenham, Surrey and is surrounded by a
highly populated area. The 9 hole parkland
golf club is 109 years old and was designed
by the golf professional J.H. Taylor. The
course has not changed a great deal since
the early years, so I’m told.
Set in a mere twenty-seven acres, it boasts
some challenging holes like the 4th, which is
a good 250 yards par 3! The greens are soil
based and are relatively free draining in
design.
I began my career over seventeen years
ago on an 18 hole golf club, just two miles
down the road. I spent thirteen years there
before arriving at Strawberry Hill in January
2005 as Head Greenkeeper. With only myself
and one other person, it was a monumental
task to improve conditions here at the club.
The Beginning
When I arrived at the club, it was evident
that the greens were of top priority. They
were predominantely poa based with many
high in thatch, which left them wet and
prone to disease. All of which led to minimal
root structure and poor air movement. I also
looked at the chemical records to see what
chemical they had been using as these
conditions favoured fusarium. The records
The 9th green in 2009
showed around ten applications of fungicide
per annum to fight off Fusarium - even
spraying in the month of June!
education, they came round to my way of
thinking.
So it began ...
We are now four years into a five year
programme and seeing great results from
our efforts. Our soil biology has improved
and our root structure is very healthy. The
incorporation of finer grasses over the last
three years has been excellent. Drainage is
good and members are happy.
My aim, over the next 3-5 years, was to
degrade the thatch, incorporate more air
into the soil, and increase the root structure
with mechanical means as well as the use of
Symbio products to help improve our soil
biology and, hopefully, minimise chemical
use.
The first year I used sixty tonnes of
topdressing, (which I considered to be a lot
for a 9 hole golf course) to help push
through the thatch and to help with surface
firmness, drainage etc. I also spiked the
greens every two weeks, using a vertidrain,
to get as much air into the profile as I could,
and to help the fungi that we had applied to
begin to degrade the thatch and turn it into
a plant available food source.
Unfortunately, every time I spiked the
greens in the first year, large areas of grass
were being pulled away from the surface
because of the lack of root structure. It took
some time after spiking to put the grass
back, ‘like a jigsaw puzzle’!
Some members were angry, but the
majority were patient and, with a little
2009
Compost Teas
The use of Compost Teas over the last year
and a half has been very promising. We are
now down to spraying fungicide once a year.
Any recovery from disease is very fast. I have
complete faith in its use as the results are
speaking for themselves. Our topdressing
amounts have reduced from sixty tonnes in
the first year, to eight tonnes this year.
Spiking of the greens is done every four to
six weeks, along with occasional sorrel
rolling, instead of every two weeks.
Compost Tea Brewer
We took delivery back in February of 2005.
The brewer comes with some pipe-work and
an air pump. It has a maximum capacity of
750 litres. There are two outlets from the
TEA TIME ON THE ISLAND ...
LAUCHLAN Millar has been Head
Greenkeeper at Hayling Island Golf Club for
the past three and a half years.
The 46 year old comes from a
large family of greenkeepers that
has produced eleven Head
Greenkeepers over the years,
which is now stretching into a
fourth generation.
Hayling Island is a Links course
off the south coast, with
magnificent views of the Solent
and the Isle of Wight beyond.
Lauchlan has been using Compost Tea
since 2007, spraying roughly every three
weeks from April until October as part of a
programme to increase the percentage of
fine fescue grasses in the greens. “The
results, so far, have been good” says
Lauchlan. “It has enabled us to quite
significantly reduce our fertiliser inputs
from 90kgs N in 2006 to 60kgs in 2007
and down to 30kgs in 2008.”
“We have found the brewing process to
be easy, especially after Roy Olden, our
mechanic, has built a special frame for the
brewer which utilises our lifting hoist.”
“Initially, we did have some problems
with filters and nozzles blocking up, but
have cured this by raiding my wife’s lingerie
The records showed around ten
applications of fungicide per
annum to fight off Fusarium - even
spraying in the month of June!
Glen Miles, Head Greenkeeper, Strawberry Hill Golf Club
Compost Tea Brewers
Put the life in your soil
The 9th green in 2005
bottom of the brewer - one is
for the compost tea (top outlet)
and the other is the left over
waste (bottom outlet). The
additional pipe-work fits to
either of the outlets to help
transfer the tea from the
brewer to the intended source
of application equipment. The
air pump hose connects to the
outside base of the brewer with
a connector and hose. When
switched on (with water in the
brewer) the pump delivers air
to the inside of the brewer via
small holes in the base. This
delivers air to the microbes in
which to grow.
The compost tea packs,
comprising compost, sugars,
humates, humic acids and
microbial foods, plus plant
extracts, are a separate cost.
Each 100 litre pack will be
sufficient to cover one hectare.
The compost tea extracts
bacteria, fungi, protozoa and
nematodes from the compost
within the brewer.
Brewing and Application
I first fill the brewer with 100
litres of mains water. I then
attach the air pump hose to the
brewer and switch it on.
Secondly, I leave the brewer for
1-1½ hours to dissipate any
chlorine that is found in the
mains water. After that, the
ingredients of the compost tea
pack are added. Finally, the
compost tea is brewed from 18
to 24 hours with the air pump
in continuous use.
After the brewing cycle, the
pump is switched off for ten
minutes to allow the compost
within the brewer to settle.
Then, to decant the tea, the
additional hose is fitted to the
top outlet. This can then be
taken out of the brewer and put
into a source of application
equipment.
Our method of application
is a truck mounted sprayer. I
generally fill the sprayer to the
designated mark and, again,
leave the water in the sprayer
for 1-1½ hours to dechlorinate
before I add the compost tea.
As microbes are sensitive to the
chlorine, it is the best practice.
To diversify each of my
brews, I vary the times of each
brew. I also add small amounts
of fungal food (humic acids seaweeds), either in the brew or
in the application equipment,
to help with the transition of
microbes to the greens.”
“Initially, we did have some problems
with filters and nozzles blocking up, but
have cured this by raiding my wife’s
lingerie draw!”
draw and ‘borrowing’ a pair of
tights which we use on the end
of the hose as a filter when the
brewed up tea is decanted into
the sprayer.”
“A little bit of forward
planning is needed as the tea
needs to brew for 18-20 hours,
but everything is mixed up by
8.00am on day one ready for
spraying at 6.00am the next
day.”
“The actual spraying process
is equally as simple thanks to
our shrouded spraying system
which is essential as Hayling,
being exposed, is a very windy
place.”
“Cleanliness is essential and,
after use, both the brewer and
sprayer are thoroughly cleaned
and sterilised.”
Dead rootzone
managed with
chemicals
Healthy rootzone
managed with
compost teas
Symbio supplies a complete range of Brewers,
composts, bacterial and fungal additives plus
technical support.
Prices start from just £157.50
Symbio 720 litre Bio Brewer
for up to 10 hectares treats
a complete golf course
Growing Solutions 40 litre
brewer ideal for bowling
greens and football pitches
Contact Symbio today to cut your chemical and
fertiliser costs and improve your grass.
Tel: 01428 685762
Email fineturf@symbio.co.uk
www.symbio.co.uk
John Richards enjoys
some fine Scottish
hospitality, a ‘to die for’
breakfast and finds out
about the latest product
from the Syngenta
stable, which is getting
rave reviews from
greenkeepers
FESCUE
RESCUE!
Y
ou have to make an effort to get to
St. Andrews. Tucked on the far
eastern coast of Fife, overlooking
St. Andrews Bay and the North Sea, it’s
quite a journey even for the native
Scots. There's no railway station (the
former goods yards are now the Old
Course Hotel and the former station
master’s house is a popular hostelry)
so, unless you have a helicopter to
hand, the only way in for most people
is by road.
This beautifully located town is golf ’s
mecca and, for lovers of the sport, its
isolation is part of the attraction. Like a
hole in one, nothing so good should be
too easy to obtain. However, once here,
the choice of courses is almost
limitless. In addition to the seven
making up the impressive St Andrews
Links Trust complex, there is a feast of
testing links courses strung along the
coastline.
During term time, students attending
the renowned university add to the
town’s numbers but, other than that,
you would question why anybody else
would bother visiting the place at all.
Well, actually, there are several very
good reasons, as the doorman at the
hotel where I was staying - a
splendidly attired gentlemen called
Davie Johnstone - was eager to point
out. For starters, he told me, there’s the
stunning scenery, plus the fresh air
(very bracing when the wind whips up),
the glorious walks, the unparalleled
hospitality of the locals and, of course,
the whisky.
In his immaculate tartan outfit, Davie
showed me Carnoustie on the other
side of the bay, the directions in which
Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and
Edinburgh lay, and spent some time
convincing me that a speedy return to
this haven was a must.
As it so happened, the reason for me
being in St Andrews was none of the
above, although it was golf connected.
Along with forty or so greenkeepers,
consultants and distributors, I had been
invited by Syngenta and Scotts UK to
the launch of a new product which,
according to rumours, was going to
revolutionise greenkeeping - a selective
herbicide capable of controlling rye
grass in fine turf swards.
Talk of this product has been doing
the golfing rounds for some time, and I
was one of the privileged few about to
find out whether it was fact or fiction.
After a not insignificant lunch, the
afternoon’s presentations began. The
scientists were first to the podium, and
we were given a detailed explanation of
how the product’s active ingredient,
pinoxaden, targets a specific enzyme in
the rye grass, stopping cell division.
During the trials, conducted by the
Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI),
the first visible effects are typically
seen within ten days and foliar die-back
usually complete within three to four
weeks. Apparently, because of their fine
leaf architecture, the uptake by fescue
grasses is very limited and they are
unaffected.
Well, that was all very impressive, as
theory generally is, but what about the
reality? Does it actually work out on the
course? The next presentations were
the ones we were really waiting for - the
greenkeepers who had used the product
in trials on their courses.
Duncan Kelso of Kings Hill and Dan
Lightfoot of Bearwood Lakes gave us
chapter and verse about their own
experiences. They both reported
favourable results on all areas - greens,
tees, fairways and roughs and, not only
were the trials on the courses showing
that ryegrasses were being killed off,
but the product was also effective on
other weed grasses such as Yorkshire
Fog and Purple Moor-grass.
It was beginning to sound more and
more like the answer to every
greenkeeper’s prayers. And the
endorsements from experienced
greenkeepers continued afterwards and
into the evening, including one from
Ray Day from Saunton who told me,
“After using it on one of our putting
greens in June last year, the results
were so good that the members insisted
I use it on all 18 greens of our East
Course. It was a brave step to take, and
I took the precaution of getting their
backing in writing, but the
results have justified the
decision.”
The following morning,
some of the party took up
the offer of a round of golf
on the Jubilee course, but
the rest of us had the
pleasure of a behind the
scenes tour of the St
Andrews Links Trust
complex. Teeming with
players and children using
the academy, we were
carefully guided around
them by Gordon Moir, the
Director of Greenkeeping,
who had also been
involved in the product
trials.
We saw the tested areas
followed by a look around
the greenkeeper
compounds and a walk
across some of the key
holes on the Old Course,
with ongoing commentary
from Gordon. It was a
privilege to see such a
beautifully maintained
facility, and we were all
agreed - the Hell bunker
on the 14th is aptly
named!
Sadly, my first ever visit
to St Andrews was over
but, before leaving the
hotel, I had a final eulogy
from Davie, who all but
got me to sign up there
and then for an Autumn
weekend break. I told him
there was another reason
he could add to his list to
encourage returnees - the
hotel’s Scottish breakfast a colossal offering to die
for, which included,
amongst everything else,
black pudding and haggis!
Oh, I nearly forgot to
mention that the product
in question is called
Rescue (because it
removes Ryegrass from
Fescue swards) and is now
generally available in the
UK. The overall consensus
was that the product does
exactly what it proclaims,
and gets rid of the
unwanted coarse grasses
on the course.
In layman’s terms, it
sorts out the weak from
the strong. If it had been
left up to me, I would have
called it Scottish breakfast
in a bottle!
Employer’s
Liability
Products
Liability
“
It’s about time we were recognised
as a group of professionals who
have nothing to do with agriculture.
We have been paying a fortune for
insurance which did not fit our
need. GroundCover is more
comprehensive and we could take
on an additional operator on the
money we have saved
Professional Equipment
Indemnity
‘All Risks’
Public
Liability
“
We’ve always had problems getting
insurance. There was only the NFU
who would cover us. Our premiums
were so high that, in the end, they
were our biggest single expense
after wages and fuel. GroundCover
gives us a complete package
including Professional Indemnity for
half the money!
”
”
www.groundcover.co.uk
Mike Seaton, Managing Director,
Weed Free
David Green, Managing Director,
Terrain Aeration
Or call 08456 434161
Does my business qualify?
You should qualify if your business activities fall within the following descriptions:
Grounds Managers, Groundsmen, Grounds Maintenance Managers, Greenkeepers and those involved in the
management of public and private playing fields, sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens, polo lawns,
tennis courts, parks, gardens, grounds and estates in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man
and the Channel Islands
Sports clubs, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, distributors and contractors in England, Wales, Scotland,
Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
49
SY NGE NTA TURF TECHNI CAL UPDAT E
A U TU M N 2 0 0 9
RESCUE gives clean and efficient
Ryegrass removal in fine turf
In brief:
RESCUE is an exciting new selective herbicide for
the control of Ryegrass infestations in turf
RESCUE removes weed Ryegrass and some
other coarse grass species, whilst leaving fine
turf species and Poa annua
Removal of coarse grass species will enhance
putting surface consistency on greens, improve
the visual appearance and playability
RESCUE has been tried and tested on all golf
course types and is approved for use on all
areas of the golf course
RESCUE can help rejuvenate fine turf surfaces
faster, more cost effectively and with longer lasting
results than conventional cultural control
How does RESCUE work?
RESCUE is an entirely new class of selective herbicide chemistry, developed
by Syngenta specifically for the golf market. RESCUE selectively kills Ryegrass,
whilst leaving fine turf grass species and Poa annua. Trials have shown RESCUE
can also control some other coarse weed grasses.
RESCUE is rapidly absorbed into the leaves of target weed species from a foliar
spray application. The active ingredient quickly moves systemically to reach
growing points and into the roots, stopping cell division and killing the plant.
Grass species susceptibility to RESCUE
Unaffected
Rough RESCUE
RESCUE has been successfully used to create
thinner, more manageable roughs. Removing thick,
clumpy Ryegrass improves playability and makes
ball location easier – helping to speed up play.
Removing unwanted Ryegrass can also enhance
the environmental value of ‘out of play’ rough, by
creating an open habitat where wildflowers can
thrive – creating ideal conditions for improving
biodiversity.
Moderately susceptible
Susceptible
Fescues
Poa annua
SSMG1
Browntop Bent*
Highland Bent
Perennial Ryegrass
Italian Ryegrass**
Purple Moor-grass**
Yorkshire Fog**
1 Smooth-stalked Meadow-grass
* Temporary yellowing of Colonial/Browntop Bentgrass noted in some trials, typically outgrown in 7–10 days
** Control noted in trials – no label recommendation
RESCUE application rates
For more practical information and advice, go to:
www.greencast.co.uk or www.greencast.ie
Golf course greens,
tees, fairways
and rough
Water volume
Nozzle type
Spring treatments
Apr – June
(maximum dose)
Autumn treatments
Sept – Nov
(maximum dose)
Maximum number
of treatments
1.0 –1.33 l/ha
1.0 l/ha
Two per annum
250–500 l/ha
Flat fan 02 or 04 producing a medium quality spray
RESCUE is rainfast in 1 to 2 hours
Do not tank mix RESCUE with any other products
Where can you add
BIODIV
Will Bowden,
Programme Manager
for Greenkeeping and
Sports Turf, Bridgwater
College (Cannington
Centre) says that
incorporating
biodiversity into golf
course design and
layout will significantly
improve the perception
of golf’s sustainability
meet specific criteria relating to their
impact on the surrounding environment.
Not least BIGGA, the GCSAA and the
EIGCA are all actively promoting the
sustainable creation and management of
golf facilities.
Good examples would be:
• Native plantings/areas: can be
incorporated as carries and natural
features around watercourses
Having been involved as an Ecological
Consultant on numerous golf
developments, the following is an
example of good practice in relation to a
new championship course in Northern
Europe.
The project’s aim was to create a
challenging, championship golf course in
an area of outstanding natural beauty.
A summary of the key points involved
in the planning stage were:
M
any golf courses have the
potential to incorporate anywhere
between fifty to sixty hectares of
non-playing ‘environmental’ areas into
their layout. This would equate to
between 25-45% of the average golf
course. So, there is significant potential
for golf to alter its perception of being an
intrusive and often unsustainable sector.
But, where can you add Biodiversity?
• To incorporate native and indigenous
wildlife and flora
• Enhance the beauty of the landscape
• Enhance the character of the landscape
• Enhance the challenge and playability
of the golf course
Obtrusive and high impact designs will
create there own problems:
• Monostands of turf grass species
• High inputs of chemicals and nutrients
In this example, biodiversity has been
added to a relatively new layout through
incorporating extensive native plantings
of heather on bunker faces and banks,
adding beauty and instant character:
• Walk on and walk off areas surrounding
tee complexes
• Out of play margins around the course
(corners of the course, buffer strips
alongside hedgerows)
• Areas around maintenance facilities
• Margins of existing hazards, e.g.
woodlands and water hazards
In recent years, organisations have
suggested that new golf establishments
52
Key Points to consider in planning phase
of design:
• Integrate wildlife in to plans
• Conduct full appraisal and survey of
baseline ecological data across existing
site
• Understanding the client’s needs and
how these can be achieved, but with
minimal negative impact
• Engage local communities and
government
A case study of biodiversity.
to sustain intensively manicured land
use
• Limited scope for native wildlife (buffer
zones, corridors, riparian habitats)
• Lack of character
• The golf course sits at odds with its
natural landscape
• Enhancement of nature conservation
value of existing agricultural and
commercial land
• Creation of diverse habitats - woodland,
wetland, grassland and heathland
• Retention of existing distinctive
landscape character
• Management priorities integrated with
design process
• Design and planning agreed by
dedicated team involving agronomist,
project manager, contractors, architect
and ecologist
The stages of planning and construction
were:
1. Enhancement of nature conservation
The design team had to study the
existing site, topography, slope and
natural elevation in relation to the
incorporation of a golf course. From the
outset, baseline data was gathered
highlighting existing flora and fauna
communities across the site. From this
point accurate planning could then take
place ensuring theses sensitive areas
would be avoided and, if necessary,
compensated for.
2. Creation of diverse habitats
Contingency plans were put in place to
replicate any compromised sensitive
habitat. Alternative areas were decided
upon to compensate for any localised
W
ERSITY
habitat loss. A full time environmental
manager was appointed at the
construction phase.
The project involved carving fairways
out of existing thick coniferous forest.
This was done, where possible, by hand
so as to minimise adverse disruption to
native wildlife and soil characteristics.
Also, at this time, the fairways were
created along the lines of forming manmade ‘glades’, effectively opening up the
forest to greatly enhance the diversity of
woodland floor fauna.
Old or dead trees were left in place to
remain as perching posts for raptors, and
as natural features to further enhance the
character of the course.
3. Retention of existing landscape and
character
The most was made of existing landscape
features such as valleys and hills.
Marshlands were worked around rather
than through. Large carries over sensitive
areas would create nature reserves that
also added instant character and
challenge to the golf course.
4. Future management integrated into
the design process
There was constant communication and
consultation between the design team,
project manager and course manager.
It was also important to liaise with local
wildlife and community organisations to
reduce ‘gossip’ and negative publicity.
All features and key points of the
design were created with the long-term
issues of maintenance and management
in mind. i.e. accessibility, turning, likely
future resources etc.
5. Design, planning and the
environment
The onsite environmental manager was
acting as a link between the developers,
project manager and architect.
Artist impressions and computer
generated visualisations were used at this
stage to predict future enhancements to
the landscape, and where further
enhancements could be made relating to
wildlife potential.
Ultimately, the project took two years
to complete. The overall impact of the
construction was largely limited to the
initial felling of trees. As soon as possible
into the project, sensitive areas were
protected and measures put in place to
actively enhance the biodiversity of the
original site.
Golf and the environment
Golf and the environment will remain a
sensitive issue. The negative impacts that
so many courses had on their
surrounding landscapes during the boom
period of the 1990s has left a visible and
psychological scar on the minds of many
local communities.
To minimise future adverse reaction,
architects and designers must consider
natural topography and soil
characteristics far more. Products and
materials need to be sourced locally and
their performance potential for our
changing climate carefully considered.
Imported soils should be kept to a
minimum as the sustainable management
of non-indigenous soils is questionable.
There will be a greater focus on
hydrological issues and any disruption to
ground water and/or over ground
riparian ways must be accounted for.
With the future of golf course
developments heavily limited by available
land, the key option will become the
recycling of land: landfill sites, urban
wasteland etc. are all areas that would
benefit from sensitive development.
The perception of what a classic golf
course is has changed. We have seen
designers take their influence from the
classic layouts of the ‘golden era’ in the
1930s. The challenge has become to
incorporate the golf course within the
landscape as opposed to impact upon it.
In effect to ‘show off ’ the natural beauty
of the environment.
Few countries I have visited exhibit
better examples of this philosophy than
New Zealand.
Famed for its outstanding natural
beauty, the perception of golf here is
different to that across much of Europe.
‘Country courses’ are dotted around the
rural landscape. These are designed and
maintained along minimalist lines and
thresholds, both in terms of playability
and agronomy, and are far more
accepting of imperfections than here in
many of the UK’s equivalent facilities.
The new course developments have seen
some of the world’s elite architects gain
inspiration from the beautiful
surroundings, and showcase these elements
through sensitive and dramatic designs:
Murawai Golf Club (top and middle
right) is incredibly natural and
unimposing on a beautiful and dramatic
landscape, and is a classic example of
sustainable golf.
It is a great example of how native
areas have been incorporated into the
design and course layout. These native
carries and framing of the course, with
indigenous bush species, add challenge
and beauty to the layout.
The spirit of the natural landscape is
being celebrated throughout many of the
golf courses in New Zealand, a concept
that should be developed worldwide.
Naturalised plantations connecting
intensively managed areas with natural
habitats are exemplified at courses such
as Sunningdale (below), where one of the
Worlds Top 50 courses is presented
amongst a framework of natural heath
land ecosystems and habitats.
Will Bowden is the Programme Manager for all
Sportsturf courses at Cannington College (Bridgwater).
CHE (previously HNC) and Foundation Degrees (HND)
in Golf and Sportsturf Management are offered.
53
Syngenta application specialist,
Tom Robinson, reports on the
company’s application research
that has identified distinct nozzles
that could help turf sprayer
operators hit the target more
effectively. Ensuring more product
gets to the intended spot will
achieve the best possible results
and help to minimise waste
DRIFT AWAY...
New nozzle developments get
sprays on target!
Syngenta trials, undertaken within minutes of
each other, have shown how innovative
nozzles, that incorporate a tiny drop of air into
each spray droplet, can significantly reduce
drift (main image) and potentially give a far
greater window of spraying opportunities,
compared to conventional flat fans (right)
A
s the final point of delivery, the
choice of nozzle ultimately dictates
spray coverage on the leaf and,
most importantly, spray retention on the
intended target. Operators can use their
choice of nozzle to tailor droplet size to
the turf structure and the spray target.
The choice really depends on the
target for the spray. For foliar
applications, where the intention is to
hold as much of the spray on the leaf as
possible, small droplets provide a greater
leaf coverage for any given spray volume
and are generally retained well on the
leaf surface. When the droplet size is
halved, the number of drops produced
goes up by a factor of eight, and the
coverage of the leaf may be up to four
times greater.
However, the problem for operators is
that fine droplets are more difficult to
control and more likely to result in drift –
which is bad news for environmental loss
and, if the product never reaches the
intended target, reduces the efficacy of
results.
The challenge for turf spray operators
is made more difficult since dense turf is
a very flat, uniform surface with little
internal air movement, which makes it
hard to get spray to hit the leaves. Fine
droplets just hover above the surface in a
boundary layer of air; if there is any wind
they can drift off. Spraying on a still
summer evening, when there may also be
upward thermal currents from the warm
soil, can result in fine droplets being
lifted up and carried off - which is
another reason why spraying early in the
54
morning is often preferred.
If you are spraying longer, more open
turf - such as fairways and areas of rough
around the golf course or some amenity
situations - then the grass canopy can
create its own vortex, which effectively
sucks down the spray droplets and
improves leaf coverage.
Turbulence generated by the sprayer
itself is also generally bad news. If you
double the forward speed, the turbulence
is increased by a factor of four, which
may make it harder for small droplets to
break out of the air flow and land on the
target. It is a factor to consider when
moving to faster forward speeds.
The logical solution would appear to
be a move to larger flat fan nozzles, such
as an 05 or 06 - which are commonly
used in turf applications to achieve water
volumes of 400 to 600 litres per hectare.
However, larger droplets from flat fan
nozzles tend to overwet the leaf on
impact and lead to high levels of run-off,
which is counter-productive when trying
to hold foliar applications on the leaf.
The higher velocity of larger droplets
can cause them to physically bounce off
the target. Also, all flat fan nozzles create
a spectrum of droplet sizes, so even a
large orifice nozzle will produce some
small droplets subject to drift and loss.
During Syngenta research trials we
have identified the benefit of innovative
nozzles that incorporate tiny air bubbles
within each droplet. The droplets are
larger than the equivalent conventional
flat fan spray pattern - helping to
overcome issues of drift - but land more
gently on the leaf and spread to give
good coverage, rather than bouncing off.
Further research is seeking to develop
a nozzle that consistently creates the
maximum number of droplets in the
ideal size spectrum that are small enough
to optimise turf leaf retention, yet
overcome many issues of drift that may
enable safe application in a wider
window of conditions.
This research will also enable us to
provide full recommendations for the
situations where they can be used most
effectively for Primo MAXX growth
regulator and foliar fungicide treatments.
Furthermore, our trials and discussions
with greenkeepers have identified the
need for a nozzle that can achieve better
spray penetration of the turf when
operators are looking to target disease
pathogens at the soil surface, such as
Heritage for Take All or Fairy Ring.
Currently, most operators resort to
very high water volumes to literally wash
treatments through the turf. However, a
completely new high velocity turf nozzle
has shown promise in development and
testing trials to achieve the same
penetration and more effective results at
significantly lower water volumes –
making the whole process faster and
more timely. Most importantly, it is
physically getting the product to where it
is required for the best results. It is also
believed these nozzles could prove the
ideal choice for wetting agents.
Water volume
From trials undertaken by Syngenta and
STRI we know that foliar fungicides can
perform equally well, if not better, when
applied at a water volume of 200 l/ha,
compared to 600 or 800 l/ha traditionally
used in some situations.
One further benefit of reducing water
volume is that it saves time and you can
get around the area to be treated quicker,
thus minimising disruption to players. If
you could do all your greens or sports
playing fields on one tank fill, for
example, that might save an hour and
enable you to finish before the course
gets busy or pitches are required for
training.
Faster application also means products
can be applied closer to the optimum
time, ensuring you can achieve the best
possible results. Trials have shown the
ideal time for most fungicide
applications is after there has been a
high risk of disease pathogens landing
on the leaf, but before spores have
germinated and penetrated the surface
to cause any damage. The Greencast
forecasting system gives valuable
guidance of risk, but you may only have
a few hours to act, so timeliness of
application is important.
To facilitate a move to lower water
volumes, all new Syngenta fungicides are
being trialed to demonstrate efficacy at a
range of water volumes as part of their
registration process; new Headway is
approved for application at water volume
as low as 250 l/ha and the Heritage label
has been updated with recommendation
for application down to 125 l/ha, for
example.
However, you do need to remember
that until new nozzle developments are
proven and available, for fungicide
applications aimed at soil level
pathogens, such as Take All or Fairy
Ring, water volumes do need to be kept
up to get good spray penetration to the
target.
Tom Robinson
Key points for nozzle selection:
• Change nozzles to match spray target
and conditions
• Air induction nozzles can reduce risk
of spray drift
• Leaf coverage is important for contact
foliar fungicides
• High velocity nozzles can increase
penetration through dense turf
• Reduced water volume can improve
timeliness of applications
Tom Robinson is the Syngenta Spray
Application Specialist. Further results and
information on the nozzle developments, along
with a range of other spray application advice,
can be found on the GreenCast web site
Application Zone: www.greencast.co.uk
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or call 01522 868714 to contact your regional advisor.
55
UNDER
ATTACK...
Severe root knot
nematode galling
in perennial
ryegrass turf
Enhancing the performance of
turfgrass under nematode attack.
By Dr Colin Fleming, The Agri-Food and
Biosciences Institute, Belfast, UK
N
ematode-induced root damage can
cause a range of problems in affected
sportsturf. Experience has shown that
the severity of many of the common turf
symptoms can be alleviated by applying
biostimulants, but how do these materials
act on plants to improve their physiology and
growth?
Extracts of the brown seaweed
Ascophyllum nodosum seem particularly
effective in reducing nematode damage.
Most of the symptoms produced by
nematodes can be traced back to the
changes and damage they cause in the plant
roots (main image). Consequently, any
technique which will induce the production of
new (uninfected) plant roots will aid the turf
in coping with nematode attack.
Work in our laboratory has confirmed that
seaweed extracts can stimulate new root
production in nematode affected turfgrass.
This new root can immediately reduce the
affects of the nematode damage and, often,
improvement in turf condition occurs within
a few days.
There are also lots of scientific data
showing that plant growth can be improved
by seaweed extracts in other cases of
biological induced stress (e.g. fungal
infection) or when abiotic stresses (e.g. high
salinity) act on plants.
Much of the information on the mode of
action of biostimulants comes from
experiments using a small plant, Arabidopsis
thaliana. This plant is widely used to
investigate plant physiology and genetics
and, like turfgrass, it responds well to
applications of seaweed extract.
Scientists at the Nova Scotia Agricultural
College in Canada showed recently that the
growth of Arabidopsis experiencing high salt
stress could be significantly improved by
treatment with Ascophyllum nodosum
extracts (Figure 1).
Perhaps the most significant aspect of this
work was that the scientists were able to
monitor the effects of the seaweed extracts
on Arabidopsis plant metabolism. They found
that, only twenty-four hours after seaweed
application, the activity of 184 Arabidopsis
genes had increased and, within five days,
over 250 plant genes were responding
positively to the biostimulant.
Detailed analysis of the affected genes
showed that some were involved in plant
responses to stress. These changes observed
within the plant indicate that biostimulants
can affect plant performance by modifying
their most fundamental processes i.e. gene
function.
Genes influence all aspects of plant
biology, ranging from their growth and
reproduction to defence against pests and
pathogens. An ability to modify gene activity
using biostimulants may provide an
extremely powerful method to manipulate
turfgrass performance. However seaweed
extracts are complex mixtures of chemicals
and a lot of work will be required to identify
exactly which chemicals affect specific plant
genes.
A second area of research, which is
producing promising results, concerns a
bacterial protein known as Harpin which is
being marketed as a biopesticide with
significant biostimulatory properties.
Harpin protein is produced by Erwinia, a
bacterial plant pathogen which causes the
fireblight disease in apples and pears. When
Harpin is applied to a plant leaf it binds to
plant cell receptors, initiating a series of
complex signalling pathways in the cells
Figure 1: Effect of Ascophyllum nodosum extracts on
growth of Arabidopsis experiencing high salt stress
which culminate in changes in gene activity.
While most pesticides act directly on the
target pest, Harpin, elicits a natural defense
mechanism in the plant (analogous to a
broad spectrum immune response in
animals) making it resistant to a wide range
of fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases. The
changes in gene activity also stimulate
aspects of plant growth including nutrient
uptake, photosynthesis, reproduction and
general plant vigour.
Research data from the USA has
demonstrated that Harpin also reduces the
effects of both endoparasitic and
ectoparasitic nematode attack in a wide
range of agricultural crops. This led to the
realisation that Harpin may also provide a
means to manage nematode damage in
turfgrass. Trials in North America using
Harpin have shown that bermuda grass turf
infected with sting nematodes responded
with improvements in leaf colour, root growth
and, most significantly, a reduction in
nematode levels.
Recent work in our laboratory has
confirmed that the plant biostimulatory
effects of Harpin protein on turfgrass can be
as significant as those induced by
Ascophyllum nodosum extracts (Figure 2).
Currently our research is attempting to
determine if Harpin protein application to
turfgrass can also reduce the levels of the
most important European turfgrass
nematodes.
As increasing numbers of plant protection
products are withdrawn from use in Europe,
it seems that biostimulants may help fill the
gap by delivering a range of novel and
effective pest and disease management
tools for turf production.
Figure 2: Effect of Ascophyllum nodosum extract and Harpin
protein on root growth of perennial ryegrass turf
Influenced by you, built by us...
Ransomes HR 3300T
With a heritage stretching back for
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www.ransomesjacobsen.com
Code: PC/08/09/HR3300T
Driving Environmental Performance
Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd is the first grounds care equipment manufacturer certificated to all three Management Systems - ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001
What’s in
THE BAG?
British Seed Houses’ Simon Taylor gives the
lowdown on brand awareness, quality cultivars
and unscrupulous seed suppliers
I
n your everyday life you would know
if you ordered a VW Golf GTI and
were delivered a Hyundai Getz that’s not only brand recognition, but
an understanding about quality and
how it varies between manufacturers. If
this happened to you, you’d complain and
send it back and make sure you were
supplied what you ordered.
If this is so, why, in our working lives,
do we accept products which do not live
up to the original description? Like, for
example, when you purchase an amenity
grass seed mixture. Do you really know, or
check, that you are being delivered what
you ordered?
In the car analogy, you pick the brand
depending on the level of quality and
overall value for money you want. You
then have to take it on face value that the
car will be built with the right engine,
gearbox and additional gizmos, and that
it will perform as expected.
It’s very much the same when choosing
grass seed mixtures - all down to the
quality of the components, or cultivars.
We all know that seed breeders and
seed companies go to great lengths to
produce new cultivars which bring end
users improved performance. Much is
available from the various suppliers about
the quality of their seed, enough for
anybody to make an informed decision
about the company one would want to do
business with.
But, is it so well known that each new
cultivar takes 15-20 years from its
conception to being commercially
available?
Then, there are the impartial trials and
comparison against other cultivars that
are independently conducted by the
STRI, and the compulsory EU registration
and listing on the European Common
Catalogue before they are able to be used
legally. Without all that you wouldn’t be
able to be sure about the performance of
the final mixture.
So, why would anybody consider a
variety that didn’t appear in the European
Common Catalogue or had been
independently tested by the STRI? In
truth, they probably won’t by choice, but
they could do so by default.
Seed suppliers construct their mixtures
well in advance of a growing season.
They carefully select the cultivars available
to them, matching them up to the
application in mind. They then hope that
the harvest will live up to the likely
demand - if it doesn’t, they make sure that
any cultivar substitution is of a similar
type and quality to the original choice.
Only this way can the groundsman or
greenkeeper be assured that what he
ordered will give him the desired end
result. However, not all seed suppliers are
that scrupulous.
This need to substitute on the grounds
of short supply of the chosen cultivar is
not uncommon, but it has also been
known for substitutions to be made
because of price. Those unscrupulous
seed suppliers alluded to would not blink
at sliding in the odd ‘American’ cultivar much cheaper, even though they don’t
meet up to the standards required for the
UK market.
Some might say that a UK standard
isn’t everything but, how can anybody be
sure that a grass bred for North American
conditions will perform well in a
completely different climatic setting?
That’s when the STRI testing and the
European Common Catalogue come to
the fore, giving the data needed to make
an informed decision.
So, you’ve done your homework and
settled on the mixture, now all you have
to do is make sure it’s supplied with the
right cultivars.
Firstly, take a good look at the bag; does
it carry an official ‘Green’ Department of
Environment, Farming & Rural Affairs
(DEFRA) label? With food labelling, you
expect your breakfast cereal box to list
what it contains - it’s the same for grass
seed mixture. The content must be listed
by cultivar, species kind and percentage
breakdown. If the label doesn't list the
cultivars you were expecting, consult the
STRI listings to see if the substitutions
appear in their tables. And, if they do, are
they as good as the originals? If they
don’t, it’s quite likely that the mixture will
not give you the results required and you
should reject the delivery.
DEFRA licensed seed testing stations,
like the one at British Seed Houses Ltd.,
can be audited at any moment in time to
verify that what is described on the
mixture label, is actually what is going in
the bag. Unfortunately, DEFRA do not
have the resources to police everyone and
a less scrupulous business may not always
provide you with what they say they are,
but you can overcome that by considering
the supplier in the first place in much the
same way as you would when choosing
that car!
Some seed suppliers go further.
Although not a legal requirement, all
seeds at BSH are tested every six months
to ensure their viability. The company
states its aim as bringing continual
improvement for turfcare professionals,
and, to that end, its Grade ‘A’ mixture
ranges only use the very latest cultivars
available.
In addition to using good cultivars,
mechanical purity and germination are
just as important, which mean the turfcare
professional can be confident of its
performance for a given application.
With food labelling, you expect your
breakfast cereal box to list what it contains
- it’s the same for grass seed mixture
T
he route into groundsmanship is
one that seems to seldom stray from
a well-trodden path. Many of today’s
grounds managers entered the
profession as young jobbing apprentices
keen to learn and move on up.
The storyline differs somewhat in the
case of Andy Mackay, enjoying his first
full season as Head Groundsman at
Sussex County Cricket Club. Following
an unorthodox path, the 31-year-old
Lancastrian read archaeology and
ancient history at Lampeter University
in Wales before switching to a career in
groundsmanship, a pursuit he had
always been passionate about.
Twelve months into his post at Hove,
Andy is staring across the outfield at a
uniformly brown surface, burnt bone
dry by the unrelentingly fierce June and
July sun beating down on the seaside
ground.
“I wish I could show you it in a
different state,” he says rather
sorrowfully, “but we have no irrigation
system here yet, and it has only rained
twice in the last six weeks. The ground
looked a treat a couple of months ago
though.”
Andy wasted little time combining his
passion with academic studies completing his A levels while holding a
part-time post at Lytham Cricket Club,
in Lancashire, where he worked for four
years. In that time he graduated from
Lampeter, before going on to gain an
HND qualification in turf science and
golf course management from
Myerscough College in Preston while
spending a further six years at St. Annes
Cricket Club, and also three years at
Blackpool Cricket Club, before moving,
with his family, to Sussex as assistant
head groundsman.
Admitting to being “obsessed with the
22-yd strip in the middle of the
ground”, Andy has clearly built on his
scientific grounding gained at
Myerscough to introduce some new
thinking and logic into the Hove ground
at what is a critical time in the life of the
140-year-old site.
Constrained by housing, Hove has
little room to manoeuvre physically,
despite the rising fortunes of the club in
the top echelons of cricket. In 2003, it
won the first county championship in its
history, going on to win further titles in
2006 and 2007.
The recent success has laid the
foundations for an action plan to
improve ground facilities and turf
conditions in, what will prove to be,
nothing less than a transformation.
Renowned for its ‘low and slow’ wickets,
the square, also in its 140th year, is to be
replaced progressively in a 5/6-year
programme of excavation and relaying
as part of an overall multi-million pound
redevelopment that will also see an
increase in seating capacity, catering
facilities, improved turfcare amenities
and new irrigation system.
Andy relishes the prospect of leading
his team into a refurbishment that, he
believes, will give Sussex some of the
best wickets in the country.
A good grounding in the science
BRIGHT and
MACKAY...
Moves are afoot to transform Sussex County Cricket Club’s playing
surface at Hove into one fit for the country’s most successful side of
the last decade. Tom James meets Head Groundsman Andy Mackay,
the man mixing science, sense and passion to give it his best shot
behind what he does will stand him in
good stead, he believes, as will
possessing an avid interest in studying
turf from a cricket perspective.
“I find the peculiarities of the wicket
fascinating. After all, it’s what we all
strive to get right,” Andy insists.
Pressure of fixtures is increasingly
proving a headache for him and his
team. “We have fifteen wickets in total
here, ten of which are to first-class
standard. The weight of fixtures means
we’ve used every one of them so far,
putting major pressure on the main
square, which is showing its age under
the strain.”
With Sussex being one the ‘driest’
county clubs in the country, keeping a
healthy green surface throughout the
year is a task nigh on impossible to
achieve, Andy adds, but he remains in
bullish mood.
“There is no real solution to our
problem. We just have to make it work as
best we can and pump water on to it
when we have the opportunity. Our
shallow profile means the square
naturally dries out quickly.”
“We struggle to produce wickets with
any pace in them here at Hove, although
remedial measures last autumn have
meant a slight improvement this
season.”
“This is based on the condition of the
surface at Hove, which has a serious soil
fracture - a deterioration typical of older
cricket squares, in this instance caused
by an incompatibility of loams. The soil
fracture - at 25-30mm deep - is the
optimum level for ruining a wicket and
the reason why our square has a low
bounce and a lack of pace,” he adds. “In
addition, on some wickets, there is an
11-12% organic content in the soil that
has built up over time. This square is
probably similar to most other First
Class squares as they were back in the
eighties and early nineties but, while
other counties relaid their squares back
then, our square was actually playing
well at that time.”
“It’s time we relaid the square. The
received wisdom says it needs relaying
after 25 to 30 years. Ours is 140 years
old. So, starting in September, we'll be
excavating two wickets at a time under a
plan to replace them all over a 5-6 year
period. Although I’d love not to have to
renew the whole square, I’d rather
someone shoot me down for trying and
failing than for not trying at all,” he
states in typically forthright fashion.
Andy explains the process to be
undertaken. “We will use a Stihl saw to
cut down the side of each wicket to give
a good line, and a digger is then brought
in to excavate to the required level. We’ll
be looking to lay no more than 125mm
of cricket loam. This is laid at two
inches at a time - we’ll use a Surrey
GOSTD mix similar to the 125 - we’ll
heel in well, rake over the surface and
then add the next layer.”
“Although several alternatives exist
when replacing wickets, we ultimately
want a solid base. The results of testing
on our sub soil will be back from the
STRI any day now, but it is likely that
“Preparing a wicket isn’t the real skill - it’s all the work that
leads up to it that’s the true test of a groundsman’s worth”
we will want to incorporate some sort of
imported base material. Although gravel
is a possible option, the main drawback
found with a gravel base is that, without a
very deep construction, in hotter weather
the wickets can dry out far quicker, and
lead to settlement and cracking problems
since it effectively severs the wicket from
the water table. Other grounds on the
south coast that have followed a similar
route have come across comparable
problems.”
“We want to achieve the characteristics
of a solid base without any of the
problems that come with it. Having
capillary movement of water is crucial and
I am toying with the possibility of
installing a blinding type layer/gritty sand
to create a solid base, but allowing
moisture movement upwards. This is one
possibility anyway.”
“After relaying, wickets can take from
two to six years to settle and become
established, with time needed to achieve a
good bulk density.”
Andy believes the relaying programme
will give Hove a real opportunity to have
the best wickets in the country. “We don’t
want to be known as a club who can only
achieve average wickets. The work will
hopefully show its benefits over the next
six years, giving us the standards the club
deserves.”
“Preparing a wicket isn’t the real skill it’s all the work that leads up to it that’s
the true test of a groundsman’s worth,
ensuring the bones of what you work with
are good.”
Sussex CCC have regular fixtures in the
four domestic competitions: the LV
County Championships, the Twenty20
league, the Natwest Pro40 and the Friends
Provident Trophy, as well as the odd
tourist match, Second XI and community
games, giving the season an increasingly
cramped make-up and groundstaff less
time to keep the square in the condition
that Andy wants.
That can only worsen with the advent of
the English Premier League next year, he
believes. “Short gaps between fixtures can
give us a real headache,” he declares. “In
the hot sun the grass can’t be kept alive
long enough for it to establish properly
after reseeding. Right now we have a
twelve day gap which we will take full
advantage of by reseeding, which should
take seven or eight days, with
establishment ideally by the twelfth day.”
Andy’s choice is 100% ryegrass Barenbrug Bar extreme mix finding that it produces
“particularly fine turf, alongside a
BarGold cultivar, which establishes
well in the South-east”, he
explains.
But finding the right
seed mix is not always
straightforward. “Many
clubs are a little in the dark, as
conclusive results showing what
works best for what soil type have still
to be found,” he says. Some believe
the recent ECB funded STRI tests,
conducted on a Yorkshire
hillside over a two-year
period, failed to bring
about results
representative of
clubs in the south,
but, he argues. “At
present, like
many other
groundsmen, I’m
doing my best
with what
information I
have. I still feel
“I’d rather someone shoot me
down for trying and failing
than for not trying at all,”
62
that the STRI 2003 grass trials should
have been used to give us a good set of
data, but they seem to have been criticised
into non-existence rather than being the
stepping stone for some really meaningful
follow up work.”
Rolling is an issue at the heart of his
concerns, and Andy believes that the ECB
recommendations on the most
appropriate machines to use have failed
to be as decisive as he would have wished.
“I would have liked to have seen the
Cranfield recommendations going a little
further in order to actually effect change
in the industry and in the
manufacture of traditional
rollers, particularly in
regard to larger drum
diameter and heavier
roller
weight.” The
recent
acquisition of
a Benford Terex
TV1200 is proof
of his commitment to
that belief. “It’s not yet
ideal, but it is as close
as I can currently
get to
what I
see
as ideal - it’s a step in the
right direction.”
Helping Andy bring the
long-term plans to fruition at
Hove is a team of six staff.
Others work elsewhere for
the club, including the Allfield
Academy ground.
Three apprentices began
work at the end of June, two
19-year-olds and a 27-year-old
career-changer, further proof
of Andy’s commitment to
people power for the good of
the ground.
“Our team is really well
looked after,” says Andy. “We
ensure their hours aren’t
ridiculous as they often have
been in the past. We find it’s
important to rotate staff,
allowing the legal requirement
of an 11-hour break between
shifts. This helps to improve
productivity and give the men
more time off - a win-win
situation.”
With working hours rising
to eighty a week in some
instances in the industry, Andy
is keen to try to ensure his
staff don’t go beyond sixty. He
says that, ideally, he would like
to advocate a system that
many view as a hindrance not
a help - the EU’s working
hours directive.
“There is a huge amount of
implied pressure in the
industry to work reckless
hours. Life and work suffers as
a result, so I would like to see
concrete measures introduced
to make sure working hours
are regulated,” he says. “I
remain utterly convinced that
people could work less yet
achieve more.”
As a man intent on catering
for the wellbeing of his
working team, it is little
surprise to discover that
health and safety ranks high
on Andy’s agenda. “We take it
seriously and have made a
real effort to improve matters
in recent years, providing all
the necessary clothing,
footwear, ear defenders and
sun protection cream across a
range of SPF levels,” he
explains.
“Ultimately, the point of it
is to help us work safely, not
to hinder us working, and is
about a commonsense
approach and being as
professional as we can be. We
make sure we not only do
what is legally needed, but
also what is right to do as a
caring employer.”
Matching the club’s
commitment to its groundstaff
is the financial one that will
enable a major redevelopment
of facilities over the next few
years, aimed at retaining
Hove’s intimate feel, while
improving the square and
63
outfield to a standard that, Andy believes,
will rival that of any county side.
The redevelopment has proved possible
thanks to a £10m bequest by local
business tycoon and cricket lover, Spen
Cama, on his death in 2001.
He also bequeathed a similar sum to
Preston Nomads cricket club, which is
linked to Sussex CCC and is based at
Fulking at the foot of the Sussex Downs.
Carrying on Cama’s charitable spirit,
the Nomads have invested in ground
facilities and have set up a trust in their
past president’s honour, enabling other
clubs to apply for funding for ground
improvements.
The Sussex CCC bequest will fund an
expansion of seating capacity at Hove
from 7,000 to 10,000, Andy explains, with
installation of a £60,000 pop-up irrigation
system scheduled within the next two
years.
Phase one of the redevelopment begins
in September under a £400,000
commitment to turfcare facilities and
catering, Andy adds. New machinery
sheds, tearoom, wash bays for grounds
machinery and a wastewater recycling
facility are all planned.
The windfall will allow Sussex to
complete the work needed to bring
ground facilities and the square up to the
levels the members deserve, Andy
explains. Yet, for many category C
grounds, funds are increasingly tight and
a groundswell of opinion among
groundsmen favours a move by the
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
to fund improvements of the outfield at
such grounds.
“The Board needs to consider helping
out the lower category sides financially, in
the same spirit in which the category A
and B have been helped,” Andy
maintains. “If not, there’s a danger that a
gulf will open up between category A and
B clubs and others like us. The ECB may
make deferential payments but this is still
64
to be decided,” he adds “and, in any case,
there are no assurances that the money
will be spent on the improvement of fine
turf.”
“I understand that there is only so
much money in the pot, and that the
intention was to improve facilities for the
National side, however, when we get down
to the nitty gritty of the domestic
competitions, it feels like we’ve been left
out.”
Cricket grounds may soon benefit from
investing in so-called ‘grow lights’ after
witnessing their success in football and
tennis. Clubs have experimented with
them to help dry out grounds after heavy
rainfall. But, again, Andy fears that it will
be category C clubs that could miss out
because only the wealthier ones will be
able to afford them. “I would like to see
them being used to also aid turf growth,
yet I doubt this will happen anytime
soon,” he states, “and I worry that, if the
ECB ever go down the route of funding
the lights at the category A and B clubs,
then it will further widen the void
between them and the category C clubs –
presumably giving those grounds an
unfair advantage in the domestic game.”
The Hove floodlights are due to be
upgraded before the 2010 season rolls
into action. “The eight floodlights
currently installed are no longer
considered bright enough, so it is vital to
upgrade them prior to the launch of the
English Premier League next year.”
Sussex, always pro-active, was the first
club in the northern hemisphere to install
floodlights, so it’s only natural that they
would be among those to date first.
The current 750 lux floods will give way
to 2000 lux stanchions delivering “almost
daylight levels of illumination” Andy
notes. “The eight current lights, two
positioned at each corner of the ground,
run on a generator and can be
unreliable.”
“We’ve had problems with the
generators this year against Kent and
Surrey. For the Surrey game we actually
had a backup generator on site and so it
only caused us minor delays,” he adds.
The new lights will run on mains
electricity so should remove that worry.”
The quality of turfcare at Hove has
brought praise from the Australians, when
Sussex played host to the tourists recently
- particularly the practice nets, now being
hailed as some of the finest in the country.
“Every team that comes here has made
a point of complimenting us on their
quality,” Andy states proudly. “After the
end of the season last year the club
allowed me to invest both money and
time in them and the results are showing.”
But, it hasn’t all been plain sailing.
“The practice square, with thirteen strips,
was relaid three years ago at dead level,”
explains Andy. “There was nowhere for
the water to drain so, when it rained,
puddles would lie everywhere. We
addressed the problems last year with the
use of a Koro Field Topmaker and
managed to put a slope on the surface.
We also completely reconstructed the run
ups.”
The major investment planned for
Hove, coupled with the intelligence,
courage and commitment of Andy and his
team, has spelt an end to an era of underinvestment in ground conditions that,
Andy believes, had continued for far too
long.
“What has been most evident to me
since I came here is that a ‘make do and
mend’ approach just isn’t good enough
and doesn’t do us any favours in the long
term.
“After a number of years of this
approach - with all good intentions - the
square has reached the stage where we
need to start again from scratch.”
With it, a new age of enlightenment will
dawn to end an eon of ‘low and slow’
wickets at the country’s most successful
county side of recent years.
TWENTYQuestions
Andy Mackay - flogging for non pooper scoopers, tax
free earnings for groundsmen ... AM for PM?
Who are you? Andy Mackay, Head
Groundsman at Sussex County Cricket Club.
Family status? Married to beautiful wife, Sarah
with an eight month old daughter, Amelia.
Who’s your hero and why? That bloke with
the shopping bags who stood up to the tanks in
Tiananmen square - because he had more
courage than I ever could, plus I think he just
snapped, and you have to give the guy credit for
having such a bad temper.
What is your dream holiday? A repeat of my
honeymoon in the Maldives - wouldn’t change a
thing.
What annoys you the most? People who
won’t accept responsibility for their actions and
look to blame others.
What would you change about yourself? I’d
like to lose some weight. Well, quite a lot
actually!
Who wouldn’t you like to be? That bloke with
the shopping bags who stood up to the tanks in
Tiananmen square.
Favourite record, and why? The Pearlfishers
Duet (Bizet). Just because.
Who would you choose to spend a romantic
evening with? My wife.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing
you would do? Faint. Then go on holiday while
I worked out how we were going to divvy out the
cash.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be and
why? A lyre - get it?
What’s the best advice you have ever been
given? Never eat anything bigger than your
head.
What’s your favourite smell? My baby
daughter.
What do you do in your spare time? I don’t
have any spare time anymore but, when I’m not
at work, I’m busy being a dad and helping out
at home. If I ever get any spare time I will go
fishing - preferably in the Lake District.
What’s the daftest work related question
you have ever been asked? Well, we use the
Met Office rainfall radar on the internet to keep
an eye on the weather and, due to us
mentioning that we’d ‘checked the radar’ when
people asked about the likelihood of rain etc.,
they began to believe that we actually had
some sort of big radar equipment in the shed.
Someone once asked me if it had cost a lot of
money!
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Our new
Jacobsen SLF 1880 fairway mower with
groomers. Greens quality cut for the outfield shame we have no irrigation and it is currently
straw coloured, but you can’t have everything. I
also love the Lloyds Paladin because it is easy
to mend, easy to adjust the height while out on
the square, they go forever and they give a
brilliant cut.
The company that has been instrumental in the development
and improvement of the facilities at Sussex CCC, at both
Hove and the Academy ground at Broadstone, as well as a
the major changes at the Preston Nomads ground at Fulking,
is Keighley based JMS Cricket.
Spen Cama’s generous legacy to both the county and his local
club provided the funds to introduce major improvements
and for much of this work on the grounds and practice areas
they relied on the expertise of Jonathan Smith of JMS Cricket.
Managing Director Jonathan Smith has been a groundsman at
international venues for cricket, rugby and football and the
company has an on-going working relationship with most of
the groundsmen of the County Cricket Clubs. This provides
constant feedback to enable the company to develop and
refine products that make use of the latest hi-tech materials
for greater efficiency and to make them quicker and easier to
deploy.
At Hove JMS worked closely with the Head Groundsman to
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? That would be horrible if I
did that, wouldn’t it?
What talent would you like to have? I’d love
to have a world class singing voice in order to
make my morning showers more entertaining.
What makes you angry? People blaming the
wicket for their own/team’s poor performance.
What law/legislation would you like to see
introduced? 1) Time in the stocks for those
who don’t pick up after their dogs. This should
be increased to public flogging for those who let
their dogs foul on playing fields, playgrounds or
sports grounds. 2) I’d like to see us embrace the
European Working Time Directives. 3) Tax free
earnings for groundsmen!
develop an artificial net area that would replicate the
performance they are hoping to achieve on the natural turf
wickets. Mobile covers, traditional semi-translucent sheets
and the JMS Pitch Protector have also been purchased, as
well as JMS’s unique framework around the net area. The
Academy also use JMS covers, sheets and sightscreens at
their Broadstone ground.
Problems with the new square at Preston Nomads eventually
led to JMS consulting, specifying and overseeing the complete
re-build of the main square. They also supplied the covers,
sheets, screens and artificial areas to guarantee that the
quality of the cricket facilities matched the stunning natural
beauty of one of the most delightful grounds in the country.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Sussex CCC on
these projects and we are confident that their professional
approach to the undertaking of these initiatives will continue
to produce the first class results they deserve”, comments
Jonathan Smith, MD of JMS Cricket.
Web site: www.jmscricket.com Tel: 01535 604777
65
CLUB CRICKET
Our feature on
volunteer cricket
groundsmen begins
with Hagley Cricket
Club, possibly the most
beautiful setting for a
cricket ground in
England
HAGLEY HALL
you need is love
T
here’s no other word to describe the
cricket ground at Hagley Hall, in
Worcestershire, other than ‘beautiful’.
The history of the Hall, the cricket club
and its friendly, yet competitive nature,
was enough for Sky Sports to include it as
one of three clubs in their ‘Club Life’
series during this summer’s Ashes
contest.
This year Hagley Cricket Club
celebrates its 175th Anniversary, making
it one of the oldest clubs in the country.
The Lyttleton family, who have resided in
the Hall for the past 500 years, were the
driving force behind the club and still
play an important part today.
The club was formed in 1834, two years
before the first county cricket club. It was
66
the year in which Britain had three Prime
Ministers (Grey, Melbourne and Peel), the
Tolpuddle Martyrs were deported and the
trades union movement was effectively
created in Dorchester. Westminster Bank,
Harrods and Rimmel were founded and
Charles Darwin sailed around the world
in HMS Beagle. Queen Victoria ascended
to the throne three years later!
No local records exist from the early
period but, at the time, the side would
have been made up by members of the
Lyttleton family, household staff and
other local dignitaries. Large country
houses would play games against other
houses or travelling professional sides,
and often large sums would be wagered
on the results of these challenge matches.
The earliest written references to the
club can be found in the Parish
magazines of the 1860s reporting that
“the club had 49 members” in 1862.
During the four years of the First World
War, no cricket was played at Hagley and
it took until 1920 for the square to be
restored to an acceptable standard. From
then on the square was regularly
maintained by hand using a twelve inch
push mower.
Mowing of the outfield was not allowed
by the tenant farmer, so the condition of
the outfield varied from season to season
depending on the ‘grazing’ habits of the
farmer’s cows. The square was protected
by various types of fencing which had to
be taken down before and replaced after
Mowing the outfield was not allowed by the
tenant farmer, so the condition of the outfield
varied from season to season depending on the
‘grazing’ habits of the farmer’s cows
each game.
The condition of the outfield made
scoring very interesting as there were no
boundaries until the mid 1920s. There
are stories of fielders taking so long to
find the ball that one of the skills a
captain had to acquire was when to shout
“lost ball” to stop the batsmen running.
The ground itself was not fenced until
1959 when the outfield could at last be
mown. In 1962, the first Sunday cricket
game was played at Hagley, although it
had to be finished before the 6.00pm
Evensong. In 1975 a licenced bar was
installed in the clubhouse, which
probably changed that rule!
Hagley 1st XI play in Division 2 of the
Worcester County League and, like many
clubs, relies on an army of volunteers.
For many years the main driving force
behind the club has been David Hill who
has been with them since the age of ten.
He started as a youth player in 1971,
later becoming Captain of the 1st XI,
then Secretary, Chairman and now
Ground Manager. He and his faithful
companion and club dog, Belle, spend
many hours maintaining the standards of
the ground.
The responsibility for maintaining the
square falls to Stan Haycox who was
persuaded to leave Old Halesonians CC
fourteen years ago to come and work at
Hagley.
In his day, Stan was quite a sportsman
having played cricket and rugby for Old
Halesonians and the West Midlands
Police for many years.
Other members, John Birch and Tony
Shaw, help cut the outfield twice a week
using a Toro triple cylinder mower.
The square has been dressed, for many
years, with Banbury loam. It generally
provides a consistent even surface and
serves the players well. It has thirteen
strips that accommodate three adult
teams (two Saturday and one Sunday)
and three youth teams (under 11, 13 and
15). The club runs three senior Saturday
teams with the third team playing on the
local Haybridge School pitch. On
Sundays the club generally play
friendlies.
The club hire in the Worcestershire
67
L-r: Stan Haycox, John Birch and David Hill
Association of Groundsmen (WAG)
ECB/Channel 4 trailer for end of season
renovations, and they begin straight after
the last match which, this year, will be on
12th September. This gives them an early
start to their renovations.
Stan and David undertake the bulk of
work, enlisting other club members to
help carry the loam and help spread and
brush it in. The square is scarified in
several directions and finished in the line
of play, applying 6-8 bags of loam to each
strip and overseeding with a mix of dwarf
perennial rye grasses - 60% Bareine and
40% Bartwingo - seeding at a rate of
between 35-50gms/m2.
David hires the WAG Groundsman
68
spiker and aerates the square a couple of
times between October and December. In
January the club hire in a vertidrain to
deep aerate the square.
During the winter months the square is
fed to maintain plant health and colour.
In the same period the outfield receives
little attention other than cutting around
25mm to maintain grass growth.
The club do not have mobile covers but
use a flat sheet that was once part of the
famous Edgbaston Brumbrella. However,
it is not easily managed, especially by just
one or two people. But the square is
relatively quick drying and, anyway, Stan
firmly believes players get better
experience playing on unprotected
L-r: Belle and David Hill
pitches!
A core sample taken during my visit
showed the square to be in good
condition with very little thatch, no visible
root breaks and rooting beyond 225mm.
Stan, who will be retiring from this
labour of love at the end of this season,
gives the wicket a good roll’ for at least
twenty minutes, and possibly longer,
when preparing for Saturday games. He
rolls at two speeds depending on
requirements - either one or one and a
half miles an hour. It’s a job he actually
enjoys (perhaps a rarity amongst cricket
groundsmen), no doubt because of the
peace and tranquility of the setting.
The wicket is prepared over a ten to
Stan Haycox with Paladin ...
fourteen day period depending on the
weather, which determines how long he
actually gets. He uses a Lloyds Paladin to
cut the wickets - the club buy all the
equipment outright. He drops the height
of cut in three stages, keeping some grass
on and using the weight of the roller to
help colour the strip. Creases are marked
out using emulsion paint as it is cheap
and very effective.
With extra fixtures this year, as part of
the 175th Anniversary celebrations, Stan
and David have had to carefully plan how
and when each wicket is used.
Once a wicket has been finished with,
usually after three games, it is soaked,
sarrell rolled and seeded to aid recovery.
... and a job he actually enjoys
Rabbits and moles frequently cause
damage to the outfield and evidence of
mole activity appeared dangerously close
to the square last year. Other pests they
have to deal with are peacocks and geese
from the Hall, which wander over and
cause the odd bit of damage. Disease is
mainly red thread which is soon
controlled with a dose of feed.
This year, as part of their Ashes
coverage, Sky Sports are featuring
Hagley, along with Cairns Fudge CC from
Oxfordshire and Ireland's Merrion CC, in
their Club Life lunchtime feature.
The first programme included a look
around the impressive interior of the Hall
and an interview with the current
‘Lyttleton’ incumbent and club president,
the 12th Viscount Cobham.
It’s a great bonus for the club to be
seen celebrating their 175th year in front
of millions of cricket loving viewers.
The Lyttleton family are still actively
involved with the club and continue to
help and support it in many ways. The
club has always enjoyed their hospitality
and remain grateful for the continued
opportunity to play in the glorious setting
of Hagley Hall and, even though the
ground and facilities have been improved
over the years, it still retains the feel of a
quintessential English cricket ground.
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69
Laurence Gale MSc meets John Anthony, the
Head Groundsman at Curdridge Cricket Club, and
finds that the facilities are ...
THE HUB OF
THE VILLAGE
T
he village of Curdridge is situated
in the ‘pretty’ part of Hampshire at
the southern end of the Meon
Valley, just a few miles north of the
suburban sprawl of Southampton and
Portsmouth.
Curdridge Cricket Club form an
integral part of village life, sharing the
facilities with ‘The Reading Room’, a
community use building, and the
Scouts. The local primary school also
use the outfield for sports activities. The
club was formed back in 1853.
In 1984 the club replaced ‘the nissan
hut’ with a new pavilion which includes
a licensed bar with patio area for village
use.
Each year, in July, the ground is used
for the Curdridge Country Show, now
into its 53rd year. It attracts over 6,000
people who enjoy a variety of stalls and
attractions throughout the day. The
show enables the cricket club to earn
much-needed income from bar and
food sales.
The club run two teams - a Saturday
and Sunday side. Total club
John Anthony
membership currently hovers at around
30, with players paying £40 annual subs
and £7 match fees. The income from
the Country Show, and bar takings
throughout the year are, therefore, vital
to the club’s survival. A peppercorn rent
for use of the ground also helps to keep
costs down.
In 2003, the Club celebrated its 150th
Anniversary with a few special events.
Games against the MCC and a
Hampshire 2nd XI were followed by a
30-strong party touring Barbados and
playing four games at The Wanderers
Cricket Club. Curdridge won the last
game and, in doing so, became the first
touring team to defeat the home side
for more than two decades.
Perhaps flushed with this success, in
the same year the Saturday side joined
the Hampshire League, leaving the
Sunday team to play the traditional
‘friendlies’ against other local villages.
The grounds are maintained by John
Anthony, a past player who took over
the role of volunteer groundsman six
years ago. He had no previous
experience of maintaining
cricket pitches and only took it
on because no one else
volunteered when the then
groundsman retired.
When he started the club
only had one wicket mower
and a powered roller, both of
unknown ‘vintage’, to maintain
the square. His first priority
was to get the committee to
invest in more equipment to
make his job easier and, more
importantly, improve the
quality of the square.
John has now acquired
several new and secondhand
pieces of equipment, including
two 24” Ransomes nine bladed
mowers, a Super Certes 61 and
Super Bowl 61, one for cutting
the square and the other for
preparing wickets. He has also
picked up a pedestrian SISIS
Rotorake, SISIS Lawnmaster
and a set of Ransomes triple
gangs for the outfield.
To improve his knowledge
he attended a number of
cricket groundsmen’s training
courses and met with other
local groundsmen. He has also
recently been appointed to the
Hampshire Cricket
Groundsmen’s Association as a
pitch inspector. John also
stands as umpire at most of the
club’s home games.
The square is quite small,
with only eight tracks. It was
completely relaid fifteen years
ago, with volunteers from the
club doing most of the work
themselves. The old loam was
stripped out to a depth of
100mm and reconstructed with
Ongar loam.
End of season renovations
are done as early as possible
and are usually completed by
mid September, making good
use of the weather and
optimum soil temperatures for
seed germination.
John, with the assistance of a
few members, used to
undertake the work himself
but, for the last four years the
club have retained the services
of a local contractor, Roy
Michael, who scarifies the
square (three ways) with tractor
mounted equipment and then
topdresses. He also deep
aerates the square a couple of
times leading up to Christmas.
The square is overseeded
with a perennial dwarf rye seed
mix and between 8 and 10
bags of loam are applied on
each track.
John says that employing
Roy has certainly helped to
improve the square, and that
the amount of rubbish
removed is astounding. All the
work is completed in a day
with John’s assistance.
He has recently retired from
his job as a joiner for the Navy,
which has given him more
‘free time’ at the club. During
the playing season he spends
between 30-40 hours a week
working on the ground. The
square is cut at 13mm during
the playing season with the
match height of cut around 34mm.
His ten day preparation
involves wetting down the
wicket, rolling, regular raking,
brushing and mowing to clean
up the wicket. The club have
no raised covers or large flat
sheets to cover the square.
However, he does make use of
one single pitch cover to help
protect a strip once it has
dried out. He aims to get two
to three matches out of one
strip.
John’s son mows the
outfield, usually on a Friday,
weather permitting.
Funds have been made
available to install a water
main to the edge of the
square, which will be
completed this winter, and
there are proposals to relay
one of the wickets, work which
they plan to undertake
themselves.
The club would also like to
set up a junior section,
however, it is proving difficult
to attract enough youngsters,
as many of the local teams
already have strong junior set
ups.
Sometimes, against the
odds, John has consistently
delivered pitches that are
considered to be among the
best in the Hampshire League,
culminating in a ‘best pitch’
award four years ago.
John really loves working at
the club and sees plenty of
challenges in the coming
years, especially as he’s now
got a thirst for
groundsmanship.
Considering the club spend
very little on the grounds around £1500-1800 a year the quality of pitches and
overall presentation is a credit
to the hard work done by John
and his fellow members.
I am sure the club will
continue to be a major asset
for the village of Curdridge
for many years to come.
Johnson’s sport seed
puts success at your feet
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71
Michael Phoenix is
Head Groundsman at
Great Melton Cricket
Club in Norfolk.
Typical of many volunteer
groundsmen in cricket,
he has to juggle full time
employment and family
commitments with the
requirements of one of
the biggest clubs in East
Anglia
PHOENIX
from the
ashes...
W
“I must have stuck my
hand up during a
moment of madness at
an AGM in 1992”
72
hen people ask me how I
came to be groundsman at
Great Melton Cricket Club
I must confess I really have no
idea. I must have stuck my hand
up during a moment of madness
at an AGM in 1992, and my fellow
club members duly voted me in
before I had time to change my
mind. As I was the only club
member actually living in the
village, and coming from a
farming background, they
assumed, rather misguidedly, that
working on the land and
preparing cricket pitches had some
sort of connection, and being
‘Johnny-on-the-spot’ was an added
bonus.
The square I inherited in the
glorious setting of the ruined
Great Melton Hall grounds was, at
the time, a rather sad-looking
thing that had been laid in 1991
by our extremely enthusiastic and
cricket-mad patron and landlord,
Sir Edward Evans-Loombe, as part
of an agreement my late father
had made with him on giving up
the tenancy to his small farm in
the village.
This had fulfilled a life long
ambition for our club to have its
own ground as, prior to that, we
had a nomadic existence playing
our home matches at various
locations since the club’s formation
in 1974. The 9-strip square did
‘resemble’ a cricket pitch after the
hard work of my predecessor and
his group of willing volunteers,
including myself. But, ‘resembling’
one was about all you could say as
many a batsman could vouch for
in that first summer of 1993 as
they trudged off, their stumps
shattered or their toes bruised, by
yet another grubber.
Oh for websites and magazines
like Pitchcare in those early days!
Their help would have been
invaluable. We had to rely on
books and, wherever possible,
questioning our fellow
groundsmen on our travels to
matches, to gain knowledge and
help. I say ‘we’ because,
throughout my time as
groundsman, I have been assisted
by another club stalwart, Grenville
Ireland, without whose help the
job would be impossible. It also
helps to have an understanding
wife who accepts lots of lonely
hours during the cricket season sorry Ness.
The turning point came when a
club member loaned us the money
to buy an old Aveling & Barford
roller that was originally a two
man job to start, but something I
mastered in time after a lot of
swearing and cranking, especially
on those cold, pre-season, March
mornings.
In hindsight it was too heavy for
the purpose, but beggars couldn’t be
choosers and, with this beast, we started to
be able to prepare surfaces that were at
least flat! Coupled with that, we also had a
deal with one of our vice presidents, and
owner of a local golf course, for a set of
power driven Atco gang mowers that we
still use to this day, and pull behind my
father’s old David Browne 880 tractor, and
this enabled us to improve our outfield
considerably. No more waiting for the
council to cut the grass or finding them
cutting it on Tuesday so, by the time the
weekend arrived, it was nearly up to your
knees.
For most of the time, up until his death
in 2007, my father, who was by then
retired, cut the outfield, built our
sightscreens and was generally our handy
man. His loss to the club was immense,
and I have to confess my first few rounds
on the mowers as a new season dawns still
brings a lump to my throat.
During the course of the next few years
our end of season renovations and preseason work became better as the
knowledge increased. And, as the cricket
club grew, so did our ability to buy better
machinery. This culminated in 2007, when
the club was designated a Focus club with
full Clubmark accreditation. This enabled
us to gain a Community Club
Development Grant to have a junior pitch
(U11 and U13) added to the ground with
a professionally laid 3-strip square, a
renovation to our net area, a 1.5 ton
Autoroller and a Dennis cassette mower.
It’s a real bonus, after all the years using
begged and borrowed equipment, to be
able to unlock the doors of our lock up
and use decent equipment. But, despite all
that, I’m convinced I personally spend
more time working
on the ground than I
ever did.
The saying
‘ignorance is bliss’
perhaps rings true;
the greater your
understanding of
how it should be
done the more time
you spend trying to
where we get around seventy to eighty
children each week.
As to the hours spent on this labour of
love? I hate to think. But, in common with
hundreds of other volunteers like me
across the country, the real reward is
playing or watching cricket being played
on a good surface prepared to the best of
our ability.
Some of us older members can
remember the early days at Melton Park
when a league score of 120 would have
been considered testing but, these days,
you would need to double that to stand
any chance. There are times when you feel
the pressure, and wonder why you do it.
But, I just have to walk out onto the
beautiful setting of Great Melton Park
early on a sunny Saturday morning, when
the birds are singing and the breeze is
rustling the leaves on our resident oak
tree, with the prospect of a good
afternoon’s cricket ahead, and I soon
realise just how worthwhile it all is.
achieve it, which can prove challenging
when also in full time employment.
During the months of May to August
the ground is heavily used by our junior
teams, ranging from U11 to U17, and four
senior Saturday sides (two of which play
on hired pitches), a Sunday and a
midweek side, the occasional Norfolk CC
junior county match and various touring
teams.
We try to arrange fixtures to avoid
Tuesday and Friday evenings, which allows
time for pitch prep and repair work.
However, there is still no chance of a
peaceful night as Tuesday is senior
practice and Friday is Junior coaching,
engineered for perfection
A first class finish
…. everytime
For more information on our full
range of cricket ground maintenance
equipment call 01332 824777
PROUDLY BRITISH
www.dennisuk.com
73
Steve Rouse’s preparations for the third Ashes
Test at Edgbaston were plagued by bad weather,
resulting in delayed starts, abandoned play,
sleepless nights and strange smells!
Prior to the match David H Bates asked Steve
about his preparations. But first, an overview ...
Day 1 - mopping up operations continue
BLOTTER - on
S
teve Rouse must hate Pitchcare.
The last time the Edgbaston Head
Groundsman appeared in the
pages of our magazine, some three years
ago, he was interviewed by our editor,
Laurence Gale. So heavy was the rain on
the day of his visit that Steve joked (at
least, we think it was a joke) that he
“never wanted to see that bloody
Laurence again - just keep him away!”
So, we thought we’d try a different tack
this time, and ask his agronomist
consultant, David H Bates, to ‘do a story’
on his preparation for the third Ashes
Test.
Cue torrential rain. In the two days
prior to the Test match there was hardly
a break in the clouds. The preceding
week had also been pretty wet, so Steve’s
usual wicket preparation was severely
hampered.
On the eve of the game, a report from
the ground, by one of the Sky TV
commentators, whimsically called ‘the
state of play’, showed excessive flooding
on the outfield, with Steve and his team
in the background busily trying to
74
remove water, even as more fell. It was to
be a thankless task, and one that,
ultimately, failed to allow a scheduled
start to the game on Thursday.
Steve, and a team of seventeen, had
worked through the night and, as the
11.00am start time approached, with
further showers scurrying across the
ground, it became clear that much of the
good work had been undone.
In front of the TV cameras Steve is
very personable and confident, but there
is only so much “we are doing all we can”
that an impatient crowd will take. When
the sun came out and ‘further inspection’
times ate into the day’s play, the
assembled Barmies, Mexicans, Elvis’s et
al, started booing. It was a natural, if
somewhat unfair, reaction from a crowd
who had parted with the best part of
£100 to see a day’s Ashes cricket and
were, apparently, being denied by the
over cautiousness of match officials.
Of course, they weren’t to know how
high the water table was - Steve
described it as pouring water onto a
soaking sponge - or how much rain had
fallen the day before and overnight.
They wanted to see cricket. And, as the
sun stayed out and the mopping up
continued, each umpires’ inspection was
greeted with ever louder boos.
However, it was clear, from the umpires
stabbing the turf with umbrellas and Sir
Ian ‘Beefy’ Botham bringing up water
when he pressed his foot into the grass,
that certain sections of the outfield, and
the bowlers run-ups, were simply not safe
for cricket.
The wicket, under Edgabston’s new
hover cover and pull out sheets “would
be fine” according to Steve.
Eventually, it was agreed that play
would begin at 5.00pm with Beefy
commentating “if it’s fit at five then it
was fit at three, I see no difference”. He
was clearly miffed, and stated that play
probably should have been abandoned
for the day, simply because the outfield
was dangerous adding, somewhat
cynically, that “ticket revenue seems to be
the criteria for getting play underway”.
When play eventually began, England’s
bowlers were as damp as the outfield.
the landscape!
Only thirty overs were possible and the
Aussie batsmen rattled off over 100 runs
for the loss of one wicket, before close.
The weather on day two was far better
and spirited bowling by Anderson and
Onions saw the Aussies skittled out for
263. In reply, the England top order set
about some ‘average’ bowling from the
tourists.
And then, late in the day, the rain
returned. It didn’t stop. It rained all
night and throughout Saturday. Play was
abandoned for the day and another
‘overnighter’ beckoned for Steve to clear
the ‘ponds’ off the outfield.
The commentators busied themselves
with reruns, comment and, on one
occasion, Sir Ian mounting a Blotter
which, for some reason, they insist on
calling a ‘super sopper’ or ‘water hog’, to
explain to a dwindling TV audience how
it worked.
Play was possible on Sunday and
Monday but, despite some heroics with
the bat from Flintoff, Prior, Broad and
Swann, giving England a sniff of victory,
the game petered out into a draw.
As for Steve and his team, they had
performed miracles. When he eventually
made it home for his first shave in three
days, his partner Jill “gave me a
bollocking for smelling bad!” Such is a
groundsman’s lot.
BUT, what of the original interview by
David H Bates that ‘obviously’ prompted
all the bad weather? When does Steve
begin his preparation, or does it just
happen as part of the routine?
David Bates: Cricket surfaces require a
great deal of skill, dedication and, in no
small measure, the help of Mother
Nature, even though she was not overly
helpful in the run-up to this match! Are
you given any guidance on how to
produce the best test wicket standard?
Steve Rouse: No, it is entirely left to my
knowledge, understanding and
experience.
DB: What are you trying to achieve?
SR: I’m looking for a smooth, flat surface
with no blemishes which may affect the
bounce. Initially, I want a good, dense
sward which, over time, is reduced to the
playing height. The bounce we try to
develop is one where the ball rises to
stump height off of a good length of
about two to three metres from the
popping crease, depending on who’s
bowling, of course. When the ball
impacts on the surface it should not
shoot. I simply try to produce consistent
bounce and pace. The surface must be
completely dry at the commencement of
play. Any movement of the ball should be
imparted by the bowler.
DB: When do you and your staff start
work on the wicket?
SR: To ensure a quality, Test standard
wicket, we start immediately the final ball
of the previous season is bowled. During
the season the lads carry out ongoing
maintenance and, any pitches used for
the last time, within the season, undergo
a full renovation. Therefore, only the last
few wickets will need total renovation at
the season’s end.
Many grounds, who call upon my advice,
tend to leave all repairs until the end of
75
Day 1 - early morning preparations
Day 1 - Steve and Sir Ian
- “it’s wet over there”
“Many grounds tend to leave all
repairs until the end of the season. In
my opinion, this is a mistake”
Steve Rouse, Head Groundsman, Warwickshire CCC
the season. In my opinion, this is a
mistake. We repair them as we go.
DB: What do your renovations
consist of?
Day 3 - Michael Clarke wades off!
SR: We soak the wickets first, if
necessary several times. Over the
next day we prick the surface to
encourage greater penetration of
moisture. All foot holes are cleared
out and filled to surface levels. Once
the treatments have been completed,
and the surface scarified, we then
apply seed using the Blec uni-seeder.
It’s slow, but very effective.
Thousands of holes are produced
and the seed sits within the little ‘pot
plant’ holes.
I have good results using Barenbrug
seed. I’ve tried all the others, but
their test wicket grass seed mixture
suits my soils. To get quick
germination and good cover prior to
the winter I sow heavily and, if
necessary, several overseedings may
be made to induce and introduce
new strong grasses into my pitches.
Day 3 - reflecting on a bad day
Following seeding a light covering of
Ongar loam is given. Only when the
seeds have germinated and
developed do we apply several
heavier dressings. We don’t smother
the young seedlings. We pick our
weather then dress accordingly.
Luting is vitally important, and
brushing and matting also helps.
DB: Many smaller clubs find they
have a thatch problem within their
squares. How’s yours?
Day 3 - Sir Ian explains the
workings of the ‘super sopper’ there’s a clue there somewhere!
76
SR: No such problem exists here as
we constantly control it. However,
when I became head groundsman
here, the standard of the wickets, at
that time, was pretty poor. For
example, a game between England
and the West Indies was over in just
two and a half days. That is not
something that either the ECB or
the paying public want to see.
With the help of your good self, we
identified two root breaks at
differing depths and, by resolving
that and experimenting with
perennial rye grass mixtures, soon
began to see improvements in the
wickets.
DB: What is your fertiliser
programme?
SR: We apply autumn/winter
fertilisers and careful feeds of
nitrogen to reduce the ingress of
disease as much as possible. We are
very prone to disease with the nature
of the environment here at
Edgbaston. Over winter, we apply
iron in an attempt to manage disease
attack. A feed of 4:0:4 + 4%Fe,
2%Mg and EarthMate, a humic acid
powder blended with nutrition, is
also applied. Fungicide is applied to
reduce the risk of disease,
particularly over Christmas time.
DB: So, when do you start thinking
about pre season activity on the
square?
SR: We never really stop, but we
generally start in earnest in February.
However, this year, due to the cold
winter, we couldn’t start until early
March. we began by firming the
square using the small hand mowers,
moving up to our Allett 36”. We
increase the weight steadily by
adding bags of loam to the mower.
We do this in every possible
direction but always finish each
rolling procedure in the line of play.
Topdressing
DB: When does the heavy roller come
out?
SR: In late March, early April. This is
when the first county wickets, and
practice wickets on the edge of the
square, are chosen, bringing them
through to playing standard by mid
April. One hundred and fifty hours of
rolling is not unusual throughout this
time frame. The rolling operation is
made evenly to the entire square. I
usually cover the wickets about two to
three weeks prior to them being required
for usage.
DB: What else are you doing at this
time?
SR: If any wickets are still thin, we
overseed again to thicken the sward. I
Barenbrug is preferred seed
Spraying undertaken by CWC
use a starter feed of 14:0:7+4%Fe, 2%Mg
with humates. This has proved to be an
excellent stimulator at this time. During
the spring it is important for us to brush
the square regularly to dissipate the
moisture on the leaf of the grasses, and
again following the rolling and feeding
programme. Although we top the grasses
throughout the winter to control the
height, mowing now starts in earnest.
tend to be used for televised games.
DB: What is happening to the Test
wicket during this period?
DB: When do you begin your final
preparation of the wicket?
SR: All the wickets are set out in
accordance with our square plan. The
wickets are marked out for the season at
ten feet centres. There are twenty-six
wickets on the main square, the three
main wickets in the centre of the square
SR: Approximately fourteen days before
the Test. We repair any scars and marks
caused by the players. At least two
wickets are under preparation at any one
time, just in case of problems.
The Test wicket is brand new, having
been under reconstruction since 2007.
We played a short game on it to ensure it
played as we expected.
Basically, throughout the spring our
main job is to brush, mow, roll and feed,
performing any scarification and
overseeding as needed.
This involves brushing. We use two SISIS
Early rolling with
ballasted Allett 36”
Heavy rolling begins in late March
Test track ready and waiting
Lawnman’s, one with a brush attachment
and the other with the scarification rake
attachment. Alternate brushing,
scarifying and mowing are performed
over a period of a week or so. I also have
various hand mowers set up at different
height of cut which are used for different
purposes, i.e. wicket, cricket square.
Cross brushing, scarification and mowing
are also key to the removal of grass
content prior to the commencement of
the match.
Slow methodical rolling is undertaken
each and every day to dry out the wicket
for the start of the match.
conditioners from Earth-Tec. Steve
Loveridge, of Complete Weed Control,
carries out the spraying for us.
On the day of the match we brush,
scarify, mow, roll and mark out before
handing it over to the umpires.
Thereafter, we can clean up bowlers’
ends and make good, but only cut, roll
and mark out under their watchful eye.
A further liquid nutritional feed, along
with soil conditioners and wetting agents,
will take place seven days prior to the
match starting.
DB: When do you know it’s ready?
Rob Franklin, my number two, tends the
outfield. He cuts north to south and then
east to west to manicure the ground and
to steadily develop the sward.
SR: Only experience can determine how
much grass is left on a pitch. In dry
weather a covering of grass is needed to
protect the surface from cracking open.
Keeping the surface moist enough to
hold may be a real challenge to us due to
other county games in and around the
time of preparation for the Test match.
DB: The outfield always looks good at
Edgbaston. How do you achieve that?
This year we gave it a really slow release
fine grade feed of 28:3:15 +2%Mg
+65% PolyN supplemented by
EarthResponse at 100 litres per hectare,
and 25 litres of EarthHiK soil
The C-Range
Each ‘easy-change’
cartridge becomes an
integral part of the
machine without loss
of quality results.
Provides a wide range of professional turf
maintenance needs from one machine.
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Telephone 01889 272095, Fax 01889 271528,
Email sales@allett.co.uk, web www.allett.co.uk
78
Hopefully, by this point, the results of
our work will be there for all to see. Now
it’s down to the players to perform on it!
The methods described above will
certainly continue while I’m head
groundsman. Why change things if they
prove successful.
After that we start all over again!
With apologies to Steve for the weather!
Main image © Pitchcare
Working images © David H Bates
All other images courtesy and © of Sky Sports
Olympic Stadium
could be used
for cricket?
Shadow Sports Minister’s suggestion that
the Olympic bowl could be a future venue for
high profile matches “makes perfect sense”
HUGH Robertson, the Conservative shadow
sports minister, has joined other stakeholders
in cricket in suggesting that the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should consider the
London 2012 Olympic Stadium as a future
venue for the sport.
This summer’s Ashes series has attracted sellout crowds, again underlining the unique
popularity of five-day cricket in this country.
The popularity of the biggest Test matches, as
well as the advent of Twenty20 cricket, which
attracts a more diverse demographic, has
increased the need – widely recognised in the
sport – for a “super-stadium” for high-profile
international and Twenty20 matches. Lord’s,
with a capacity of 28,000, is the largest
ground available to the ECB.
When asked if the 2012 Olympic Stadium, in
London’s East End, could be a viable venue for
cricket, Robertson agreed and said: “Given
that the public purse has paid half a billion
pounds for the Olympic Stadium, it makes
perfect sense to examine every possible
sporting use in legacy mode alongside the
athletics.” The capacity would probably be
50,000 to 60,000.
Robertson’s views were echoed by many of
the game’s stakeholders. These included Lalit
Modi, head of the billion-dollar Twenty20
Indian Premier League, Hampshire chief
executive Stuart Robertson, who is widely
credited as having been the driving force
behind the creation of Twenty20 when he
worked for the ECB, and Keith Bradshaw, chief
executive of MCC.
Bradshaw’s comments are particularly
noteworthy considering the MCC own Lord’s
and so are a potential competitor should
cricket be played at the Olympic Stadium, or
any larger venue.
Asked if there was a need to develop a bigger
ground, Bradshaw said: “I’ve always wondered
when that was going to happen. If you look at
the commerciality, to be absolutely certain a
match will be staged on a particular day and
time in terms of your corporate sponsors, and
the public – that they would get their three
hours of Twenty20, or whatever it is – this has
to be a huge strategic advantage.”
He contined: Lord’s is in a residential area so
there is only certain capacities we can go to.
For us it’s 37-38,000, which is more a
function of the footprint of the ground. We
could accommodate – for an Ashes Test,
when India play England, or Twenty20 –
significantly more than 37,000.”
Modi pointed out the importance of
floodlights for modern cricket and said,
“Larger capacities will be required.”
In response to the potential use of the 2012
Olympic Stadium for cricket an ECB
spokesperson said: “It’s a hypothetical
situation which hasn’t been presented to us.”
Source: The Observer
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79
RENOVATIONS
SNAPSHOT
As the end of the cricket season fast approaches, what are
groundsmen up and down the UK - from Aberdeen to Jersey - planning?
We take a snapshot of the work to be carried out, from county and
outgrounds, to schools and club sides
Taunton School
Aberdeenshire Cricket Club
Head
Groundsman:
Mark Jolliffe
Head Groundsman: Ken McCurdie
Number of staff:
Six.
Number of pitches and brief details: Cricket
Ground with 14 pitches. Typical cricket square
construction.
Number of staff: One (part-time in season)
Number of pitches
and brief details:
5 squares and 4
grass nets (58
pitches). 54 of
which are Surrey
loam and 4 Ongar
loam.
Time constraints: Being in Aberdeen it is vital
that renovations are completed as early as
possible whilst soil temperatures are
conducive to germination and growth.
Time constraints: After the last game on 15th
August, and before end of September (weather
permitting).
Proposed programme: Shave down all squares to
3mm, scarify to 5mm depth in at least 3
directions and collect arisings, irrigate square if
necessary to soften surface and run variseeder
(empty) over squares in 3 directions to create
thousands of holes before 2 more passes seeding
at 35-40g/m.sq., apply fertiliser at 35g/m.sq.,
and, finally, topdress with compatible loam
(approximately. 200kg per pitch). Brush and
dragmat all squares to rub in materials. Fence off
squares and irrigate when necessary.
Machinery used: Paladin fine cut mowers, Graden
‘swing wing’ tractor mounted scarifier, Kubota
ride-on rotary (to clear arisings), Sisis tractor
mounted variseeder, Charterhouse Rink 1010
trailed topdresser, pedestrian fertiliser distributor,
John Deere 4500 tractor to do overseeding and
topdressing, fork lift truck to move pallets of loam,
2 tonne trailer.
Manpower: All work done in-house.
Aims and objectives: To carry out the works as
planned, efficiently, professionally and on time.
Objective is to recover surface levels and grass
coverage.
Effects of Recession: None at the present time.
States of Jersey
Head Groundsman: Steve Landick
Number of staff: 24 (not all will be
involved with the pitch renovation
work, 11 at the most, with a head
groundsman at each location).
Number of pitches and brief
details: 5 cricket squares, all but
one with an artificial Notts Turf
wicket on the end of the square. All
cricket squares are on the natural
sandy/loam soil, except for two
which have been constructed on
sand dune and one on a heavier
soil after a playing field was cut
and filled.
Time constraints: Weather and
preparing winter games pitches for
the weeks to come.
80
Proposed programme: Cut to 8mm, scarify to
6mm in 4 directions, overseed, pre-seed
fertilise, topdress, restore levels and irrigate.
Solid tining will be carried out once the square
is soft enough. Autumn/Winter will be applied
at a later date. 120 bags of topdressing plus
another 20 or so for levelling, 3 bags of grass
seed, 1 bag of root enhancer, 2 bags of
fertiliser. Proven effective over the last 17
Kenilworth Wardens
Cricket Club
Head Groundsman:
Geoff Calcott
Number of staff:
One contractor (me)
plus one helper
Number of pitches
and brief details:
Two grass squares.
Main Square: 12
Kaloam pitches
plus 3 new pitches. 3rdXI/4thXI Square: 5
Kaloam pitches plus 2 new pitches.
Time constraints: Main Autumn work to be
completed by end of September.
Proposed programme: Deep spiking at
monthly intervals to differing depths from
October to January, ground conditions
permitting. Application of liquid worm
controller - early September. Power
Proposed programme: Each square
will be watered heavily. Footmarks
forked and keyed in with loam. No
forking of ends takes place as this
increases height of ends. Sisis 600
and Dennis scarifier used to
remove surface material. Square
will be double cut, and at the same
height as if it was a wicket.
Seeding of the whole square with a
general cricket square mix at 35
g/m sq (mixture of ryegrass
cultivars). A specified Surrey Loam
with a minimum of 28% clay
content is applied to the whole
square up to 5 feet behind the
stumps. Loam is then luted and
worked into the surface ensuring
existing levels are maintained.
Groundsman spiker with solid tines
later, once seed has germinated
and square has been well wetted
years.
Approximately
£1300 including
the rental of a
tractor mounted
scarifier.
Machinery used:
Allett 42”
mower, Sisis TM
1000 scarifier,
Cyclone
spreader, MeterMatic
topdresser, 3
metre Levelute.
Manpower: All in-house.
Aims and objectives: To achieve a thatch-free
profile with good, healthy grass cover and root
development.
Effects of Recession: None, at the moment.
scarification with Graden in 3 directions plus
pick up of resultant debris. Overseed with 2 x
25kgs dwarf perennial ryegrass (mixture of 3
cultivars). Application of 2 x 25kgs
Autumn/Winter fertiliser. Topdress with 7-8 x
25kgs bags of Kaloam per pitch. Deep spiking
to 100-125mm depth at 50mm centres with
Groundsman spiker at monthly intervals from
late October to end January - ground conditions
permitting.
Machinery used: Graden scarifier,
Groundsman deep spiker,
Pedestrian Walkover sprayer.
Manpower: None - except me and my helper!
Effects of Recession: None, at the moment.
Other comments: Sorry, cannot tell you my
prices individually but you wouldn’t get much
change out of £110-£120 per pitch for the
main autumn renovation. Deep spiking is
around £80 per session for an average 10-12
pitch square.
by the autumn rain.
Machinery used: Sisis 600
rotorake, Dennis FT Mower with
brush & scarifier cassettes,
Cyclone seeder, Muck Truck, BLEC
Seeder and a number of
lutes/rakes/shovels. Groundsman
spiker with solid tines.
Manpower: All work will be carried
out in-house, no outside
contractors will be used.
Aims and objectives: To be as
quick and as careful to complete
all the operations within a period
of good weather. Completing the
work as soon after the cricket
season finishes, therefore giving
the renovation work maximum
chance of a good recovery.
Effects of Recession: No cut backs
as such but less money available
for materials and machinery,
therefore one has to be more
conservative on their use.
Other comments: Surrey Loam is
preferred because it has been used
over the years. Therefore, we keep
consistency by continuing to use it.
Cost per tonne is around £180. We
use between 3 to 5 tonne per
square according to square size.
Mascot R9 grass seed will be used
this year. This is a mixture of four
cultivars - Ace, Sauvignon,
Greenflash and Greenway.
Investment in good quality materials
is very important. If budgets are
continuously cut then the quality of
the products could have an effect on
the playing surface.
Lytham Cricket & Sports Club
Head Groundsman: Les Stephens
Number of staff: Only me!
Number of pitches and brief details:
An ECB Premier League cricket
pitch with 24 wickets, grass practise
nets with 8 wickets, 3 bay artificial
cricket net.
Time constraints: As some surfaces
are shared, a two week window is
all that is available between
seasons.
Proposed programme: The entire
ground is treated for weeds by
Complete Weed Control in late
August (£400). The entire ground is
scarified in-house and arisings
collected with boxed triple mower.
The entire ground is vertidrained
using large solid tines on rough turf
and pencil tines on fine turf, £850.
Fine turf areas are overseeded inhouse (seed £750) and then 25
tonnes of Kettering loam (£1,500) is
spread on fine turf areas (£350)
and brushed in using in house
compact tractor. Contractor Construct Golf, providing they are
competitive!
Machinery used: Compact tractor
and SISIS tractor mounted scarifier.
Uxbridge Cricket
Club
Head
Groundsman:
Vic Demain
Number of staff:
One summer,
full-time (AprilOctober).
Number of pitches and brief
details:
2 cricket pitches (13 and 10
strips), a bowling green, 8 tennis
courts (3 grass and 5
tarmacadam) and a rugby field.
Squares were laid with Kaloam
and topdressing changed to Surrey
Gostd Supernatural around ten
years ago. Outfields have 1 inch of
topsoil over gravel.
Proposed programme: Work will
start on September 21st and,
hopefully, be completed by mid
October, weather permitting. Cut
down to 2mm, scarify in 3
directions, powerbrush, run over
with variseeder in as many
directions as possible, apply
John Deere
Triple mower.
Seed and
fertiliser
spread by
hand. Two
different
vertidrain
machines
plus
Cushman
spreader with
JCB loader.
Manpower: All in-house.
Aims and objectives: To provide the
best possible playing surfaces for
the three sports within our limited
budget. To ensure that we provide
the best possible growing conditions
for grass so that it can thrive even
under extreme conditions of
drought, flood, heat and cold, and
withstand attack from weeds and
disease.
Effects of Recession: None, but we
always obtain competitive quotes.
Other comments: Programme
recommended by STRI. Also
recommended by ECB Lancashire
pitch advisor Paul Tatton. Other
work based on experience of ground
and its requirements.
Scott’s preseeder and overseed
with MM50 using a fertiliser
spinner, dragbrush into seedbed,
level and repair old footholes,
apply 6-8 bags Gostd Supernatural
per track and cover ends with
germination sheeting. Water in if
necessary.
Machinery used: Dennis Sport,
SISIS Autorotorake (brush and
scarifier), Sisis Variseeder,
fertiliser spinner, home made
straight edge, SISIS Truspread,
Sisis Lute, dragmat and levelling
lute.
Design and Build
service available
David Goodjohn GSB Sportsturf Ltd.
Office 0845 5191 586 Mobile 07808 571051
Email: gsbsportsturf@gmail.com
Effects of Recession: Would have
liked to hire a tractor mounted
scarifier or Koro. Won’t be able to
deep drill. Probably not a great
concern, but we are always keen
to improve our standards.
work takes 2-3 weeks.
Proposed programme: Each
square will be heavily scarified
four ways, heavy overseed,
topdressing 10-12 bags per pitch,
soil cost £3500 and seed cost
£2000. It has worked for me over
the years. The programme is
tweaked from time to time. I used
to feed the square with pregerminate fertiliser. Now I wait to
do it when the new seed has
germinated and feed with 6:5:11.
Time constraints: Start after our
last against Durham on 29th
September. Weather permitting
We also cater for all other sports.
Aims and objectives: To provide a
first-class facility whilst bound by
the financial constraints of a small
club.
Somerset County Cricket Club
Number of
pitches and
brief details:
30 pitches at
County
Ground,
Taunton, 4
pitches at the
Bath
Recreation
Ground and
36 pitches at
Taunton Vale
(practice
ground). All pitches soil.
Pitch and square
construction and renovation.
Manpower: All work done inhouse, only contract out if we
don’t have the resources.
Head Groundsman: Phil Frost
Number of staff: 4 at the county
ground - 1 practice ground.
Sports top dressings for Cricket, Tennis,
Bowls and Golf a speciality.
Machinery used: Graden scarifier,
Sisis Topspreader.
Manpower: All carried out inhouse.
Aims and objectives: To get a
thicker and tighter sward of grass.
Effects of Recession: None, at the
moment.
81
As England and, for the first
time, Wales host the
Australians for another
exciting Ashes summer
series, Pitchcare goes
behind the scenes at Stuart
Canvas to find more about
the Hover Covers that are
becoming an everyday
fixture at many of the
leading Ashes test grounds
IT’S LESS
BOVVER!
ur journey began at the headquarters of
Stuart Canvas in Warrington where all
manner of covers are made, whether to
protect Premier and lower league football
pitches from frost, the immaculate lawns of
Wimbledon from rain, or even Manchester
United’s players as they run out to the pitch.
The company manufactures a full spectrum
of covers ranging from a one square metre
cover for a bespoke barbecue to a 150,000
square metre cover for horse race tracks - all of
which are designed and manufactured at its
15,000 sq ft site. The company also owns the
patent for the hover cover which remains one of
the company’s flagship products.
But where did the idea of a hover cover come
from? Ed Stoddart, Chief Executive at Stuart
Canvas, gives a little insight. “The hover cover
took us more than four years of research and
development to get the design and
O
manufacture right. The current model operates
in a similar way to a hovercraft as it uses
engines to blow air under the covers, is
constructed using specialised lightweight
materials and is very manoeuvrable.”
The first cover was “hovered out” over ten
years ago at Lord’s, in 1998, and immediately
brought improvements by reducing the amount
of playing time lost to rain. It enabled the
groundstaff to cover the pitch and square in
less than five minutes, whilst the unique airflow
system helped dry the pitch as well as reducing
the manpower needed to manoeuvre the cover
in place.
Today, five of the leading test grounds Lord’s, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Glamorgan and
Old Trafford - are all using the hover cover, but
what makes them so special and what is their
potential reach in cricket?
“The groundsmen we work with love the
double benefit of the air flow system that is
integral to the cover, as it makes their life
easier when wanting to cover an area, as the
hover action is much quicker and easier to
manoeuvre” said Ed.
“The air flow system means that the covers
literally hover over the ground and do not leave
wheel marks when moved around. In addition,
its manoeuvrability means that it could also be
moved sideways and lengthways easily, on and
off the pitch, to assist work during showery
days.”
Bringing these covers to market is no easy
task. Despite the research and development
involved, the delivery of a ground cover that can
range from between 80 and 100 feet long and
15 feet wide, poses both logistical and
assembly challenges.
The aluminium parts are delivered by lorry
and are assembled by a team of five
What do you do in
your spare time?
For most of us, if and when we have any spare time, it
is spent with the family, getting on with that overdue
DIY project or the real chore of cutting the lawn.
Report by Dave Saltman
n a recent business trip to Portugal, I was
treated to a real ‘behind the scenes’ look
at Portuguese culture. I shared an
afternoon and evening with a group of
greenkeepers, who were partaking of their
favourite hobby - traditional bullfighting. In
Portugal, bullfighting is a real family tradition
and differs from the Spanish sport, the raison
d’etre being that the bulls have to be literally
stopped in full charge by a team of eight
forcados, in something that resembles a rugby
scrum. A forcado is a member of the team that
performs the pega de caras (face catch), the
final event in a typical Portuguese bullfight. The
bulls are not slaughtered in the ring.
My host was Nuno Sepulveda of Aeragolfe
Contractors, himself a forcado for six years and,
on this particular afternoon, we were going to
watch his youngest brother, Luis, and three of
his cousins taking part in six fights. All four are
currently working on a golf course construction
just north of Porto.
Prior to the forcados appearing, a cavaleiro
on horseback taunts the bull and rides around
inviting the bull to charge. His job is to tire the
O
bull, but he does aim to stick 3-4 small arrowed
spears in the back of the bull, behind its neck.
Once his job is done the forcados enter the
ring and line up one behind each other, so the
bull only sees the first man in his line of sight.
As the lead man moves slowly towards the bull,
the rest edge nervously forward. The lead man
then provokes the bull to charge and, at that
moment, the adrenalin of the guys in the ring
must be pumping on maximum. With a full half
ton of horned bull charging, the lead guy’s job is
to grab the head and hope that he can hold on
until his mates join the scrum. If he doesn’t,
and as happened on this very afternoon, they
then don’t always get their own way and people
get hurt.
Luis was the lead man in the first fight. The
bull had been worn down and then the eight
forcados entered the ring. As the line edged
towards the bull, its head went down and a
cloud of dust exploded as it dug its hooves into
the dirt and started to gather pace towards the
men. It hit Nuno’s brother and tossed him in the
air, picked him up again in its horns and flung
him at the other guys, before they could even
get close.
They
managed to
distract the bull
long enough to
pull him away.
To my
amazement he
brushed himself
down and took
his place at the
front to start the
ritual again. The
bull charged
again and he
was again
unable to hold onto the head and was tossed
onto the ground, only to be further mauled by
the bull. His colleagues again intervened and
this time he found himself being helped out of
the ring.
Word got to us that he was on his way to
hospital so, after getting directions to the
hospital, Nuno and I persuaded a policeman to
take us there.
professional hover cover builders
on site. Using a mixture of
‘clunk click’ fixing as well as
welding, the cover is assembled
in around three days, and
addition time is then spent
testing the equipment and
briefing the ground staff team
before it is ready for use.
The assembled hover cover is
powered by two 20hp petroldriven engines that allow it to be
self propelled, so that the
ground staff can guide the cover
over the pitch, bringing
protection within five minutes of
the start of rain.
Ed, continues, “The critical
element is that the cover needs
to be both easy to use and
effective in its job, as no one
wants to be faffing around in the
rain with big heavy covers as the
pitch gets wet.”
An added design element of
integrating gutters down each
long side allows additional
square covers to be carried on
inflatable tubes on to the pitch.
These covers can be easily rolled
out to protect the square and, if
necessary, covers can also be
provided for the bowlers’ run-up.
Today, the hover covers are
bringing a new dimension to the
game as an additional avenue
for sponsorship. The canvas top
has proved popular for sign
writing, as in Sure for Men’s
recent sponsorship but, along
with this, the covers can be
shaped to the sponsors wishes,
for example to look like a drinks
can or the tail fin of an aircraft.
But, can we expect to see
hover covers across the county
grounds and further afield, or
will they remain exclusive to the
most prestigious and affluent
test grounds? Ed smiled; “This
is a flag ship product and we are
immensely proud to have them
in five of the most prestigious
test grounds in the world. Yes, of
course, I would like to see hover
covers in all professional cricket
clubs, but appreciate that
groundsmen need to manage
budgets and, in some cases, do
the best they can with what’s
available, hence why we also
offer many other ground
covering products.”
Undoubtedly, hover covers
deliver both protection from the
weather but also additional
benefits in pitch preparation and
maintenance. With nearly a third
of county grounds now using
them it seems that they are now
an integral part of a
groundsman’s arsenal. For those
groundsmen who don’t have one
yet, maybe it’s time to have a
word with the marketing
department to see if
sponsorship can cover some of
the costs!
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His brother was in the process
of being treated, an x-ray,
bandages and a sling required
for his dislocated shoulder and
numerous cuts and gashes. His
clothes were covered in blood,
but he seemed happy enough in
himself and, when he was
discharged, we thumbed a lift
back to the bullring.
We managed to watch the last
of the six fights before we all
went back to a hotel for a
deserved beer and a shower.
With everyone washed and
changed the posse went back
into town and we were treated to
traditional Portuguese cuisine
washed down with beer and
wine. Although Nuno and I left
early to drive back to Lisbon, the
drink would be flowing until
dawn as these brave young guys
enjoyed a tradition that has
survived the PC brigade that
threatens the very heritage of a
country.
These men are following a
father to son tradition and don’t
get paid for their efforts. There
were four generations of past
and present forcados who met to
drink and chat that afternoon
and evening. The meal and
drinks provided by the bullring
owner as reward for their efforts.
The owner, who I met at the
meal, was a famous Matador
himself from yesteryear and
spoke fondly of his bullfighting
experiences.
It was my second experience
of a bullfight. The first, in Spain,
was many years ago and did
little to wet my appetite. While
I’m happy to kill to eat or keep
pest population down, I’m not a
lover of blood sport for the sake
of it. This form of bullfighting
was more acceptable and pitted
man versus beast, more akin to
those ancient Roman days of the
Coliseum.
It was amazing to see the bull
halted in its tracks, but having
more than just a fighting chance
to take on its assailants. What
was equally interesting to see
was the make up of the 3000
people in the crowd. It was
mostly families including many
young children. In fact a similar
make up to that you might see
at a firework display in the UK.
One of Nuno’s friends that sat
with us is a vet and I asked him
his thoughts about the
bullfighting. He said that he’d
grown up with it and, although
he could understand people’s
reservations, the bull wasn’t in
distress. The particular breed of
bull used are reared only for the
ring, as they are aggressive by
nature and offer poor meat
quality. After the fights they are
herded from the ring and taken
for slaughter. If a particular bull
has fought well, it may be taken
back to stud for breeding.
Although Luis was not in a fit
state to do very much that
evening, I suspect that Nuno was
fully expecting his youngest
brother to be at work on the
Monday!
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83
T
If you
don’t like
the UK’s
weather...
just wait
a minute
Peter Britton (not a real
meteorologist)
investigates what went
wrong with the barbecue
summer and finds that
it’s all chaos!
84
rying to get a handle on the British
weather is a bit like trying to
understand the performances of the
England cricket team - one day ‘hot’ and
the next day ‘not’.
The Brits are obsessed with the weather.
When it’s hot, as it was in June of this
year, we are “desperate for rain”; when it’s
wet, as it was in July, “will it ever stop
raining?”
Following what could be called a
traditional winter, with heavy snow and
prolonged frosts, we were promised a
‘barbecue summer’ by the ‘experts’. Quite
where they got that information from I
am not sure. Maybe it was born out of
hope rather than any scientific facts.
In truth, it started reasonably enough.
Spring was mild with plenty of showers in
April and early May. Even the oak came
out before the ash to concur that we were,
indeed, ‘in for a splash’. June’s hot
weather did see the barbies come out, but
then came July with, to coin another
phrase, ‘more rain than you can shake a
stick at’!
The country’s changeable weather is a
result of its location - with the Atlantic on
one side and a large continent on the
other. We are, at various times of the year,
at the mercy of the Gulf Stream, the
Russian Steppes, the Mediterranean, the
North Pole and those pesky French. There
is also the Great Oceanic Conveyor to
take into consideration, apparently.
In effect the UK’s position on our
planet means that we are on the ‘front
line’ of warm air from the tropics and
cold air from the poles, which spawns the
vigorous depressions and quiet anti-
cyclones that also bring marked changes
in weather.
Subtle changes in the wind direction
effect our weather patterns far more than
many other countries, making predictions
difficult.
Weather forecasting begins with
detailed measurements of the current
state of the atmosphere. Scores of
instruments on weather balloons, satellites
and ground observatories around the
country make continuous measurements
of sunshine, air pressure, wind direction
and temperature. The numbers are then
fed into a mathematical model running
on a super-computer that is roughly
equivalent in power to 8,000 desktop PCs.
This super-computer carries out
simulations with slightly different initial
conditions just to see the range of
possible outcomes, called an ensemble.
From the ensemble is deduced the most
likely outcome.
It is not an exact science because
weather systems are governed by the
chaos theory, which says that small
changes can lead to highly unpredictable
disruptions later down the line.
The Met Office carries out forecasts for
the next five days, which are available to
the public. The European Centre for
Medium-Range Forecasts, a collection of
all the meteorological centres across
Europe, also carries out medium-range
forecasts for five to ten days. The errors
grow exponentially, therefore, you will not
find credible forecasts, even for the large
scale, that go beyond ten days.
The Met Office also advises on likely
trends up to fifteen days ahead and
provides an outlook for the month ahead.
They have recently begun producing
seasonal forecasts. Like the monthly
forecasts these do not say whether a
specific day will be good or bad, wet or
dry, but give an idea how the season may
be in terms of temperature and rainfall
against long-term averages. In the past
decade computers have become more
powerful. The Met Office says its forecasts
for the day ahead are correct six times out
of seven, and its three-day forecasts are as
accurate as one-day forecasts were twenty
years ago.
And then there’s records and averages.
The World Meteorological Organisation
(WMO) requires the calculation of
averages for consecutive periods of 30
years, with the latest covering the 19611990 period. However, many WMO
members, including the UK, update their
averages at the completion of each
decade. Therefore, the UK’s averages are
set between 1971 and 2000. Thirty years
was chosen as a period long enough to
eliminate year-to-year variations.
These averages help to describe the
climate and are used as a base to which
current conditions can be compared.
I think we are all agreed that July was
‘pretty wet’. Here’s what the Met Office
had to say:
“Rainfall was significantly above normal in
almost all areas, particularly in a broad swathe
stretching from south-west England, through
Wales, the Midlands and northern England
into eastern Scotland. These areas recorded
over twice the average July rainfall, with
south-west England, south Wales and parts of
north-east England recording over three times
the normal amount.
The drier areas were in northern and
western Scotland and eastern East Anglia,
with up to 150% of the July average.
Provisionally, it was the wettest July on record
over England and Wales (in a series from
1914), being slightly wetter than July 2007
and much wetter than July 2008. Over Wales
it was ranked 2nd in this series, with only July
1939 being wetter.
Over the UK, it was also wetter than July
2007 and 2008 and provisionally ranks 4th
but close to the July totals in 1936, 1939 and
1988. Sunshine was close to the 1971–2000
normal across the UK, northern and western
Scotland faring best with about 120% of
normal. The wettest areas were also the dullest,
with south-west England and Wales recording
typically 80% of normal sunshine.”
Well, at least that confirms our feelings
- July was wet! But, here’s a thing. If July
2009 was wetter than the previous two
July’s then why did the country not suffer
(thankfully) the terrible floods of 2007
and 2008?
Apparently, it’s all to do with the type of
rain and where it falls. The floods of the
last two years were caused by torrential
rain, whereby huge amounts fell in a short
period. This causes the ground to become
waterlogged, which then simply became
unable to hold anymore. In the case of
Wales and Yorkshire rain rushed off the
surrounding high ground swelling rivers,
with the water also finding ‘alternative’
routes. In other areas, for instance
Worcester, the already high water table
created similar problems, resulting in the
river Severn breaking its banks.
The ‘steadier’, more consistent rain of
2009 has, for the moment at least, not
caused such excessive problems as the
ground can move the water away to the
coast over a longer period of time.
Whilst the impact of the weather affects
our daily lives - it always rain when the
kids are on holiday - the impact on this
industry, especially in financial terms, is
significant.
The trials of Steve Rouse at Edgabston
are reported in earlier pages of this issue,
and both Warwickshire CCC and the ECB
will have suffered financially, losing nearly
two days play, having to refund tickets and
losing the bar takings from the Barmy
Army.
But, further down the sporting ladder,
those traditional summer sports, club
cricket and bowls, will have lost significant
income due to the fall in clubhouse
revenue. This will, in turn, have an effect
on end of season renovations for cash
strapped clubs, with the possible decline
in the surface for the next season which,
again, impacts on retaining existing
members and attracting new ones. It is a
vicious circle completely outside the
control of the clubs.
There is nothing that can be done to
combat the effects of the UK’s weather.
We simply have to grin and bear it or,
more likely, make it the topic of
conversation down the pub!
As I write this, there are clear blue
skies, England are making a hash of the
fourth Test at Headingley and I’m
praying for rain! And, as one wag said; “If
you don’t like the UK’s weather just wait a
minute!”
85
Who
“All this has made an enormous
difference to the hours we can
actually play and practice. In fact,
the question is now ‘how do we find
the time to do essential maintenance
work without interrupting play?”
David Blacknall, Head Groundsman, Colchester United FC
Colchester United’s move to their new ground in
time for last season put head groundsman, David
Blacknall, under the local spotlight. He appears to
have come through it with flying colours, as
Charmian Robinson reports
are U’s...?
O
n the 2nd August 2009 the
Weston Homes Community
Stadium, the new home of
Colchester United Football Club
(known locally as the U’s) and
Colchester United Community Sports
Trust, celebrated its first year
anniversary.
It has been a year of mixed reaction
to the new facilities with its share of
teething problems and adjustments for
the town and the fans. But, one year on,
the general consensus is very positive
and Paul Lambert Manager of
Colchester United has expressed his
approval at the performance of the new
pitch.
Why did Colchester United move from
Layer Road?
Colchester United were formed in 1937
and had been based at their old ground
at Layer Road for over seventy years.
The switch from Layer Road to the
Weston Homes Community Stadium
came after several decades of the club
looking for a suitable site to build a
new home.
Throughout that time it was
becoming more and more obvious that,
despite the affection held by fans and
the club for the existing site, Layer
Road was clearly starting to show its
age and, being surrounded by houses
on either side, there was little
opportunity for development or
expansion.
The old ground had a capacity
limited to just 6,300 by current safety
restrictions, hospitality for just forty
people and parking for only forty cars,
reserved for players and officials only.
The new stadium offered the prospect
of so much more than that.
The U’s had considered several
different sites before finally opting to
move to their current home in the north
of the town, and appointed Kirklees
McAlpine as consultants for the new
stadium on land at Cuckoo Farm.
Partnerships and Funding
The Weston Homes Community
Stadium is a unique partnership as far
as a sports stadium is concerned.
The football club are tenants at the
stadium, which is owned by Colchester
Borough Council. The third partner is
the Colchester United Community
Sports Trust, which is a charity that
works with the football club to deliver
community coaching and education in
the local area.
The stadium cost £14.2m to build,
with additional costs for ‘fitting out’ the
stadium with furniture, carpets, seats
and so on.
This money was raised through a
combination of:
• the sale of Layer Road
• national government funding
• the Football Foundation
• East of England Development Agency
• other funding bodies such as the
Haven Gateway (for the development
of this part of East Anglia)
The Stadium and the environment
The planning process involved a
number of hurdles including
environmental surveys to ensure that
there were no rare species of animals
on the land and that drainage was
suitable. It was not until the summer of
2007 that construction finally began on
the new stadium site.
When completed, the Council
secured additional funding with the
promise that it would do all that it
could to make the facility “green
friendly” and to reduce the stadium’s
carbon footprint.
To achieve that, there have been a
number of initiatives, including:
• a water tank in the East Stand, which
collects rainwater to water the pitch.
This water is used first before the
stadium uses mains water supply
• motion sensitive lighting around the
stadium. The lighting in most rooms
will switch off after a certain amount
of time to ensure lights are not left on
overnight
• zoned heating so that only rooms
that are being used are heated
• transparent panels on the sides of the
stands to let natural light into the
concourses where the fans go at half
time, saving on lighting bills
Barr Construction, who had built
Southampton’s new St. Mary’s stadium as
well as a number of venues in Scotland,
were given the build contract, whilst a
number of local sub-contractors were also
appointed.
The construction was completed in
under a year and the club moved to the
new stadium in the summer of 2008, just
in time for the 2008-09 season.
The pitch construction
Head Groundsman, David Blacknall, has
been with the club for twenty-one years
following a six year tenure as a junior
groundsman with Nottingham Forest.
Not one for seeking the limelight,
David has, perhaps, been under scrutiny
a little more than he has been
accustomed to over his long career with
the club. But, in true groundsman
tradition, his concerns lie solely with the
care of the pitch, and he is delighted
with the new ground.
“When you are in one place over a
long period of time you get to know all
its faults, idiosyncrasies and what works
and what doesn’t” said David. “I was
consulted on the criteria required for the
new pitch and, using a combination of
my experience and advice offered from
those in the industry who had been in a
similar position, I was able to voice my
preferences for the type of pitch I wanted
and could easily justify my
requirements.”
One of the most significant
improvements is the installation of a
primary, lateral drainage system feeding
to a six inch mains pipe. As the native
soil in the Colchester area is extremely
heavy clay, drainage and irrigation can
be a nightmare at the best of times.
David explained further. “At Layer
Road we had no integral drainage, and a
manual irrigation system which basically
ran my life! The need to monitor the
watering was a twenty-four hour
requirement, and I would literally be up
at all hours to ensure the pitch was being
watered correctly. Or, we would be
incorporating all manner of machine
based drainage techniques to try and
alleviate a waterlogged pitch.”
“Now we have installed a Toro remote
operated, programmable pop-up
irrigation system, water levels on the
pitch are managed much more
effectively. Additional drainage work on
the pitch in the last few weeks has been a
pass with the Qwazae deep ground probe
decompactor, before verti-draining for
that essential extra help with drainage.
All this has made an enormous
difference to the hours we can actually
play and practice. In fact, the question is
now ‘how do we find the time to do
essential maintenance work without
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88
The Combi-Trailer is
a flexible “hard
worker” that can
be advantageously
put to work in
many areas.
Normally, the
Combi-Trailer
would be used to
solve the following
tasks:
• Cutting high and low
grass.
• Scarifying.
• Collecting leaves
• Collecting general litter
interrupting play?”
This issue has been highlighted
recently because of the need to give the
pitch its first annual overhaul. The fibre
and sand mix pitch was constructed by
Pugh Lewis Commercial Landscaping
Contractors. David Blacknall has nothing
but praise for the service and quality of
work, but natural settlement, particularly
around the drainage system, meant that
adjustments to the pitch would have to
be made.
A full renovation programme had to be
scheduled into a six week window
between June 1st and July 15th. In that
short space of time the pitch was
required to be brought up to
international standards to accommodate
the England Ladies versus Iceland
International game to be played on 17th
July, 2009.
“We planned to completely renovate
the pitch in just under six weeks” said
David. “I admit it appeared daunting
and was something I would never have
attempted at Layer Road.”
Adrian Smith Ground Care was the
contractor handling the job. The first
task was to fraise mow using a Koro Field
Topmaker to remove the top layer of
unwanted grasses, weeds and
contaminants that have the potential to
decrease the drainage capabilities of the
soil. Aggressive fraise mowing also
removes surfaces irregularities resulting
in a smoother, safer and more level
playing surface.
The second process was to install
diagonal sand slits to give additional
drainage support to the main drainage
system, followed by ninety tonnes of
Mansfield sand before the whole pitch
was verti-drained at close centres.
Soil analysis and treatment advice was
provided by Steve Denton of Rigby
Taylor. Steve has worked closely with
David over the years and recommended
seeding with RT14, with an application
of Primo Maxx growth regulator and a
14:2:7 plus magnesium/iron fertiliser.
The pitch was finally finished and
ready for pre-match training sessions on
Wednesday the 15th July as required. “It
was a bit nerve racking at times” said
David, “particularly when the pitch had
been all but stripped of grass. But Adrian
reassured me that today’s modern
machinery and the excellent drainage
and irrigation systems would allow us to
control the progress of each phase in the
renovation process, and he was right!”
Following the England Ladies
International match, Colchester United
Chief Executive Steve Bradshaw, who
played a key role in the stadium’s
development, said “the pitch is
absolutely magnificent. David has done a
great job on it over the summer. Thanks
to his efforts I believe that international
football at the ground could now become
a frequent occurrence.”
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89
Investment in a full time
groundsman and a committed,
forward-looking turf maintenance
firm is paying off as Swindon
Town’s County Ground becomes
one of the league’s top pitches,
reports Penny Comerford
PREMIER
RENOVATIONS!
S
windon Town Football Club start
this season with a new manager,
new players and high hopes of
improving its standing in the First
Division. If there’s any uncertainty in
terms of the football, there will be none
surrounding the performance of the
pitch at the County Ground itself, the
subject during the past two years of an
extensive renovation and maintenance
programme carried out by Ecosol
Turfcare.
Historically, things hadn’t been
particularly rosy on the pitch front. The
former club owners did not employ a full
time groundsman or see the need for
pitch renovation. Nor did they have
much of a budget. Groundsman Marcus
Cassidy worked for an external
groundscare contractor and tended the
pitch sporadically as Acting Head
Groundsman. “Maintenance was minimal
and so was the budget,” Marcus recalls.
Consequently, in early 2008, the
90
current owners inherited a poor surface
and longstanding drainage problems.
One of the first actions of CEO Nick
Watkins and Chairman Andrew Fitton
was to recruit Marcus as Head
Groundsman on a full time, permanent
basis. “They wanted a decent pitch and
were prepared to support me financially
to achieve that. What they actually had
then was far from ideal. It was over-used
from training sessions the previous year not to mention rock concerts and other
social events - it was compacted, poorly
draining and full of meadow grass” says
Marcus. The Directors’ brief was simple,
“We expect it to become one of the best
grounds in the league.”
Ecosol Turfcare, who operate out of
nearby Malmesbury, were asked to assess
the pitch in March 2008 and provide a
renovation specification that met the
short and long term requirements of the
Club. Bretton King, managing director,
says, “The pitch was in a poor state and
it was very clear that in-season work had
been restricted, with compaction meter
readings being particularly high. My
proposal to the club addressed the
problems and also mapped out a more
rigorous year-round maintenance
schedule. When we were then asked to do
the work in the knowledge of the short
close-season window, we reacted quickly
and got things underway.”
Says Nick Watkins, “Moving from
outsourced maintenance to a fulltime
groundsman, in tandem with Ecosol, has
made a tremendous difference. We now
apply fertiliser and fungicide materials
far more appropriately and work on the
pitch at precise times, not just at the
convenience of our previous external
contractor. Now into our second season,
we have already seen another marked
improvement in pitch quality over the
first.”
The first task, in May 2008, was to
remove the top 20mm of the pitch with a
Koro FTM and discard it,
closely followed by a BLEC
Sandmaster to open up
pathways into the primary
drainage system. Over 100
tonnes of dressing was
then applied and
incorporated into the
surface, after which the
pitch was re-seeded
with British Seed
Houses A20 Ryesport
blend at 55gm./m.sq.
Despite the
inclement weather,
torrential rain
and lack of sun,
the sward soon
re-established
and Marcus and the
directors were delighted.
Within seven weeks the
players trained on the
pitch and the first pre-
“This year the pitch came through a harsh
winter and still looked as good in April as
it did at the beginning of the season.”
Nick Watkins, CEO, Swindon Town FC
season friendly, against Portsmouth, took
place in week eight, as planned.
“The pitch coped really well all season
and the goalmouths didn’t lose any grass
until February,” says Marcus. “Bretton
and I put together a programme of
fertilisation and aeration which had been
absent in the past, and we did a lot of
verti-draining so, consequently, it looked
the best it had ever been and attracted
positive comments from fans,
management, our players and visiting
clubs alike.”
Nick adds, “Without exaggerating or
underestimating them, Bretton and his
team are very professional and
understand the needs of the pitch very
well.”
Last year, both local radio and
television gave favourable coverage of
the ground and the work done whilst,
last season, The County Ground reached
the last three in the FA Pitch of the Year
list and was one of the favourites to win,
before “politics” got in the way, and it
was just pipped to the prize.
Unfortunately, the progress of the
team was not quite as impressive, as
Swindon Town only narrowly avoided
relegation. Danny Wilson took over as
the new manager mid-season and, with a
solid budget behind him, he set to work
to rebuild the squad and attract new
players.
Full of optimism for the 2009/10
season, the club once again recruited
Ecosol for end of season renovation in
92
2009. “We were impressed that the
company took a long-term view,” says
Nick. “The pitch had come through a
harsh winter and, at the end of April, it
looked as good as it did at the beginning
of the season. A good testament to the
preparation work undertaken in the close
season and the ongoing maintenance
which was carried out throughout the
playing season by Marcus.”
The aim for 2009 was to build on
2008s improvements and address other
specific issues, such as the small pitch
depressions caused by pop concert
equipment, and removal of Poa grass
from the off-pitch perimeter which had
been a constant source of contamination
to the playing surface.
The three metre-wide perimeter was
treated with glyphosate in late April to
stop the already-forming seeds from
getting into the playing area and adding
to the seed-bank. Three weeks later the
Koro FTM was again employed to
remove just the surface vegetation (67mm) before further improvements were
made to the drainage system. The
depressions were then ameliorated with
new dressing before the pitch was regraded and levelled.
“With the passing of time, the pitch
perimeter had become very undulating
in places and couldn’t be koroed
properly, so we decided to kill-off the
meadow grass on the sides and re-seed to
stop it constantly encroaching,” says
Marcus, speaking in July, just days before
the first match, an England v Denmark
Ladies duel that is part of Swindon’s FA
contract. “That’s really helped and it’ll
be easier to maintain the ryegrass now.
We easily repaired the pitch after the
training for this Ladies game and it’s
looking fantastic. We’re expecting it to
hold up well for the season.”
And that’s just as well because fixtures
come thick and fast. There are four
games in ten days against Cardiff, West
Bromwich Albion, Plymouth and the first
League game against MK Dons on
August 15th. Marcus will be maintaining
it in-between with regular aeration,
spiking at different depths to encourage
root growth, and applying a sequence of
feeds to retain the sward's health.
And for the future? Marcus concludes,
“The pitch has a camber that runs from
the Stratton Bank to the Town End and,
although the sand slitting is doing a
good job increasing the drainage rate,
I’d like to look at Ecosol’s Drill n Fill and
a laser re-grading of the entire surface, if
long term plans permit, to further
improve the movement of water across
and through the soil profile.”
But the last word lies with CEO Nick
Watkins, “The commitment and excellent
work from Ecosol complements that of
the good, permanent groundsman we
have in Marcus, and together they are
our recipe for success in continuing to
improve the pitch.”
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There may not be any research to
prove that teams play better on a
well maintained surface, but
some say it affects their will to
play well. Can this be why the
Leicester Vipers Rugby Club had
a cracking 2008/9 season?
VIPERS
T
“Clubs need to
learn to stop using
their pitches like an
old door mat.
Remember, no pitch
equals no players,
no revenue and,
then, no club”
Ian ‘Keep off my grass’ Reid,
Head Groundsman, Leicester Vipers RFC
he Vipers are a ‘normal’ small rugby union
club where attention to detail and boosting
nature, along with the biological management
approach, is providing a cost effective, high quality
first class pitch. Now being described by the
Leicestershire RFU President as being “possibly the
best playing surface in the county”, great
appreciation is being heaped on lone groundsman
Ian Reid for the hard work and results he has
achieved with the pitch. Praise enough for him to
be nominated by the club for the Volunteer
Groundsman of the Year Award.
Ian has been a member of the club since he left
school in 1966, firstly as a player, then a committee
member, Vice President, Fixtures Secretary and,
finally, a volunteer groundsman.
In 1994 the members decided they wanted
someone to sort the pitches out, he volunteered
and said he would do it for a year! Fifteen years on
he still works relentlessly at the club and is just as
passionate about producing a first class pitch as he
was at the beginning.
“Back then, good contractors were hard to come
by, and I could never get them exactly when
conditions demanded and, to be honest, our
budget was very limited - still is if I’m honest!
Which is why I offered to step in. The first thing I
did was to persuade the committee to invest in
some equipment - a 1966 Massey 135 tractor and
an old Ransomes 340 gang mower - so I could, at
least, introduce a proper mowing regime”
explained Ian.
“The club had let their pitches fall into disrepair
and, like many clubs, little was known about the
requirements of sportsturf until I started working. I
needed to expand my knowledge more, so I
attended a Winter Pitch course at Loughborough
University, which was invaluable.”
STRIKE BACK ...
“We had all the usual problems and
more; compaction, weed infestation, lack
of nutrients etc., and not a very big
budget to put it right. However, as the
pitches improved, the committee became
more enthusiastic and found funds to
support my requests for better
equipment.”
We’ve been able to gradually build up
our equipment list, which includes a
John Deere tractor with rotary deck,
Ransomes hydraulic gang mower,
Charterhouse 1575 Disc Seeder, deep
slitter and vertidrain.”
Ian had been putting traditional
granular NPK fertilisers down - although
he was not in a position to keep piling
on loads of the stuff because of
budgetary restraints. “I had my concerns
though as, for years, I had only applied
synthetic inorganic fertilisers and
achieved reasonable results, but this was
not producing good root development.”
“I became increasingly interested in
the organic methods I had been reading
about, so I contacted one of the
companies, Soil Harmony, and asked
their Mark Atkins to pay a visit. He
explained the way microbes in the soil
provided food for the plants and that,
along with good aeration practices, his
product would work better than piling on
lots of traditional fertilisers.”
“They carried out a comprehensive
diagnosis of the soils, under their Free
Heath Check analysis scheme, and
produced a maintenance application
programme specifically for the
conditions here at the Blaby grounds.”
“The Soil Harmony programme, being
natural and biological, as opposed to
using chemicals, was, therefore,
somewhat new to me. But, I liked the
natural approach and Mark’s theories,
combined with the products, impressed
me.”
“My doubts were soon forgotten as the
first application in late winter had an
immediate and positive effect on the
grass plant that was then maintained
throughout the season.” explained Ian.
The analysis quantifies the various
nutrient elements present (exchangeable,
total and soluble) and their interrelationship with each other. It then uses
this information, along with other
criteria, to devise a tailor made
programme of the essential microbial
nutriment feeds that need to be applied.
Visual observations are then employed to
monitor grass health, root development
and wear & tear application.
Ian modified his tractor mounted
Greensward slitter by fitting a spray
boom and 400 litre tank. This means he
can slit, roll, rake, brush and spray in
one operation saving an awful amount of
very precious time.
He uses two parts Bios Turf Tonic and
a little bit of Trace-Moly to bring the
molybdenum levels up - as this is an
important part of the process in
converting atmospheric nitrogen into
plant food. He also adds in High-N
(nitrogen) to suit the turf requirements,
and N-Fusion (two applications only), for
airborne nitrogen fixation - all in the one
tank - which means he can spray
nutrients and aerate all in one pass.
The treatments are effective,
affordable, have a low impact on the
environment and have been proven in
laboratory trials to increase microbial
activity in the rootzone, with increases of
71% in bacterial abundance and 83% in
Mycorrhizal colonisation being recorded.
Regular analysis is undertaken and has
become a very useful tool to record and
monitor the status of the rootzone. The
compilation of the data reveals what is
happening below the surface.
The latest results were once again very
positive. Soil organic matter has
stabilised, meaning it has become
constant where debris from the growing
plant is recycled returning nutrients back
into the ecosystem, all helped by the
activity of a microbial living soil. Not
only has the quality of the turf improved,
through more efficient nutrient control,
but maintenance costs are also stabilised
by not wasting money with regular
applications of inorganic fertiliser.
“I haven’t used any chemicals for two
years since the health check,” said Ian
“and I now have the most sustainable
pitch we’ve have ever had, which results
in very quick recovery, which is really
important in rugby.”
“My training pitch only had 50%
coverage at the end of the 2008/2009
season. I overseeded that pitch in late
April after vertidraining and topdressing.
Within five weeks it had achieved 100%
95
“We had all the usual problems and
more; compaction, weed infestation, lack
of nutrients etc., and not a very big
budget to put it right”
coverage. I have never seen recovery like
that in fifteen years. It usually takes from
April to September to achieve the same
results using chemicals!”
Ian believes the recovery rates are
rapid due to the deep rooting that has
developed. This was first noticed when
excavating holes for new posts, where
grass roots were noted at below 250mm
depth. Grass plants seem to be full of
vigour and health.
Ian maintains that a lot of clubs simply
don’t understand the value of their
pitches and that they are ‘everything’ to a
club. “When they are in great condition
revenue is up, because people want to
use the pitches and clubhouse. Clubs
need to learn to stop using their pitches
like an old door mat, rendering them
unusable which, inevitably, leads to
expensive and major renovations that
clubs just cannot afford at this level.
Remember, no pitch equals no players,
no revenue and then no club”.
The ongoing benefits have been
apparent, even when the pitches were
trained and played on for in excess of
seventeen hours a week from September
to Bonfire Night last year. And then, like
many clubs, used as a car park! The turf
quality, with almost 100% coverage, was
maintained throughout the season, with
play continuing through to late May this
year when the grounds were selected for
use by Leicestershire RFU. “We now have
such a high standard of pitch that they
have played all their 2008/2009 games at
The Vipers” said Ian proudly.
Ian has been so inspired with this new
approach to grounds maintenance that
he wants to spread the word. So much so
that he has formed a very small company
called MatchFit SportsTurf offering
quality sportsturf maintenance for
football, rugby, golf and cricket - with the
Soil Harmony approach being integral.
“From the experience I have gained from
working at Vipers I understand that clubs
don’t have big budgets. My aim is to
offer a value for money, tailor made
package to any club wishing to improve
its grounds and status.
TWENTYQuestions
Ian ‘Keep off my grass’ Reid - assisted by his son and
Indie the dog ... all wearing slippers?
Who are you? Ian Reid, Head Groundsman,
Leicester Vipers RFC.
Family status? Married with three boys,
Alastair (30), Rob (27) and Mark (11). I also
have a three year old grandson, Ben.
Who’s your hero and why? My son Rob. He
helps me out at the ground. His marking out
is superb and he’s always there to pitch in
when I’m struggling.
What is your dream holiday? Somewhere
peaceful on a tropical beach with good food
and a bar to chill in sounds good to me.
What annoys you the most?
Incompetence, from those who should know
better.
What would you change about yourself?
I’m happy with myself, it’s just the others.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? The others.
Favourite record, and why? Red Red Wine,
UB40. Reminds me of happy times
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? My wife, Anni who
always supports me in everything I do, or
Amanda Holden.
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Buy a new home in
this country and maybe abroad.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? A double bass. It’s not the first
thing you hear when you listen to an
orchestra, but everyone knows it’s there.
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Don’t take anything for
granted. When you do a piece of work, check
it then check it again.
What’s your favourite smell? Newly mown
grass and fresh air. Liniment in the changing
room.
What do you do in your spare time?
Groundsmanship takes up every spare hour I
have! I used to make period furniture but
each takes up so much time to achieve
perfection.
What’s the daftest work related question
you have ever been asked? “Why can’t we
go out and train on the (waterlogged) pitch?”
What’s your favourite piece of kit? My
‘grounds assistant’ dog, Indie, and tractor.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? I am creative,
passionate and caring.
What talent would you like to have? I
have lots of talents already, it is important to
me to be able to pass these on to others and
make the best of what I already have and
whatever comes in the future.
What makes you angry? When players and
coaches take grounds for granted, misuse
them, and insist on wearing boots instead of
slippers!
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? I’d get the banks, pension
companies and politicians to pay back every
penny of the money they owe to me!
If you're enthusiastic and motivated to learn, you
might just be lucky enough to meet an individual
who guides you through the early years of your
working life. Through their practical and pastoral
guidance, they help you set goals, achieve standards
and reach milestones, shaping your career and your
future.
Andrew Lloyd was lucky enough to have such a
mentor in the Arsenal Grounds Manager, Steve
Braddock. He shares his story with Pitchcare.
MASTER
OF ALL HE
SURVEYS...
A
ndrew Lloyd met Steve Braddock
when he was five years old as
pupils at the same primary school.
As a teenager, he went on to play Sunday
League football at the Royal Veterinary
College where Steve was groundsman.
The players collectively referred to the
pitch there as ‘the carpet’, recognition
that later led to George Graham offering
Steve the Arsenal job.
Aged 20, Andrew left the country
seeking new horizons, travelling to Israel
where he worked on the collective
community land at a Kibbutz for two
years. After leaving the Middle East he
moved on to Australia, working in
agriculture, engineering and on a golf
course during his months in Sydney and
Brisbane.
The opening of Arsenal’s Colney
training ground in 1999 opened up fresh
opportunities for ten new faces on the
groundstaff and, upon his return to the
UK, Andrew became one of them. The
£10 million state-of-the-art development,
built by Leicester-based Hewitt
Sportsturf, contained ten full size pitches
and a training area for goalkeepers.
Andrew had no formal
groundsmanship training or
qualifications but Steve was happy to
teach him, the only prerequisite being a
good attitude, dedication and
commonsense. His internal training
focused on the core tasks of pitch
maintenance - cutting, marking out,
spiking, aerating. A year on, and
following good progress, Andrew was
made second in charge.
“I guess I've always had a natural
aptitude for working on the land” he
summarised. “Added to that was my
passion for the club as a lifelong fan and
spectator.”
All renovation work was completed in98
house and Steve and Andrew began to
add to the fleet of specialist machinery.
“We were one of the first clubs in the
UK to have a Koro” said Andrew, and I
remember going to Rotterdam to see it
in action. The invention of a machine
that could take the surface off in one
pass was a pivotal moment for anyone
involved in sportsturf. It revolutionised
the way we carried out renovations. From
then on, I became the big machinery
specialist at the training ground because
I could keep my concentration for long
periods of time - you had to with a
possible 98 sprinklers to Koro over!”
Time for change
During his last two years at Arsenal,
Andrew became increasingly dispirited.
With a young family, the long summer
hours became problematic. He wanted to
remain in the industry but had a hunger
for a new challenge.
“For more than six months I read
trade magazines, researched on the
internet and considered my options. I
didn’t want to go down the contracting
route but needed to find a way to
channel my skills into a venture that
would also fit around my family.”
“In the summer of 2007, I met up with
Bob Underhill from Lawn Master. I’d
seen his advert in Pitchcare and wanted
to know more. He chatted to me about
my background, family and ambitions for
the future and explained that he was
looking for professional turf managers
with ambition, drive and good customer
service skills to become Lawn Master
depots.”
“I was looking for a way to use the
skills I’d learnt at Arsenal, with the
flexibility to raise a family so I could
build a better future for us all.”
“Steve was one of the first people I
spoke to about it. He told me to think
very carefully before making any
decisions and was concerned about how
I’d make money during the winter
months. It was huge decision, with
significant financial implications but,
ultimately, a decision that only I could
make.”
“As with any new business venture,
finance is a critical issue. I’d be leaving
behind 80-100 hours overtime per
month at the club and that gave me
some wobbly moments. I discussed my
concerns with my wife, friends and
family. Bob suggested I spend a day
working with Spencer Haines, a former
Golf Course Manager who had joined
Lawn Master the previous year. Spencer
had made enormous strides since taking
the decision to leave his golf club and
appreciated the opportunity to talk
openly and candidly with someone who
had been in my position only a few
months previously.”
“As I was unable to raise the full
amount of capital needed to buy the
franchise, Bob agreed to defer the
payments until I’d established an
income. Slowly, the pieces fell into place
and my decision was made. Eight months
“It’s all about quality rather
than quantity, but you do
have to strike a balance”
after my search began, and with Steve’s
reluctant support, I left Arsenal in March
2008.”
Hitting the ground running
St. Albans, where I live, is an affluent
area but my Lawn Master venture began
just as the phrase ‘credit crunch’ started
to pop up with alarming regularity in the
headlines. I admit feeling some
trepidation until I completed my first
quote. After that I felt totally at ease - I’d
taken the plunge and I was flying. In my
van I have a Dori scarifier and I spent
the first three months permanently
attached to it! I’d spent a considerable
amount of time on a tractor at the
training ground and the intensity of the
physical work was a huge shock to the
system!”
“To launch our service in the local
area, which also covers Barnet and
Harpenden, leaflets were sent to more
than 110,000 homes so I had a
reasonable volume of work right from
the start. I don’t think I could have
accommodated much more if I’m honest.
I've learnt what does and does not work
in terms of promotion but, by far the
most common way of getting new
business is by referral - ‘lawn envy’ is a
wonderful thing. Having worked at
Arsenal has definitely helped me get
business. People want to talk to me about
it so it helps me engage with potential
customers.”
A journey of self-discovery
After working abroad for years and
having spent almost a decade at a
Premiership club, was there anything
Andrew could learn from selfemployment? Absolutely.
“The attention to detail that was
instilled in me by Steve’s high standards
is definitely something I took with me,
and it has certainly helped with both
customer satisfaction and retention, but
it has caused me a few problems too.”
“Initially, I spent far too much time on
jobs trying to get them perfect when it
has been unrealistic. When we first met,
Bob told me that, unlike some other
franchise companies, ‘this isn’t a
numbers game’, which was one of my
initial concerns. It’s all about quality
rather than quantity, but you do have to
strike a balance. I’ve also found that,
having such high standards, has also
made me reluctant to delegate.”
“Getting to grips with Lawn Master’s
bespoke computer system has been okay,
I used to do the scheduling at Arsenal so
I know my way around a computer and
I’m good with numbers. I’m also not the
most organised person but I manage well
under pressure.”
“The importance of self-motivation
became apparent this winter. When we
had snow I felt lethargic and downbeat
but, once it cleared, I knew I had to
channel my energies into something
positive. When I’ve spent hours
scarifying, have worked a long, hard day
or if I’m at home doing quotes long into
the evening, I try to stay focused on my
goals and the positive aspects of my
business, of which there are many.”
“Motivating myself when I’m out
working is easy. Groundsmen at football
clubs are largely taken for granted in my
opinion, and I enjoy the regular praise I
receive from my customers. I go back to
work at the Emirates Stadium on
matchdays and I’m always interested in
their progress. If I went back to work at
the training ground, I’d be a much better
groundsman.”
“Every garden is a different project
and I’m having to draw on every bit of
99
“I was duly
rewarded with a
pot of tea and
biscuits. You can’t
get more rewarding
than that”
my knowledge to deliver a first-class
service. Good social skills are also vital.
In football, you spend so much time
working alone but now social skills are
critical to the success of my business.”
“Some customers don’t care what
you’re doing, some want to know every
last detail but, regardless, I like engaging
with them. One lady called me a ‘miracle
worker’ after I’d removed two inches of
moss from her 100m² lawn. I’d scarified
the lot and overseeded. Twice she rang
me in a panic that nothing was
happening, but I was able to reassure
her. Once the seed was up and
established she was delighted and I was
duly rewarded with a pot of tea and
biscuits. You can’t get more rewarding
than that.”
“I don’t work many weekends now. At
Arsenal I was doing twelve days on, two
days off for eight months of the year. A
five day week has had a positive effect on
my work/life balance. I have so much
more precious time now with my
daughter, and I enjoy the flexibility in
my work schedule and being able to
dictate the pace myself to some extent.”
Making progress
So, has it all been worth it? Andrew can
say, unreservedly, that it has.
“I’ve now been in business for sixteen
months and things are going well. Like
everyone else I’m sick of the media
ramming financial negativity down
everyone’s throats. I spent the spring
looking after existing customers, and the
summer months have largely been taken
up with fertiliser applications. Pricing by
job, rather than from a menu, has helped
as it gives customers the option to spend
according to their budget. For example,
if a garden’s neglected and the customer
can’t afford to returf, he may find that,
for less than half the cost, he can have
his lawn scarified and overseeded.”
“As for what the future holds, I’m
happy to go with the flow. I don’t want to
burden myself. Concerns about cashflow
during the winter months were
unfounded and I had a full schedule of
liquid feed, turf hardener and moss killer
applications. My first goal was to earn
the same money I was on at Arsenal from
a five day week, and to allow myself time
to adapt to the lifestyle change. Now I’ve
achieved that, I’d like to take someone
on so I can extend my customer base.”
And what advice would he give to
anyone else considering selfemployment?
“Think of other ways you could use
your skills and, when you’re looking at
the options, make sure you do your
homework. You must be motivated and
able to rise to the challenge - it’s hard
work but well worth it for the rewards.
You’ve got to have good PR skills to deal
with customers, which doesn’t always
come easy for people who’ve tended to
work alone. Finally, you’ve got to have
good self-discipline - you’re not going to
earn money sitting on your sofa!”
TWENTYQuestions
Scott Reeves - Kerrang! Appears to be a bit of a heavy
metal fan. I’ve a sneaky feeling he likes Metallica!
Who are you? Scott Reeves, Course
Manager at Leyland Golf Club.
Family status? Married to Tracy with three
children - Evan (10), Alice (8), Adam (5).
Who’s your hero and why? I admire a lot of
people but I honestly have to say my wife.
She raised three children, studied for a
degree and achieved a teaching qualification.
She was even studying whilst in labour!
What is your dream holiday? Somewhere
warm but not scorching, sat by a pool with
beer in hand and kids nowhere to be seen
enjoying themselves.
What annoys you the most? Where to
start? Mostly, people who cannot take
responsibility for their own actions and the
results of them. For example, morons up to
their necks in debt on loans and credit cards
who complain about the banks or MP’s
expenses.
What would you change about yourself?
If my wife would let me, I’d never shave
again. What a waste of time.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? David
Cameron’s spokesman. I think I would break
my remaining teeth from gritting them so
hard.
Favourite record, and why? Easy, ‘Master
of Puppets’ by Metallica. The best metal
record ever made and, since we all know that
metal is the best form of music, it is, by
definition, the best record EVER MADE. Fact!
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? Oh, my wife of
course. At a romantic, intimate gig by
Metallica at the Marquee Club. See, I know
how to treat a lady!
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Take the kids to Toys R
Us, give them a trolley each and then let
them loose.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? A white Gibson Explorer, played
through an enormous Marshall stack
cranked up to 11. Some people love it, some
hate it, but no-one can ignore it!
What's the best advice you have ever
been given? “Scott. Shut up mate”.
What’s your favourite smell? Roast lamb.
Mmmm ... roast lamb.
What do you do in your spare time? Ha
ha, that’s a good one! Ahem. Play guitar,
Xbox, read and watch my kids do stuff.
What’s the daftest work related question
you have ever been asked? “Why does the
Cushman you want cost more than a Fiat
Panda?” Duh.
What's your favourite piece of kit? Tough
one. I would have to say the Baroness LM56
hand mower. The best greens finish I have
ever seen.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Honest, inquisitive and
loyal.
What talent would you like to have? I
wish I could draw really well.
What makes you angry? People with
agendas who don’t put the needs of those
they represent first.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? I would make it
compulsory to vote, with stiff penalties for
those who don’t.
My name is Bob Underhill. I’m a
greenkeeper and also Managing
Director of a lawn treatment
company called Lawn Master.
If you are like most of the greenkeepers and
groundsmen that we have spoken to, then
you enjoy doing your job, and do it out of
passion for turf. This is despite the hours
being so long and the financial rewards
being extremely poor.
How long will you be expected to keep
doing unpaid overtime, with minimal staff
levels and no funds, or even under threat of
redundancy? Wage rises are now a thing of
the past, but you are expected to view
where you work as a privilege or substitute
for an acceptable salary.
In the last few years Lawn Master has taken
top grounds and greens staff from some of
the highest paid and most prestigious
positions in the industry, as well as the
poorest. All have done extremely well,
because given the choice customers
appreciate and prefer having an
experienced trained person, rather than the
new inexperienced players in the franchise
world.
Ten new Lawn Master outlets have been
started in the last 12 months with seven new
outlets sold in 2009 so far. One new outlet
this year, in his first month of trading had a
turnover exceeding £8,800 and broke all our
previous records. Some outlets in year two
are already on track for £200k turnover.
New starters this year have already reached
between £5k and £7k per month by the end
of month four. We are certainly having a
record year in 2009.
Competitors are no problem for our outlets
as we are the only lawn company in the UK
to recruit pre-experienced franchisees.
Our funding packages make it easy for any
experienced groundsmen and greenkeepers
like you to own their own business. We
need the right people that are experienced
and motivated. In return, you’ll receive all
the support that you need, and join the only
network of like-minded real professionals in
the UK.
Early sand-filled surfaces offered
flatness but were brutally abrasive on
knuckles, knees and elbows, and clubs
struggled to maintain them properly
Artificial turf has become
firmly entrenched in the
fabric of sports
development around the
globe - not an
inconsiderable
achievement for a
product that this year
cele
ebrates only its 45th
birthday.
We talk to Andy Carter of
Notts Sports about its
history and the future
W
hile some sports
continue to wrestle with
it - football’s
international governing
bodies see artificial turf
as a cornerstone of the development of
the game, particularly in
underprivileged countries. Yet, national
associations are all too quick to ban its
use for league fixtures - others, like
cricket and hockey, see it as
fundamental to the continued success
of their respective sports.
The future seems like an odd place to
start a feature on the ‘history of
artificial turf ’ but, in cricket, rather
than what has happened in the 265-year
history of the game, it is exactly what
might happen in the next few years that
is most interesting, when it comes to
pitches, anyway.
“For most sports, the need for the
development of artificial turf was to
simply create better playing surfaces,”
says Andy Carter, chief executive of
Notts Sport, a leading specialist in the
field and the world’s leading supplier
of artificial cricket pitches. The
company celebrates its 25th
anniversary this year and has
specialised in artificial turf since day
one - so they’re better placed than most
to know.
“But, in cricket,” continues Andy,
“where there is a need to create a very
specialised and bespoke playing area,
the use of artificial pitches is critical
for the game’s global roll-out.”
“Countries like China are not going
to build grass cricket pitches. But, we
are already looking to develop a system
which can be overlayed on pre-existing
artificial surfaces, that have been built
for baseball and football, which would
enable the International Cricket
Council to take the game there.”
The Far East’s love of gadgetry and
technology can also integrate
seamlessly, and more easily, with
artificial surfacing than grass.
PitchVision, for example, a software
system which uses sensors located
within the turf to record a bowler’s
pace, line, length and trajectory could
be integrated into one of the company’s
flagship cricket practice products.
Adds Andy: “In developing
countries, the cost of building and
maintaining natural grass surfaces combined with the lack of
groundsmanship skills that has been
identified within sports on a global
basis - makes synthetic surfacing very
attractive. And there’s much wider
general acceptance of this now,
particularly when it comes to practice
facilities.”
“We've seen the major influence that
technology has had in cricket and
tennis in recent years with Hawkeye.
Now there’s an opportunity to
incorporate PitchVision into a surface
that would then become a complete
statistical analysis tool for player and
coaches.”
Like most sports, cricket in the UK
had its first experience of artificial turf
in the 80s, in June 1980 to be precise,
in an exhibition match under
floodlights between Essex and the
touring West Indies at Chelsea’s
Stamford Bridge ground.
Harry Brind, the groundsman at The
Oval, who also held the same post at
Stamford Bridge, was brought in to
supervise the laying of a drop-in wicket
but, in the end, an artificial pitch was
laid.
In a carnival atmosphere, Graham
Gooch smashed a 77-minute century,
Viv Richards blasted 53 runs in one
brutal eighteen minute period, and
Collis King broke one spectator’s
ARTIFICIAL TURF
umbrella with a flat six on his way to
56! Sadly, in the days before
Duckworth-Lewis, there was no result.
But, while cricket enjoyed its brief
flirtation with artificial turf, less than a
year later football was thrown into
chaos by it. Queens Park Rangers dug
up its grass pitch and installed an
artificial one, losing its first home game
on September 1st 1981 to Luton Town
who, ironically, went on to install their
own ‘plastic pitch’ in 1985.
By the mid-1980s there were four
plastic grass pitches in operation in the
English Football League (QPR, Luton
Town, Preston North End and Oldham
Athletic) but fans and players never
liked them and, in 1988, the English
Football Association outlawed them for
good.
While football at grass roots level
made good use of the technology Islington Council had installed the
UK’s first synthetic surface at Market
Road, London, in 1971 - and other
councils were immediately attracted to
the high-rent, low maintenance
opportunity - the sport of hockey
positively thrived.
Before the invention of firstgeneration artificial surfaces, the quick-
silver skills of players from Pakistan
and India had enabled their countries
to put a stranglehold on the
international game, winning four of the
first five Hockey World Cups and
eleven out of the first fifteen Olympic
Gold Medals to be awarded in the
sport.
But, giving stronger, more powerful
nations access to super-flat surfaces for
the first time, removing unpredictable
bounce and lessening the need for the
sublime stick work previously required
to control a ball on grass, meant
associations from Europe and Australia
began to encourage a whole new style
of game.
From unparalleled success Pakistan
and India have endured an Olympic
gold medal drought since 1984.
For hockey, artificial turf technology
couldn’t develop fast enough. Early
sand-filled surfaces offered flatness but
were brutally abrasive on knuckles,
knees and elbows, and clubs struggled
to maintain them properly.
The sand infill was used to support
the fibre in an upright position, and
regular distribution and topping up
were essential in maintaining an
upright pile. Without maintenance, the
pitches became hard, fast, bumpy and
often lifted.
At Bisham Abbey and the National
Sports Centre at Lilleshall, Shropshire,
2G water-based pitches took the game
to another level, allowing players to
dive headlong to deflect shots
goalwards and enabling keepers to
pioneer a slide-save technique,
skidding prone along the surface and
blocking with an ever-increasingly
protected body.
Turf technology was at the very
forefront of changing the face of the
game. The heads of sticks became
increasingly smaller to allow for
different techniques, such as reverse
stick trapping and hitting, players had
confidence to play first-time passes
and, at penalty corners, players could
now drag-flick the ball at high velocity
and high trajectory towards the goal.
Conversely, hockey is now coming
under threat from artificial turf
development. Many clubs rely on
council pitches to stage their weekly
fixtures, yet the local authorities
themselves are replacing old
installations with new 3G pitches, and
the longer turf, designed to be the very
best alternative to natural grass,
has come of age?
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Renovation & maintenance
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t. +44 [0] 1455 883 730 f. +44 [0] 1455 883 755 e. info@nottssport.com
NOTTS SPORT® is a registered trademark.
104
primarily with
majority
sports like
football and
rugby in
mind, is not
entirely
suitable for
hockey.
While it
looks like
natural grass, enjoys similar
playing characteristics, is
non-abrasive, can be used
with moulded or studded
boots, while running,
stopping and tackling are all
possible, with a reduced risk
of risk of injury, that’s not
really what hockey requires.
So, the challenge facing
hockey’s supremos is that the
very product that
revolutionised the game now
poses a considerable threat at
grass roots level.
Naturally, companies like
Notts Sport are keen to
develop a solution which
gives players of all sports
access to the benefits of
artificial playing surfaces.
Says Andy Carter: “It is
important for us to continue
to develop multi-sports
surfaces because these give
owners the opportunity to
generate maximum use from
a wide selection of sports.
But, what’s equally exciting is
the challenge of developing
the ‘surface on a surface’
system.”
“We have been involved in
the new practice facility at
Firwood Bootle Cricket Club
in Liverpool, which combines
a special permanent surface
in the clubhouse extension
for functions and events,
which is then covered with
our portable rollout cricket
mats for batting and bowling
practice. This dual-use system
is working very well and has
enabled the club to start
training much earlier in the
season.”
Continuous improvement is
not something new to those
in synthetic sports surfacing,
which is now in its fifth
decade of development.
During the 1960s, the Ford
Foundation in America was
studying ways to improve the
physical fitness of young
people, while at the same
time, the Chemstrand
Company, a subsidiary of
Monsanto Industries, was
developing new synthetic
fibres for use as superresilient carpeting.
The company was
encouraged to try to make
the perfect urban sports
surface for schools and, in
1964, its synthetic turf called Chemgrass - was
installed for the first time at
the Moses Brown School in
Providence Rhode Island.
A year later, Judge Roy
Hofheinz built the
AstroDome in Houston and,
in 1966, the Houston Astros’
baseball season began on a
Chemgrass surface, now
renamed Astroturf.
The doors in professional
sport had well and truly been
opened to artificial turf and,
the next year, Indiana State
University Stadium became
the first outdoor stadium in
the world to be installed with
Astroturf.
Europe took time to catch
up, with London leading the
way, when Islington council
installed first generation
synthetic football and hockey
pitches as part of the regeneration of
the Caledonian Market area in North
London.
Europe’s early ‘plastic pitches’ were
made from polypropylene, which was
cheaper and softer than the nylon
version, so players were at less risk of
injury but, before long, second
generation technology had evolved,
with longer tufts of grass spaced more
widely apart, and sand spread
between the fibres to create firmness
and stability.
Because polypropylene does not
return to its original shape once it
folds, the sand infill, used to support
the fibre in an upright position, was
critical, as was regular brushing and
topping up of sand to maintain an
upright pile.
As a result, organisations which saw
the introduction of ‘maintenance-free’
artificial turf as a way to cut costs soon
saw pitch quality deteriorate. Surfaces
felt firmer under foot, played faster,
retained surface water and developed
bumps and hollows, clearly indicating
that synthetic surfaces required
maintenance, rather than being
maintenance-free.
Twenty years on from that, and the
latest 3G synthetic turf has certainly
come a long way. The grass has longer
fibres (50mm or so) which are made
from softer materials like
polyethylene, spaced further apart in
the carpet and generally infilled with
rubber granules or crumb.
These are now regarded as a
genuine alternative to natural grass,
although regular brushing is still
required to avoid compacting and to
stop the infill material from migrating
away from high-intensity play areas
such as goalmouths.
“As long ago as the late 1970s,
Nottinghamshire County Council had
seen a lack of traditional
groundsmanship skills” said Andy,
“and researched and developed its
own range of synthetic cricket pitches
which it could install at any site within
the county boundaries. By 1984 we
were marketing and distributing the
council’s patented designs, alongside
our own systems.
“In the grand scheme of things,
artificial turf is still a relatively new
invention, but it continues to develop
and it is certainly here to stay.”
If ever proof of that were needed, in
July of this year, officials at Cowboys
Stadium - the new $1.15bn home of
the Dallas Cowboys - announced the
introduction of three artificial pitches
at the venue.
“Always in the back of our mind, we
knew there would be a lot more here
than just football or soccer. We built it
with the ultimate flexibility in mind,”
Cowboys Stadium General Manager,
Jack Hill, told Associated Press.
“Nothing against natural grass. It’s
beautiful. But, from a maintenance
standpoint, there’s quite a bit to it.”
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ARTIFICIAL TURF
1964 Chemstrand Corporation installs the first
synthetic playing surface, Chemgrass, at the Moses
Brown School, Rhode Island, USA.
1966 Newly-built Houston Astrodome baseball arena
uses Chemgrass, now renamed AstroTurf.
1970 First synthetic pitch for hockey installed at
Empire Stadium, Vancouver. Argentina and Canada
play first hockey match on artificial surface.
1971 First synthetic turf installed in Europe at
Caledonian Park, Islington, London.
1976 For the first time in hockey history, artificial
turf is used for Olympic Games, Montreal. New
Zealand win gold.
1980 Essex play West Indies at Stamford Bridge on
the first artificial cricket pitch.
1981 Under Terry Venables, QPR installs infamous
‘plastic pitch’, later followed by Luton, Oldham and
Preston.
1984 Leading synthetic surface designers
NottsSport launch in UK and develop lowmaintenance NottsBase D system and highperformance Envelope System for cricket.
2000 UEFA starts research into 3G with the
installation of a pitch in front of its HQ in
Switzerland.
2003 UEFA begins tests on new ‘Football Turf’ in five
locations: Luzhniki, Russia; Dunfermline, Scotland;
Salzburg, Austria; Oerebro, Sweden; Almelo, Holland.
2005 Scottish Premier League bans artificial
surfaces for competitive matches.
2007 England football team plays competitive
international fixture on artificial surface for the first
time, at Luzhniki, Russia.
2009 New $1.15bn Cowboys Stadium reveals plans
for three artificial pitches.
Maintaining Standards
//The Intelligent Solution For
Artificial Surface Maintenance//
//REPAIRS //MAINTENANCE //ADVICE
Contact us for a FREE surface inspection report*
tel:// +44 (0)8702 400 700 http:// www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk mail:// info@technicalsurfaces.co.uk
*Offer valid on initial inspections only. Typical value £195 + VAT.
105
Dr Paul Fleming’s
team put an artificial
surface through its
paces to test the effect
of brushing during
maintenance. the tests
were carried out using
a Fanuc R2000i
B series robot
Technical Surfaces
have commissioned
the world’s first
study to assess the
effects of brushing
on the wear of
synthetic sport
carpet systems
A BRUSH
with reality ...
E
arlier this year Technical Surfaces, the UK’s leading
synthetic maintenance specialists, commissioned the
undertaking of a report by Loughborough University at the
Sports Technology Institute to assess the effect of brushing on
the wear of synthetic sport carpet systems.
The research was undertaken by Dr. Paul Fleming, to give
factual back-up to what Technical Surfaces already knew through
field work, that brushing, carried out in the correct frequency,
and with the right machinery, will not detrimentally damage the
carpet.
“We began sweeping our first pitch back in 1995,” commented
Jonathan Gunn, Technical Director at Technical Surfaces.”This
evidence was more to silence the critics within the industry than
the pitch or facility owners who have always been more than
happy with the work we do.”
The preliminary meetings between Technical Surfaces and Dr.
Fleming identified three brush types and three surface types for
testing. The specifications for the test procedure (including
rotation speed, brush head ground speed, depth of brush
embedment into the surface under test, direction of rotation and
brush size) were also agreed during the initial trials.
“The tests basically concentrated on three brushing techniques
we use, frequent/regular soft brushing, frequent/regular harder
brushing and more intensive annual or bi-annual Revite®. The
reason we use two different types of brush on our frequent
monthly/bi-monthly sweeping is dependent on surface type,”
said Jonathan.
The cycles chosen give extreme examples of the use of
Technical Surfaces’ brushing techniques, as they wanted to show
the worst case scenario and give a clear, unequivocal conclusion.
Therefore, the cycles for the Regular brush replicated a weekly
frequency (which is certainly possible), although in reality this
type of brushing is generally carried out, at best, on a monthly
basis to complement in-house drag brushing.
Therefore, the results for this section, which show 0,10, 50
weeks then 3, 5, 10 and 20 years can, in theory, be multiplied by
4 to give even more staggering results of 0, 40 weeks, then 4, 12,
40 and 80 years - still with minimal damage!
106
The following table shows the summary of testing carried out,
with the specific details of the test set-up for each system and
brush.
Notes: * 1 cycle = 2 passes of the brush in opposite directions of travel. The cycles
are equated to ‘life’ as follows:
Regular brushes - done weekly at 2 passes (maximum) so 0, 10, 50, 150, 250, 500
and 1000 cycles is equated to 0, 10, 50 weeks and 3, 5, 10 & 20 years
approximately.
Revite brush - done approximately annually (1 visit, 18 passes at each visit), so 0, 9,
18, 36, 72, 135 and 180 cycles is equated to 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 & 20 years
approximately.
When you consider that most facilities only expect their pitch
to last for a ten year cycle, these figures show how the work that
Technical Surfaces does has no impact on the shortening of a
pitch’s life. Indeed the oldest pitch that they maintain is now
nearly twenty-five years old!
The area used for testing purposes
S = Soft. H= Hard.
“The summary results clearly show a low level of wear that was
observed to be caused by the brushing alone,” says Dr. Fleming.
“The life of 20 years was used to represent a period of time
longer than most artificial pitches surfaces survive in practice. In
reality, the effects of surface usage for playing the sport or
training (total weekly hours at Loughborough University for
example is around 50-65 per week on the soccer/rugby surfaces),
and environmental effects are considered to be the main
contributors to wear.”
It is, therefore, considered that this study has shown that the
contribution of maintenance brushing related wear is
insignificant in comparison to the wear expected from the
surface use and the exposure to the environment.
With the company maintaining some of the oldest synthetic
surfaces in the country, it is easy to see that they have plenty of
field experience. Now they have the data to show that their
processes are an extremely effective way of prolonging the life of
any synthetic surface. On-going testing and analysis of facilities’
sites will continue. If you simply want to get the most out of your
pitch or need your surface to pass stringent performance
criteria, such as the FIFA 2 testing, the methods adopted by
Technical Surfaces can now be recommended with even further
confidence.
For more information, please contact Technical Surfaces on
08702 400700 or visit their new website
www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk
A close up of a sand filled surface after testing
107
HOPING AGAINST
It’s not difficult to
understand why rabbits are
loved by children. I suppose
the blame lies clearly at the
feet of Beatrix Potter, Walt
Disney and the like. Even
Richard Adams’ gruesome
Watership Down had the
‘aaaah factor’ as the little
critters ended up living
happily ever after. And then,
of course, there is Bugs
Bunny!
In the second of a series on
pest control Andy Bedoes, of
ABComplete Pest Control,
looks at the methods
available to keep Thumper
and his pals off your land!
Contrary to popular belief, rabbits are
not rodents but Lagomorpha, a family
made up of rabbits and hares.
Lagomorphs have two pairs of upper
incisor teeth, the second pair being
directly behind the front set. These
teeth grow continually throughout the
life of the animal and need to be kept at
the optimum length. Therefore, rabbits
must gnaw at hard surfaces to wear
them down, and this is the reason why
trees and fence posts are gnawed.
Unlike rodents, who are prone to
eating almost anything, rabbits are
herbivores and feed on grass, weeds
and other vegetation.
Rabbits are not native to the UK. It
is thought that the Romans and
Normans brought them here as a
source of meat when hunting larger
wild animals was difficult. They
were kept in warrens allowing
them to be farmed. Our
population of rabbits are
descendants of escapees
from these warrens.
A black rabbit in a
population is generally
the sign of interbreeding,
often these colonies will
suddenly disappear as
the whole colony
has no
resistance to disease.
When farming became better
organised in the 1800s, and winter feed
became available, the population
exploded and, other than a period in
the late 1950s when Myxomatosis (or
Myxi as it is commonly referred to) was
rife, the rabbit population has steadily
increased.
The Myxi virus is transferred by
insects and fleas but, since its first
devasting introduction, rabbits have
built up an immunity to the disease. It
appears that Myxi has the ability to
change its structure to combat this
immunity, and a particulary virulant
outbreak in south east England in
autumn 2000 devasted the rabbit
population. In the UK it is now an
offense to deliberately transfer Myxi. In
Australia it is still used as a widespread
form of control.
An adult rabbit weighs between 1-2kg
and eats up to 600 grammes per day.
Ten rabbits will eat as much grass as
one ewe.
The gestation period is
approximately 30 days. The kits are
weaned at five weeks and females will
be in breeding condition at just 3-4
months old and giving birth to an
average size litter of five. Each female
can breed up to five times a year if the
conditions are good. Therefore, one
female and her
offspring can be
responsible for
producing
thousands of
Fumigation must be the last
option as you are required,
by law, to use the least toxic
method of control
rabbits in a season.
This capacity to reproduce makes
control difficult and, according to
DEFRA, the aim of control should be to
reduce numbers to a level at which
damage is economically acceptable.
The legal implications for control of
rabbits come under the 1954 Pest Act
which makes the occupier of the land
responsible for the control the rabbit
population.
If rabbits on a neighbour’s land are
causing serious damage, and
discussions with them fail to resolve the
problem, you can refer the matter to
Natural England’s Wildlife
Management and Licensing Service.
Where a complaint is justified,
DEFRA and Natural England have
powers to require rabbit control to be
carried out. If this is not done, it may
arrange for the necessary work to be
undertaken at the expense of the
occupier, who could also be liable to a
fine.
Rabbits do not respect boundaries, so
the most effective results will be
achieved if control is also undertaken
on adjoining land at the same time.
Control methods
There are a number of control methods.
These include: shooting, ferreting,
traps, nets, running dogs, birds of prey,
fumigation and repellents.
None of these methods on their own
will remove the whole rabbit
population. The only real way to keep
rabbits out is fencing. A combination of
the legal control methods will most
definitely reduce the numbers.
To make the most impact on a
population the best time of the year to
target rabbits is November through to
March. This is when the population
will be made up of breeding adults and
serious inroads can be made into the
breeding stock. Long netting and
shooting at night or ferreting with long
nets in the day will also put a serious
dent into the numbers.
Shooting is best undertaken
at night with the aid of a
high powered lights.
However, if night
shooting is carried out
on a regular basis,
the rabbits will
become “lamp
shy” and
difficult to
shoot.
By
combining
shooting,
netting,
trapping,
ferreting and
fumigation
populations
can be kept at
a suitable
level.
We ferret
HOP ...
and shoot throughout the
year to keep the balance
between the rabbits and
damage caused by them and
us to a minimum.
Fumigation must be the last
option as you are required, by
law, to use the least toxic
method of control. The
product available for
fumigation is Aluminum
Phosphide which can only be
used by those that have been
trained in its safe use.
Fumigation will only work if it
is a thorough treatment
where ALL of the open holes
are treated, including those
deep in bramble bushes.
A word of warning! There
is a piece of equipment on
the market that is supposed
to be ‘the definitive answer’
to rabbit problems. The
principle is to put a propane
and oxygen mix into the
rabbit burrows and ignite the
gas. This method is illegal
under the Wildlife and
Countryside Act as it is an
offense to kill any wild animal
using explosives. The
suppliers of the equipment
try to get around the law by
saying the explosion will
collapse the tunnels. It won’t,
so don’t get caught out on
the wrong side of the law with
this one as it simply isn’t
effective.
We have been having some
really good results with a taste
aversion repellent called
Rezist. It is for professional
use only.
It is sprayed on to feeding
areas and makes the site
unattractive and helps to
keep it clear,
Rezist causes no problems
with grass and it also works
with Canada geese, moles,
foxes and other mammals
that enter the area. It is not
likely to be 100% effective,
but should offer a significant
reduction in pest activity.
Treatments with this
product should form part of a
planned and integrated
programme which may also
include standard pest control
measures as mentioned
previously. It should be seen
as an opportunity to
significantly enhance current
methods, not replace them
entirely. Specific areas, such
as greens, tees, football
pitches etc., can be treated
regularly. This will move the
pests away from the playing
surfaces out to the fringes.
Any trap used for rabbits
Long net
Drop trap
Ferreted
Magnum trap
must be on the Spring trap
approval list
(www.opsi.gov.uk). The trap
must be positioned in man
made or natural tunnels, and
all traps set for rabbits must
be checked daily between the
hours of sunrise and sunset.
Drop traps along fence line
and boundaries will regularly
take a dozen rabbits in a
night if they are positioned
correctly, rabbit snares can
quickly reduce numbers if
they are used by someone
experienced in there use.
If you are using live catch
cage traps always face the
trap in the direction the
rabbits will be coming from as
they will have either fed or be
in a hurry when they are on
their way back. Ensure the
bait in the cage traps is
refreshed daily so it remains
attractive. In the past we have
used parsley in flower pots to
catch some wary rabbits at a
golf course.
Andy Beddoes
ABComplete Pest Control
www.abcomplete.co.uk
109
“All this magnificent pleasure ground is
entirely, unreservedly and forever the peoples
own. The poorest British peasant is as free to
enjoy it in all its parts as the British Queen”
Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of Central Park, New York
A WALK IN
THE PARK...
Justin Grew looks at the checkered history of urban
open spaces from the early decades of the 19th
century up to the present day
P
ublic parks are familiar to most
people today either because we
make use of them in our daily lives
or because we played in them as
children. Every town of any size has its
public parks, gardens and recreation
grounds.
They were created throughout Britain
during the nineteenth century, and the
first decades of the twentieth century,
initially as part of the solution to the
appalling problems of the urban
environment brought about by
industrialisation and rapid population
growth.
As the population increased and towns
expanded new buildings spread over the
open spaces in and around cities. In the
early decades of the 19th century the
problems resulting from massive
unplanned expansion began to become
increasingly recognised.
The utilitarians, following the social
ideas of Jeremy Bentham and John
Stuart Mill, stressed the need for action
in order to bring about the greatest
happiness for the greatest number. They
believed that, by providing the ‘green
lungs of the city’, it would help prevent
the spread of disease by providing space
to take exercise, opportunities to enjoy
nature and greatly improve the overall
appearance of cities and towns. Others
remembered the French revolution and
were aware of the growing working-class
movements such as Chartism.
The creation of these ‘people’s parks’
for the use of all urban citizens began at
a time when there was no town planning
and the structure of the local
Government was only just evolving. By
the end of the 19th century public parks
has become an essential part of the
urban fabric. The word ‘municipal’ was
synonymous with pride in local powers
and the ability to effect positive change.
The years 1830-1885 were the
pioneering period of park creation. By
the 1885 park development was assured
and many more parks were created
between 1885-1914.
The first public park in England was
Regents Park in London, open primarily
as a subscription park circa 1810 and
then made into a public park in 1835.
The evolution of the first public parks
took place in the North West of England.
The people’s park of Birkenhead was
designed by Sir Joseph Paxton and
completed in 1847. Prior to this public
park landscaped gardens required an
entry fee or subscriptions (except Regent
Park) making public spaces available only
to the wealthy.
Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of
Central Park New York City ten years
later, quoted on Birkenhead Park “All
this magnificent pleasure ground is
entirely, unreservedly and forever the
peoples own. The poorest British peasant
is as free to enjoy it in all its parts as the
British Queen”.
The design of the park was unique in
that it had to be as transparent as
possible, allowing the poor to gaze at the
affluent merchants houses surrounding
it, thereby reminding the former of their
community responsibilities. The cost to
create the park in 1847 was more than
£90,000, plus an additional £80,000 for
planting and excavation work, totalling
£170,000, a colossal amount of money.
By comparison £11.3 million has
recently been spent as part of the
ongoing restoration scheme of
Birkenhead Park.
After World War II the emphasis on
town planning was, understandably, on
slum clearance and urban renewal. New
parks were not a priority in this planning
process. After 1945 the influence of
modernism extended and parks began to
suffer from its influence. Flowerbeds
were ripped out and replaced by large
areas of grass.
One area of new park development in
the post war period was in the ‘new
towns’ that were created in the 1950s and
1960s. One of the main provisions being
that parks and other open spaces should
be included in the plans from the outset.
In the capital, London Underground
designed posters to promote the use of
parks and open spaces that were
accessible by tube. The ‘garden cities’,
such as Welwyn and Letchworth, were
seen as a desirable place to live away
from the smog of the city.
With an ever-expanding city,
particularly post World War II, the need
for open space in London and the Home
Counties became an integral part of
urban planning.
In 1934 The London County Council
Green Belt scheme was launched. In
order to reserve a supply of public open
space for recreational use around
London, it offered neighbouring county
councils and boroughs up to half the cost
of an approved land acquisition. The
response was immediate. Within fourteen
months, 28.5 square miles had been
acquired in this manner and it’s future
was insured with the passing of the
Green Belt (London and Home
Counties) Act in 1938, which prohibited
the sale and development of green belt
Poster images © and courtesy of
London Transport Museum
land without the consent of the
government and contributing county
councils.
The reorganisation of local
government in the 1970s merged the
parks departments within leisure
services, as was recommended in the
Basin Report of 1972. This then led to
parks competing with leisure services for
an ever dwindling budget - and a budget
for parks was not included in the
government’s standard assessment.
As parks maintenance is not a statutory
responsibility, local authority budget cuts
in response to pressure from central
government, and the threat of rate
capping if they overspent, has often
fallen on parks.
A further factor promoting the decline
of urban parks resulted from the Local
Government Act of 1988. This required
all services to be put to tender.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
(CCT) meant that, instead of parks
departments continuing to be
responsible for their maintenance they
became the clients.
In general, parks of historic interest
represent 9% of the total number of
open spaces and 32% of the total area.
The total number of all parks, including
recreational areas, exceeds 27,000 in the
UK. Estimated number of visitors
annually to historic parks is over 296
million, with an estimated 1.5 billion to
all parks and open spaces.
In 1992 an audit commission
sponsored a MORI survey on recreation.
It found that, while 46% of people had
used local authority leisure centres or
swimming pools within the past 12
months, 70% had used parks,
playgrounds and open spaces.
Today, local authorities are more
‘switched on’ to the benefits that parks
provide. Whilst some still follow the CCT
route, many have returned to using their
own staff to tend these green spaces.
In March of this year, the Government
announced that £1 million was to be
invested into a UK-wide horticultural
apprenticeship scheme, a move
welcomed by the Royal Horticultural
Society and other bodies.
It is estimated that some eight million
people will visit a park on any one day in
the UK and it is good to know that, once
again, parks and open spaces are high
on the agenda once again.
In the shadows of the iconic Battersea Power
Station, and on the banks of the River Thames, is
Battersea Park. Once a Victorian playground and
site of the Festival of Britain, it suffered neglect
under the ‘management’ of the Greater London
Council but now, with Wandsworth Borough Council
in control, it has been restored to its former glory
Inset and main image: Battersea Power
Station overlooks the refurbished park
B
attersea Park is an excellent
example of a 19th century
municipal park. Created between
1854 and 1858 by James Pennethorne
and John Gibson, it incorporated lakes,
carriageways and central avenues and is
considered a prime example of Victorian
design. It is a Grade II Registered Park
and, therefore, of historical importance.
The subtropical gardens, created by
John Gibson in 1863-4, were one of the
first of its kind. Gibson mixed exotic
plants and colourful carpet bedding that
started a fashion of Victorian bedding
scheme design. The embankment,
created by using spoil from Victoria dock
in 1861, provides visitors with fabulous
walks along the River Thames with views
of Victorian villa type houses set in a
conservation area.
During World War 1 vegetables were
grown on allotments in the park and
anti-aircraft guns were set up on the
croquet lawn. In World War 2 the
allotments and guns returned along with
a pig club - a community pig farming
project to provide meat during rationing
- an experimental radio station, barrage
balloon site and children’s nursery.
The park was chosen for the site of the
Festival of Britain Festival Gardens in
1951. Designed as a showcase of
modernity and innovation, it was a
welcome bout of optimism after the
depressing post war years. The funfair,
built at the same time as the Festival
Gardens, were only meant to stay for one
year but remained open until 1974.
112
The Grand Vista, designed by John
Piper and Osbert Lancaster, still remains.
Appreciated as a green space, or the
‘green lungs’ of South London, its value
to the local residents, and to visitors from
much further afield, is immeasurable. It
is one of a few London parks that
actively encourages cycling and gocarting, both of which can be hired by
the hour inside the park.
In addition, the Thrive garden, a
community led project, encourages
individuals to connect with horticulture
at a personal level.
The Peace Pagoda was the first major
monument in central London to be
dedicated to peace and adds an element
of cultural diversity to the park.
Battersea Park is used as an
educational resource for schools and
other establishments, allowing groups to
study and observe wildlife and be actively
involved with conservation and ecology.
It has a fine collection of mature trees,
including the tallest recorded black
walnut tree in the UK, and the largest
hybrid buckeye tree in height and girth.
It is also renowned for its exceptionally
fine examples of maidenhair trees,
Chinese thuja, black Italian poplar,
Italian alder, white beam, Kentucky
coffee tree, red horse chestnuts, narrow
leaf ash, Chinese privet and foxglove
trees.
Decline and Restoration
When managed by the Greater London
Council (GLC), the park suffered from a
lack of investment and became run
down, with many areas looking tired and
neglected. The GLC was abolished in
1986 and direct control was handed to
Wandsworth Borough Council.
Recognising the historical importance
of the park the council made a
submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF) and funding of £6.9 million was
announced in May 1998, with ‘match’
funding from the Council of £3.9
million. During the life of the project
changes to the scope of works were made
with the HLF’s consent and, in January
2003, Wandsworth Borough Council
(WBC) successfully applied for a grant
increase and were awarded an additional
£600,000 bringing the total HLF funding
to £7.5 million.
The bid relating to the initial
proposals was placed by land based
consultants. This focused primarily on
the restoration of the 19th century
landscape, however, it was thrown out on
heritage values. The second proposal,
submitted by Hilary Taylor Landscape
Associates, included the Festival Gardens
within the restoration plan, in addition
Experts at nearby Kew Gardens were
consulted and their help and
experience proved invaluable
BATTERSEA
Power to the council!
to the 19th century features.
Funding was also obtained from other
sources such as Onyx Landfill Trust, who
awarded £100,000. A Section 106
Planning Agreement realised £40,000,
and a splendid £20,000 was raised by the
Friends of Battersea Park.
Project Management
The initial stage of restoration had many
problems due to the lack of adequate
project management. Costings and
timings were severely miscalculated and
there was a the breakdown of
communication between some of the key
individuals. The consultants involved
were dismissed and two landscape
architects, already on the WBC staff,
were employed to complete the design
work.
One of the landscape architects, also a
qualified quantity surveyor, was able to
deal with any problems on site on a daily
basis rather than waiting days for
external surveyors to attend. The
resulted in a reduction in costs, with the
added benefit of creating a direct link
between the council and the contractors.
The first stage of restoration focused
on The Promenade, Festival Gardens and
Pump House. During this period
additional funding was awarded by the
HLF. This enabled the restoration,
encompassing the heart of the parkland
and the busiest routes through it, to be
undertaken without interruption. The
final stage was the restoration of the
subtropical gardens.
But, the restoration was not without its
problems. The work required the
demolition of shelters and the removal of
150 mature trees. The latter caused a
public outcry and Jennifer Ullman, Chief
Parks Development Officer for WBC,
acted as a mediator between the general
public, the funding bodies and
contractors. Many of the trees selected
for removal were, in fact, either diseased
or already dead and, therefore, a health
and safety risk. Once this was explained
the initial outcry calmed down.
Interestingly, the debate attracted much
wider support for the restoration
projects.
One of the GLC’s ‘legacies’ of their
tenure of the park was an ugly wall along
the embankment of the Thames. This
one kilometre monstrosity along the
promenade had been built without
regard to aesthetics or practicality and
used the cheapest materials.
Historic watercolours, found in the
council archives, showed that the initial
design envisaged a pink granite wall.
However, to follow this design was not
cost effective. Initially, granite originally
from a bombed out building in Central
London, was offered but, because it
required cutting to size, was rejected. A
proposal to use granite sourced from
China was also thrown out as plans
specified materials from the UK.
Hilary Taylor developed a bespoke
cladding system that could be applied to
the existing low concrete wall and
dramatically reduce costs, transforming it
into a feature that would echo the
historic drawings and enrich the park.
Granite aggregate was used as a vital
ingredient in the final matrix.
Appearance however, was not the only
concern, as the wall, once clad, had to be
robust enough to survive a busy river
environment without fading or losing
113
A school of horticulture was set
up in the park to raise standards
Peace Pagoda
Restored embankment wall
quality.
The original plans for the promenade
wall did not consider children or the
disabled and, with current health and
safety legislation, the majority of the wall
had to be redesigned so children and
people in wheelchairs could see over and
enjoy the river views, but also be safe.
Another issue was deciding how to
restore the Festival Gardens that, back in
the 1950s, had been hastily and poorly
built as their longevity was not predicted.
As a direct result of this poor
construction, by the 1990s, the remains
of the walls, coping, paving and pools
114
were broken and dreary. Evans Concrete
and Hilary Taylor Landscape Associates
studied the surviving structures.
Over the years the concrete had aged
to subtle tones of grey-blue and dusty
brown overlaid with the festival colours
of buff, pink and yellow. Therefore, when
developing new concrete copings and
paving, which had to work with the
salvaged originals, it was essential to
capture something of this delicacy.
To this end, Mountsorrel black granite
and fines were used with grey cement to
make copings for the garden walls and
steps. Paving units were cast using a mix
containing white cement, silver sand,
black granite aggregate and a touch of
light red pigment. Narrow kerbs were
cast with Northampton Pioneer Shardlow
fines in grey cement that was retarded
and slightly exposed.
Lack of skills
Another problem, both during and post
restoration, was the lack of skilled labour
to maintain the park and its features.
WBC consider this to be a direct result of
competitive tendering as the company
who won the contract were based in
Cambridge. This meant that not only
were the labour force commuting to
Battersea on a daily basis but there was
little pride in their work as they were not
local people. In effect, it was ‘just a job’.
The contractors were dismissed and
the maintenance brought in-house.
Jennifer Ullman noted that very few of
their own staff were qualified, and those
that were suitably experienced were
nearing retiring age. So, a school of
horticulture was set up in the park to
raise standards, and it is now council
policy for all supervisors to have a
minimum of an NVQ level 2 certificate.
The two most skilled workers on the
council staff were given the maintenance
of the subtropical gardens. However, in
the first winter, problems occurred as to
how the non-native and fragile plants
should be protected from an English
winter. Experts at nearby Kew Gardens
were consulted and their help and
experience proved invaluable.
Over-wintering tender plants is a time
consuming process, but the two staff
members relished the challenge and are
now skilled in ensuring that, come
spring, the plants in the subtropical
garden, the rose garden and the herb
garden will all be in prime condition.
During the restoration of the Festival
Gardens, the now dismissed contractors
had planted trees too close together, and
these had to be moved or thinned out. In
addition, new beds were created without
much thought of where visitors may
decide to take a short cut. A lot of the
planting was uninspiring, for example,
ferns and lavender in the same beds.
The future
Over the six and a half year restoration
Wandsworth Borough Council have
learned some important lessons, not least
that, if you want a job doing well, do it
yourself. By bringing the restoration back
under council control they have staved
off a possible disaster, both aesthetically
Sustainability is now seen as crucial to the overall
plan and is included in any grants
Subtropical garden
and financially.
Over that period, attitudes to historic
landscape restoration have changed, too.
The original lottery grants made little
provision for maintenance but, now,
sustainability is seen as crucial to the
overall plan and is included in any
grants.
Battersea Park has, in the end, been
one of the first restoration projects on
such a large scale and the lessons learned
have helped many other projects to run
A walk in the park
more smoothly.
To discuss Battersea Park in terms of
success is not easy. It was gained through
hard work, dialogue and tenacity. The
council had funding but, in the initial
stages, suffered from poor procurement
and project management. Fortunately,
for the success of the project, WBC
realised very early on that dialogue
between contractors, project teams and
the public was imperative, and that
appropriate, urgent action was taken.
Once all the issues were addressed the
restoration programme went from
strength to strength.
Future projects include the creation of
a winter garden designed by Dan Pearson
and a Camellia Garden called the
Trehane Collection, in dedication to the
Trehane Nursery in Wimborne Minster,
Dorset
If you find yourself in London, go and
visit this amazing urban park, you won’t
be disappointed.
115
Terrain Aeration’s David
Green seems to be
suffering from ‘not a
happy bunny syndrome’
as he turns his attention
to late payment.
According to the Financial
Services Bureau, it costs
the UK economy £2 billion
a year and still nothing
gets done - and the list of
excuses gets longer ...
you probably get the
picture by now!
AS a relatively small business there is a
ton of legislation to deal with - Health
and Safety, employment law, pressure
vessel regulations and a string of
acronyms - LOLA, PUWER, PAT, VAT,
PAYE, NI, all of which we have to comply
with and administer under threat of
financial penalties or prison.
Why then has our legal system omitted
to create a sensible framework for the
recovery of commercial debts?
Late payment, according to the
Financial Services Bureau, is costing the
UK economy about two billion quid a
year and is responsible for sizeable
numbers of small business failures.
It is the supplying business that ends
up paying high rates of interest on their
overdraft, and enduring cash flow
problems, simply because some other
organisation either decides they will not
pay on time or deliberately puts
obstacles in the way of payment.
The excuses are legion - cheque’s in
the post (it never is), we’ve lost the
Grumpy
old
!
t
i
G
invoice, the cheque’s drawn up but
unsigned, the director or supervisor is on
holiday, I cannot find the official order,
I’ve signed off for payment now, you
need to speak to accounts, etc. etc. These
excuses have been around for years and
are bad enough, but there is now a new
breed of excuse.
Before carrying out the work for a
particular customer my company had to
be “approved”. Environmental and
Health and Safety regulations, Equal
Opportunities requirements etc., all had
to be met to gain approval. We were duly
approved at the time the job was done,
but found that the approval had been
magically revoked when payment was
being pursued.
This change in status had nothing to
do with the work, it was because the
public and employee liability insurance
renewal date had fallen after the job was
done and after the due date for
payment, but before payment had been
made.
My argument was that we were fully
insured at both the time the work was
carried out and beyond the due date for
payment, but this fell on deaf ears
The client demanded to see renewed
insurance certificates before releasing the
cheque.
Now, I don’t know about your insurers,
but my broker takes a good deal of time
to send me the official insurance
certificates following renewal and this is,
normally, absolutely no problem.
I had sent in copies of an email from
my broker confirming the receipt of the
£6,500 cheque to pay for that renewal
(further damaging my cash flow), but Mr.
Jobsworth working for the client was not
happy with that. Oh no, he wanted to see
the actual insurance company’s letters
confirming renewal, and the policy itself.
Until he saw the renewal he could not
release payment for the work carried out
under the previous year’s insurance. This
tactic resulted in a further thirty days of
delay before the cheque finally arrived,
Unsung Hero retires
after 40 years service
ARTHUR Williams was the Head
Groundsman at Ynysangharad Park,
Pontypridd for over forty years.
During his career he worked in all
aspects of grounds maintenance in the
park, which include bowls, golf, football
and rugby. But his first love was cricket.
Ynysangharad Park cricket field is well
know in cricketing circles throughout
South Wales for its excellent wicket,
outfield and picturesque setting. Arthur
prepared wicket for touring matches
against South Africa and Pakistan, County
Championship matches and one-day
games.
He was also involved in the
maintenance of Sardis Road Rugby
Ground, home of Pontypridd RFC,
commonly know in rugby circles as the
‘House of Pain’, and worked minor
miracles on some occasions, to get games
played.
He prepared pitches for the 1991 Rugby
World Cup fixture between Western
Samoa and Argentina and touring fixtures
for Pontypridd RFC against Australia,
South Africa and many Wales ‘A’
internationals.
But, there is another side to Arthur
which very few people know anything
about, which was recognised by his
managers at Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC,
resulting in him being nominated for and
winning ‘The Terrain Aeration Unsung Hero
Award 2006’.
He was nominated for this award for his
work with persons who came to work in
the park and who had various problems
and disabilities. He was a welcoming face
to them, a mentor and a contact with their
supervisors. Besides this, Arthur was
always willing to share his experience and
knowledge with all members of staff, and
has helped many young groundsmen to
120 days after the work was
carried out! If all my
customers did that I would
have over £60,000
permanently tied up in
delayed payments, and that
could cause a healthy
company, with no other
debt, to go bust.
Try telling the VAT man
or HMRC that you have
several customers that have
delayed payments, and that
you cannot meet the VAT
or PAYE or NI payment
dates. On second thoughts
don’t bother, because
sympathy is not their strong
suit.
So, what do you do?
Send a seven day letter,
giving them umpteen more
days free credit and, if that
doesn’t work, take action in
the small claims or county
court, both of which take
some days to serve the
documents and allow a
further eighteen days for
the client to pay before
entering a judgement.
Now, that ought to be the
end of the matter, and the
money ought to be paid,
but it is up to the claimant
to enforce the judgement.
So, there is further
expense and delay while
the bailiffs do their stuff. At
anytime in this process a
cheque for the claimed
amount can be paid into
the court and the whole
system is abandoned. Do
you then claim again to get
your court and bailiff costs
progress their
careers.
He was always
willing to help
members of the
public with any
problems and
enquires.
Arthur was a key player in
the Taf management team of
the Parks section, which has
been successful obtaining its
Green Flag accreditation for
four years, a Green Dragon
back? Of course you don’t,
you just bank the cheque
and thank God that the
defaulter has not gone bust.
The longest I have ever
been kept waiting for
substantial sums of money
is eighteen months.
Nothing wrong with the
job, just a very rich man
who seems to have got rich
by refusing to pay his bills.
The most annoying time
was when a landscaper
client brazenly told me that
he had decided to spend
his money on a flash
Mercedes, that he had
funded by simply delaying
all payments to any of his
sub-contractors or suppliers
for a full sixty days. He
made the decision because
he was fed up with waiting
for well over £250,000 he
was owed by his customers.
Is it me, or does debt
recovery actually need some
of the parliamentary time
and activity that has been
devoted to all the other
legislation? There has been
a lot of hot air talked about
debt amelioration,
particularly for mortgage
defaulters, but no
consideration seems to be
given to the other side of
the coin, the people and
businesses who have
supplied hard cash, goods
and services for which they
quite rightly ask for
payment.
Environmental Award and a
Merit from Wales in Bloom.
It has been said that
Arthur was the “Father Figure
of the Parks Section”.
We wish him well in his
retirement.
117
How are companies tackling the economic downturn?
RECESSION
BUSTERS
During these difficult times, many businesses are
striving to beat the recession. We felt that it would
be interesting to see how various companies are
coping.
In this issue we take a look at Course Care, part of the
Highspeed Group Ltd and see how they are tackling
matters.
T
he company was subject to a
management buyout mid 2001
and is now under the ownership
of joint MDs, Andrew Vincent
and David Mears. Investment
and product development followed with
the expansion of waste management
services, the inclusion of a wide range of
work, leisure and PPE products and the
rapid growth of a bunded tank sales
operation. In 2003 ClearWater washdown
water recycling systems were successfully
launched responding to the needs of
many wishing to bring their facilities up
to date and comply with current
legislation. Growth continued until
Andrew Vincent (l) and David Mears
around a year ago when the first signs of
an impending recession were noticed.
“When the recession began, we carried
out a detailed review of our activities.”
David Mears told us. “We looked for ways
to reduce costs, checked how effective
our marketing activities were and how we
could stimulate business.”
As a result, the company embarked on
a “recession-busting” programme, even
creating a special logo for their
recession-busting offers. “Our research
and analysis is certainly benefitting us”
said David. “We have introduced cost
saving measures as part of our energy
audit, including the introduction of
biodiesel into our vehicles. This has been
produced from waste catering oil that we
collect as part of our waste management
services. We are also emailing where
possible, rather than producing hard
copies and the resulting postage cost.
Light bulbs are now low energy, wherever
feasible, and not left on in unoccupied
rooms.”
On the marketing side, the company
introduced a monitoring system for
telephone enquiries. Whilst taking
enquiries, callers are asked how they
heard about the company. It sounds
simple but is proving effective in
targeting PR, advertising and web
presence. “It’s surprising how useful this
is.” said David. “Not only can we see
which adverts work but, if we try an
advert in a magazine and there’s little
response, yet another similar advert in
another magazine brings results, it’s easy
to see where we should be.”
“Monitoring websites also keeps us
informed as to which products or
promotions are creating the most
interest. Keywords are updated regularly
to respond to searches. Our enquiry rates
have risen considerably as we have
developed our web presence and
employed AdWords and Analytics
effectively. We have found too that
having two new websites, dedicated to
specific product groups and linked to our
main website, has proved a success. I
cannot understand why some companies
don’t interrogate web statistics. There
seems little point in spending money
setting up a website and then leaving it
with no knowledge of how it performs
for you.”
The company has targeted press
advertising carefully and finds that
adverts in support of appropriate
“Exhibitions
have come
under the
spotlight and
one bold step
this year has
been the
decision not to
exhibit at IOG
Saltex in 2009”
editorial bring in the most enquiries.
“Exhibitions have come under the
spotlight and one bold step this year has
been the decision not to exhibit at IOG
Saltex in 2009. With falling enquiries
and sales from this particular show over
the last few years, and potential
purchasers checking the web, the
directors took the view that the costs of
attending would be far better spent
funding an Autumn and Winter sales
campaign” said David.
“We know that our customers are
feeling the pinch and need support too,
so we’ve launched new campaigns with
extra discounts, free product or upgrades
and attractive payment terms. Our latest
ClearWater offer, for example, shows an
£800 saving. Mail shots are bringing in
results too.”
Course Care seem determined to “ride
out the storm” with a strong pro-active
approach coupled with regular
monitoring of activities.
“There seems little point in spending money setting up a
website and then leaving it with no knowledge of how it
performs for you”
KEEPING
YOUR JOB!
It has never been easier to lose your job and,
surely, there is nothing you can do to dodge
the redundancy bullet if it has your name on it?
Trainer and Conference Speaker Frank
Newberry has been researching the criteria
some turfcare sector employers seem to be
using to determine who they might make
redundant.
His conclusion? Well, Frank suggests that if
you strip away the five biggest factors, i.e. job
performance, skills, qualifications, conduct
and discipline, you are left with what
underpins the development of these attributes,
which is your attitude and disposition.
Your positive attitude and willingness to be
flexible, and to help out and support others, is
valued highly when skills
and abilities are
equal amongst
candidates for
redundancy.
Frank’s research
reinforces the
advice he gives to
his clients that both
self-motivation and
self-discipline are
needed for
success at
work. One
without the
other is just
not enough.
Both need to
be in place.
Check out
the facts
(and the
feelings) and
see for
yourself.
122
I
was inspired to research this
piece by Mike Gash’s article
‘Why Me?’ on page 122 of
the June-July 2009 edition of
this magazine.
Understandably, Mike found it
very hard going through the
process of redundancy, hence his
comment “losing a job is
traumatic” and his choice of title:
“Why Me?”.
Mike’s words got me thinking
about the processes recession-hit
employers might be tempted to
use to decide who they will keep
and who they will let go. I started
my research by texting a very
difficult question to a number of
turfcare professionals in
management positions. I also
spoke to people in the industry
who have been made redundant.
I was pleased and gratified by the
many and varied responses I
received*.
What criteria might you use to
decide who to make redundant?
My difficult question was: If you
had to make one of two equally
skilled groundsmen or
greenkeepers redundant, who
were on the same wage, were the
same age, had been working for
you for the same period and had
identical future prospects - what
criteria might you use to decide
who to make redundant?’
Now, as was pointed out to me
immediately, in reality, no two
people are the same, but
comparisons will always be an
option to help inform a
redundancy decision and,
digressing for a moment, as Sir
John Fortescue said over five
hundred years ago: ‘Comparisons
are odious’.
Comparisons continue, to this
day, to cause strong, negative
feelings within people. Why?
Because someone usually ends up
in a bad light compared to
someone else. When one person
loses his/her job and another
does not, no end of reassuring
words can change just how
rejected one person will be
feeling for maybe a long time to
come.
75% of men think that they are
‘better than’ 75% of other men
Digressing a little further, let me
insert another issue that could
have some impact in this
currently male-dominated
profession. There has been recent
research that suggests that 75% of
men think that they are ‘better
than’ 75% of other men. Oh
really? Yes, it is strange, but it
could well be true.
Now, as we all know, only 25%
can ever be better than 75% of
any total, but what if most males
have a natural feeling of
superiority over other males?
What will happen when their
tranquility is disturbed by the
prospect of a redundancy
procedure?
Well, I would expect fragile egos
to crack, anxiety levels to rise and
confidence and work
performance to suffer. It could be
enough to make anyone the
prime candidate for the
redundancy!
Responses to my tricky
question were prompt and
varied
Returning to the research;
responses to my tricky question
were prompt and varied, ranging
from the blunt instrument of ‘toss
a coin’ to the sharper edge of the
dreaded assessments, calculations
and consultations.
Here then is a rundown of the
criteria some turfcare employers
are using to determine who goes
and who stays in their job. These
are divided into:
... apparently
Chelsea and
Man Utd fans
are at risk
• Twenty-four criteria that groundsmen
and greenkeepers can influence
positively in the workplace;
• Four criteria that would be harder to
influence;
• Four criteria that are plainly random,
plus one to help those who just want to
‘get it over with’.
List 1: The ones we can influence to
some extent (in alphabetical order)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Attendance Record**
Ambition (Evidence of)
Communication Skills ***
Conduct /Disciplinary Record**
Enthusiasm/Keenness/ Passion
Eye for detail and presentation
Family to support, wife and children,
mortgage to pay
Flexibility (Evidence of)
Health Record**
Honesty and Trustworthiness
(Evidence of)
How well they fit into the team/team
player
Ideas they have to save money
Initiative (Evidence of)
Job Performance**
Man-management Skills***
Mechanical Skills e.g. vehicle or
irrigation system maintenance, can
operate grinder***
Positive attitude to the work/ Self
Motivation/Commitment (Evidence
of)
Punctuality/Timekeeping Record**
Relevant Experience**
Reliability (Evidence of)
Skills/qualifications/training**
Supportive of others (Evidence of)
Versatility (Evidence of)
Willingness to do overtime/put
themselves out/go the extra mile
**Numbers 1, 4, 9, 14, 18, 19 and 21 seem
to be the most likely to be looked at first when
considering groundsmen and greenkeepers at
all levels for retention or redundancy.
***Numbers 3, 15 and 16 could be
considered next although, arguably, number 3
should be in the previous group for
consideration.
List 2: The ones we have less influence
over
1. Boss’s preferred candidate
2. Cost of keeping the individual
3. Employment prospects elsewhere
4. Length of service i.e. “last in - first
out”
List 3: The Random Approach - these
four were actually suggested!
1.
2.
3.
4.
Game of scissors, paper, rock
Toss a coin
Turn a playing card
Which football team they support
(apparently Chelsea and Man Utd
fans are at risk)
List 4: The ‘Let’s Get This Over With’
Approach
1. A willingness to volunteer for
redundancy (a short list this one!)
Please note that these lists do not
necessarily include criteria contained in
pre-existing formal agreements,
negotiated between staff and
management in many larger
organisations.
that is relevant to your job security.
3. Ask for it in writing
If statements sound dodgy to you then
ask your employer to put it in writing for
you
4. Be Prepared
If your skills and abilities are in question,
be prepared to back up your assertions
with evidence that you meet the criteria
to be retained. Again the Legal Helplines
should help you to be prepared
5. Exchange Perceptions and
Expectations
Consider having a ‘heart-to-heart’ with
your boss or your employer, at which you
share perceptions and expectations of
each other at this difficult time. Make a
record of what was shared and give your
boss/employer a copy for approval. Make
sure it gets approved!
Such criteria would be well known to the
people who have secured such
agreements, and it might well be
something for you to consider when
negotiating your package at the job offer
stage with a smaller enterprise like a golf
club or a leisure centre. You might also
want to make redundancy criteria a
feature of your next pay settlement,
perhaps immediately or when the
economy is starting to recover.
6. Get yourself onto the Board
Processes and Procedures for You
Get off your backside (if you need to)
and start getting to know your
organisation’s decision makers really well.
Take an interest in their lives and
become a friend to them. It is harder to
make a friend redundant than someone
who never speaks to you or does not
seem to care about anything that is
important to you.
A couple of my respondents were
generous enough to send me procedural
documents that include a schedule
showing the stages of their redundancy
process as well as the criteria they use
and the weight or significance given to
each one, e.g. Job Performance 30%,
Initiative 10% and so on.
My respondents have kindly agreed to let
me distribute copies to interested parties.
If you are interested just visit my
personal website which is:
www.franknewberry.com, click first on the
‘Contact’ tab and then the ‘Request
Information’ tab to make your request.
Action You Might Take
It can be clearly seen that there are a
wide range of reasons employers can
pick from in order to make the case for a
redundancy. Some of these you can do
something about, if you act quickly and
preventatively. Others you are perhaps
powerless to influence. We can all, at
least, recognise the things we can do
something about and take steps to try
and secure our futures at this difficult
time. Here are some of the suggestions
that my research yielded:
1. Do some preventative work
If you have not already done so, consider
checking what your employer is required
to do by law when making people
redundant - Pitchcare’s and the
Association’s Legal Helplines, and the
ACAS office, should be able to help you
to get clarity.
2. Be suspicious
Look and listen carefully for hidden
clues when your employer says things
like ‘your job is safe’, or anything else
Make a case to get yourself on to the
Board, or whatever body makes key
decisions in your organisation (in some
or any capacity). This will enable you to
get an early warning of the potential for
redundancies. You could then be in a
position to ensure that the right
decisions are made.
7. Build Better Relationships
8. Look for ways to bolster the ‘Bottom
Line’
Keep in touch with commercial
developments in the turf care sector and
suggest to management ways that income
can be increased and savings made. Talk
to your contacts and suppliers in the
trade and ask them for ideas. Get
everyone thinking the ‘Kaizen’ way i.e.
‘Quality can never be too high and costs
can never be too low’. Sooner or later
someone will offer something better than
your organisation for less money. Let
that someone be you.
Good luck keeping your job!
*I am very grateful to the following
people who kindly sent me information
and/or gave me encouraging responses:
Kerran Daly MG, Martin Forrester, Mike
Gash, David Golding, Marcus Hamon,
Tony Hawes, Peter Jones, Rosie
McGilvray, Billy McMillan, Gordon Moir,
Clive Osgood, Laurence Pithie MG, John
R Ross, Lee Strutt MG, Paul Woodham
and Paul Worster.
Frank has been coaching and training
groundsmen and greenkeepers for over
twenty years. If you need further help with
communicating difficult decisions you can
reach Frank through Pitchcare.com or via the
contact tab on his personal website
www.franknewberry.com
121
John Deere’s Feed Back programme has resulted in a
range of new products from the iconic American company.
Laurence Gale MSc reports from Spain
Postal desde
Espäna ...
A
s you would expect from any industry
leading company, John Deere are
constantly reviewing their products and
services. It is particularly important, in these
economically troubled times, to ensure
continuity of service to their ever-demanding
customers.
One thing the company has been doing
since 1992 is their Feed Back Programme.
This allows their engineers and technicians
to interact directly with end users and, as the
name implies, use the feed back to modify
existing models and launch new ones.
The nett result of recent programmes has
seen one of the biggest investments in
research and development the company has
ever carried out. This culminated in the
launch of eight products, first seen in the
United States during the last GCSAA show in
New Orleans. A second launch to the
European Market was made in June 2009 at
the Villaitana Wellness Golf & Business
Resort Benidorm in Spain.
The 18 hole Signature Nicklaus Course
provided the perfect backdrop for introducing
their new wares. Four complete holes were
given over to the company to demonstrate
the equipment. The choice of venue had to
accommodate 240 european JD dealer
personnel, and pretty much guarantee good
weather, so that the intensive schedule could
be maintained without interruption.
The 2009 products on view were:
• Quick Adjust 5 and Quick Adjust 7 cutting
units
• 220e E-Cut hybrid walkbehind greens mower
• 7500e and 8500e E-Cut
hybrid fairway mowers
• 8000e E-Cut hybrid
fairway mower
• 7200 PrecisionCut trim
and surrounds mower
• 8800 TerrainCut rotary
roughs mower
• HD200 SelectSpray turf
sprayer
• New Water Management systems for golf
The new equipment was set out at seven
stations with the delegates able to see
demonstrations and receive further
information from Deere’s engineers and
technical representatives positioned at each
station.
We began the tour at the irrigation station
where the latest water management tools
and systems were being demonstrated. With
water now an expensive commodity, costing
anything between eighty pence and one
pound per cubic metre, the feed back
programme had identified that the ability to
apply it appropriately and accurately was a
main concern.
The new JD precision watering heads,
using satellite technology, can be activated
remotely via computer and mobile phone
links. New weather station technology also
helps the greenkeeper make informed
decisions on what water he may need.
Improvements made to the HD200 Select
Sprayer has resulted in a design change to
the filling of the machine, making it more
user friendly, along with a choice of
centrifugal or diaphragm pumps. In addition
the new HD200 system allows for quick
removal from its prime mover vehicle, the
24hp Progator.
Next was the Speed Link system that helps
Greenkeepers save time on the adjustment
of their cutting units. It makes sense to
make things easier, so what better way than
to have a ‘one spanner to fit all’ for adjusting.
Featuring a patented system that is unique in
the golf industry, John Deere's new Quick
Adjust (QA) cutting cylinders provided a rapid
height of cut adjustment from either side of
the units.
This new technology allows adjustments of
one thousandth of an inch to be made in just
a few seconds, to both sides of the rear roller
simultaneously,
using only an electric drive 16mm wrench or
socket. This effectively allows the reels on an
entire fleet to be set in the time it previously
took to adjust the height of cut on just one
mower.
The new 7200 PrecisionCut trim and
surrounds mower features, for the first time
on a triplex cylinder machine, the same
patented ‘Width on Demand’ cutting
system introduced on the company’s
7400 rotary mower in 2008.
The operator can control the cylinders
to move laterally to increase the cutting
width, or enable the mower to get closer
to the edges of bunkers without the fear
of the weight of the machine collapsing
the bunker.
The new range of fairway and rough
mowers combine new technologies in the
form of the mower units being driven by
electric motors, along with a three
wheeled fairway mower that is designed to
reduce wheel marks and be more
manoeuvrable.
The final station gave us the
opportunity to see the new 220e E-Cut
walk-behind greens mower which combines
hybrid electric drive with a contour hugging
Quick Adjust (QA)
cutting unit, and is
designed to provide a top
quality finish on golf greens,
tennis courts, bowling
greens and other fine turf
areas.
This model joins the
existing C Series range and
features a standard 11
blade, 127mm (5in) diameter reel with
a cutting width of 56cm (22in) and
simple bedknife-to-reel adjustment.
Cutting height is quickly and easily
adjustable across a wider range down
to 2mm using the patented Speed Link
system.
Howard Storey, John Deere’s Golf
Product Manager for Europe, Africa
and the Middle East was delighted
with the success of the programme.
Over 240 dealer personnel had seen
the new products and had gone away
with the confidence that their
‘franchisee’ remains at the forefront
of mower technology and
development.
Full details of the new models will
appear on www.pitchcare.com
TWENTYQuestions
Ian Avery - sensitive, loving, trusting, big, loud, soft ...
oh, and don’t play golf on his square!
Who are you? Ian Avery, Head Groundsman
at Sutton Valence School in Maidstone, Kent.
I’ve been here nine years and in the industry
nearly twenty.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? A tuba - big and loud but can also
be a softy.
Family status? Married to the fantastic Jax.
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Treat everyone the way you
want to be treated.
Who’s your hero and why? My dad, a kind
and gentle man.
What is your dream holiday? Touring
Canada with my wife.
What annoys you the most? Soap operas.
What would you change about yourself?
Be six inches taller!
Who wouldn’t you like to be? The next
person who plays golf on my cricket square!
Favourite record, and why? Wonderful
Tonight by Eric Clapton, my wife’s and my
first record.
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? My wife.
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Buy a yacht on the
Norfolk Broads.
What’s your favourite smell? Steam
engine smoke.
What do you do in your spare time? Fish
(when work allows), paint landscapes, play
cricket (badly), model trains.
What’s the daftest work related
question you have ever been asked? Is
the pitch with the stumps the one we are
playing on today?
What’s your favourite piece of kit? My
Allett Shaver.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Sensitive, loving,
trusting.
What talent would you like to have? To
be an attacking batsman.
What makes you angry? Mean people and
football twelve months of the year.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? No school should be able
to sell off their playing fields.
To advertise in this section contact
Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
AERATION
Cricket
MAINTENANCE
OF OUTFIELDS
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email: terrainaeration@aol.com
www.terrainaeration.com
Why not visit our on-line
Buyers Guide for direct
links to suppliers
websites
www.pitchcare.com
Tel: 0871 288 3425 Email: info@astrosport.co.uk
www.astrosport.co.uk
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Pitchcare Magazine SUBSCRIBE NOW!
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01902 824392 fo further details
124
he ideal cricket outfield
should be firm, fast, true and
present no hazards to players.
Yet, many cricket clubs have
uneven surfaces as a result of
having originally being constructed
from fallow farmland. Where the
problem is severe it can lead to
varying depths of topsoil existing
over high and low spots which, in
turn, will affect grass cover and
create wet areas.
This can be overcome by large
scale regrading and levelling,
whilst installation of a drainage
system would also be very
beneficial to help remove excess
water. This work should only be
undertaken by an approved
contractor and can prove costly.
Where the undulations are not
too severe, and there is a good
depth of topsoil, then it is more
preferable to remove the topsoil,
grade the subsoils to the required
levels and replace or introduce
new compatible topsoils.
Where isolated undulations
occur the turf can be stripped
away, the levels adjusted and the
turf replaced.
If the outfield is solely used for
cricket then a sward composed of
fine turf cultivars, such as chewing
fescue, slender creeping red
fescue and browntop bents, with
an oversowing rate of 20-30gm2,
are preferred as these species are
more tolerant to drought and can
be mowed as short as 7-10mm,
providing a faster and smoother
surface.
Where the outfield is used for
more vigorous sports, such as
rugby or football, then the sward
composition should favour a mix
of dwarf perennial rye grass,
oversown at 25gm2. As the “close
season” is relatively short (6-8
weeks), and with moisture levels
very low, it is crucial to select
cultivars that will give rapid
establishment and exhibit the
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Fencing • Sport Equipment and Supply
Line marking • Maintenance and Repairs
In the maintenance of a cricket outfield the
success of such work is influenced by
whether the site is to be used solely for
cricket or for winter sports as well. By former
ECB Pitch Advisor, Bob Stretton
wear tolerance that is required by
such sports. High quality perennial
rye grasses will give the best
results, not only for league clubs
but also for local clubs and public
pitches alike.
Maintenance
If regular maintenance is not
carried out then a cricket outfield
can quickly become soft and
spongy, as a layer of fibrous thatch
develops at the base of the sward.
This problem usually occurs where
fine leafed grasses dominate and
regular aeration has been
neglected.
Scarification of the outfield is
vitally important to reduce the
effect of thatch build up. Scarifying
at the start of the season will
prove highly beneficial in
combating thatch. This operation
will physically rip out any straggly
and procumbent growth.
Where a thatch problem has
developed, a deeper setting should
be adopted. Ideally, a tractor
mounted rotary unit with collecting
facility should be used as this will
remove a large majority of the
material in a single pass. If this is
not available then a pedestrian
unit can be perfectly adequate,
especially immediately behind the
cricket table. A tractor mounted
rake or short toothed harrow will
also suffice.
Where the problem of thatch is
particularly severe a more drastic
approach is required. This will
incorporate the use of hollow
tining, the physical removal of
cores containing thatch. The cores
should then be collected and
disposed of, or recycled as
compost. A dressing of medium
fine sands, worked into the profile,
will also help to break down any
thatch build up at the base of the
sward. This will also assist in air
movement and nutrients being
made available to the plant’s root
To advertise in this section contact
Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
CYLINDER GRINDERS
F.T. MACHINES
at a rate of 190-250kg per
hectare will stimulate and
encourage early growth when the
grasses are especially weak.
and promote a healthier sward.
Deep seated compaction can
also lead to drainage as well as
thatch problems. If this is the
case, then the only remedy is to
carry out deep solid tine aeration
with a vertidrain type machine
capable of penetrating to a depth
of 750 -800mm with 25mm tines.
This will create fissure breaks in
the underlying soils and allow
water movement through the
profile.
Further deep aeration should
follow during the winter months, if
ground conditions warrant, with
the use of slit tines, penetrating to
a depth of 100-150mm.
Alternatively, an Imants
Shockwave can be used. Both
methods will improve root
structure as the grasses search for
the pore spaces being made
available.
Other main concerns with dual
usage is the renovation of worn
areas such as football
goalmouths, centre circles and
bare areas caused by
scrummaging.
The work required here would
be to harrow or rake over the worn
and bare areas to reinstate levels
and create a seed bed. Overseed
the area with a perennial ryegrass
and, where possible, topdress to
cover the seed. A pre-seed
fertiliser may be required. Irrigate
as needed to establish early
germination to prevent the area
being taken over by weeds.
During mild or damp conditions,
regular brushing of the outfield will
reduce the impact of diseases,
such as red thread or fusarium.
Where worm casting, moss
colonisation or an attack of
disease becomes noticeable an
appropriate control method should
be adopted, using the services of a
person holding the necessary
certification.
Fertilisation
If the outfield is used only for
cricket, and supports swards
dominated by fine leafed fescues
and bent grasses, then the need
for fertilisation is greatly reduced
as these grasses thrive in low
fertility conditions.
Furthermore, a faster growth
rate would require more frequent
mowing and adds to the
maintenance costs. To be exact
about the fertility rates can be
extremely difficult, as this depends
on the inherent fertility of the soils
and intensity of wear and tear. An
application of an early spring and
summer 20:5:5 granular fertiliser
pH Testing
It is important to test the pH of
your soil to ensure the acidity
levels are correct. Soil pH may vary
from area to area, therefore it is
important that you take a number
of samples for soil analysis. pH is
measured from 1-14, with 1 being
the most acidic and 14 the most
alkaline. Most plants have a
reasonably wide tolerance of at
least 1pH and will be comfortable
with a pH of around 6.5. pH can
contribute to the build up of fibre,
with acidic conditions favouring an
increasingly fibrous surface.
After having a soil analysis
taken, and if results show a rate
lower than 5, careful adjustments
need to be made to increase the
alkalinity through your fertilising
programmes. Annual applications
of ground limestone (carbonate of
lime) could be considered in the
early autumn or winter, allowing it
to be washed into the soil
following a programme of
aeration.
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DRAINAGE
45
Cost effective drainage
quick and neat trenching work with
minimal disruption to play.
DRAINAGE SPECIALISTS
DESIGN & INSTALLATION
PRIMARY SYSTEMS
SAND SLITTING & GRAVEL BANDING
Tel. 01722 716361
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PHILIP DIXON
Contractors Ltd Est. 1978
Sportsturf Drainage Specialists
Mowing
If the existing levels are
acceptable then mowing should be
carried out, during the growing
season, at least two to three times
a week if playing a high standard
of cricket, and more frequently for
first class matches. The use of a
36-48 inch ride on cylinder mower,
and boxing clippings, will help
maintain a fast smooth surface
and aid presentation.
The cylinder should be set
between 7-15 mm to reduce
scalping, as this can create stress
on the grasses and encourage
disease.
Using gang or triple mowers
does have an advantage as the
clippings are returned back to the
turf. Any loss of nutrients are
limited as everything is recycled,
resulting in less fertiliser being
applied. The downside is that they
do not firm the surface as a ride
on mower does.
Where the outfield is used for
other sports then mowing regimes
should be tailored to the sport in
question. The height of cut will
vary between 25-35mm for
football and 50-75 mm for rugby.
This can lead to problems with
mowing heights during the early
summer months as the need to
reduce to cricket height should be
resisted as this will also put stress
on the grasses. The height should
be reduced gradually in 5mm
stages. This will strengthen the
sward and create more density to
help with wear and tear.
Tel: 01462 683031
Draining and Gravel Banding
also Vertidraining, Hollow Coring,
Overseeding, Field Top Maker,
Deep Scarifying
Mobile: 07860 259692
Tel: 01284 735105
Email: peter@buryturfcare.com
www.buryturfcare.com
DESIGN : INSTALLATION : MAINTENANCE
Golf Course • Sportsfield
Drainage • Construction • Renovation
Slitting/Banding • Vertidraining
Groundbreaker • Sand Master
Topdressing • Overseeding
Spraying • Cultivation
Tel: 01772 877289
Fax: 01772 877479 (Preston, Lancs)
www.dixondrainage.co.uk
Miles Drainage Limited
Quality Land Drainage Systems for Sports
Pitches, Golf Courses and other Amenity
Areas
•Advice, design and installation
•Piped systems •Sand Slitting
•Gravel Banding
Tel: 01359 259424 Fax: 01359 258073
Web: www.milesdrainage.co.uk
Email: trenchers@milesdrainage.co.uk
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If it’s drainage, it has to be Duncan Ross!
If it’s
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drainage, it
If
it has
has to
to be
be Duncan
Duncan Ross!
Ross!
Appley Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire WN6 9DT
t 01257 255321 f 01257 255327 e office@duncanrosslanddrainage.co.uk
www.duncanrosslanddrainage.co.uk
SPORTS TURF DRAINAGE
AND CONSTRUCTION
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Email: melvyn@turfdry.com
125
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DRAINAGE
Golf
AN HOLISTIC
APPROACH ...
Traditional
drainage and
Lytag banding
First UK field trials of new rootgrow™ turf
offer an holistic approach to turf management
of greens and fairways
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E: NSIrrigation@aol.com
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126
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www.oaklandamenity.co.uk
rials underway on the golf
course at Ashdown Park Hotel
and Country Club in East
Sussex are giving very encouraging
results on the benefits of a new
product from PlantWorks UK Ltd, a
small company involved with
mycorrhizal product formulation.
Despite the success of
mycorrhizal products in retail
horticulture and professional
landscaping, a certain amount of
scepticism still exists in the
turfcare industry about how well
they really work, and what role
they can play in turf management.
The problem is largely one of
perception. Many biological
products have appeared on the
market over the years, and
disappeared just as rapidly when
they failed to deliver on their
marketing claims. The situation in
amenity turf is very similar to the
one faced by the commercial
horticulture industry some years
ago, as Dr Mark Whittaker, a
biopesticide expert from the
commercial crop protection
industry, explains:
“Biological products have been
around for years, for everything
from controlling pests and
diseases to enhancing plant
growth. Whilst some work
extraordinarily well, there are also
a great many that work very
poorly, and these are the ones that
muddy the waters for more
efficacious products. Although a
similar situation exists in amenity
turf, among the greenkeepers we
have spoken to there does seem
to be a willingness to try new
products.”
Clearly, the most important
aspect of any product containing
mycorrhizal fungi is the quality of
the inoculum, not least because it
is the most expensive component.
At the core of rootgrow is the
same blend of isolates found in
the company’s retail and
professional products, all of which
are extracted from UK soils.
“Whilst mycorrhizal fungi show
fairly limited specificity in terms of
T
their host plant, they show far
more adaptation to the soils in
which they grow” said PlantWorks’
MD, Robert Patten. “Just as
isolates from sandy soils don’t
generally perform well in clay soils,
isolates taken from outside the UK
often don’t perform as well here
as the indigenous strains.”
It is precisely this approach to
using only UK-origin isolates that
led to the company’s retail product
being formally endorsed as ‘best
horticultural practice’ by the Royal
Horticultural Society last year after
lengthy evaluation at Wisley.
Simon Taylor is the company’s
Sales Manager: “Taking our RHSendorsed isolate mix as the core,
we added carefully selected
components to aid water retention,
soil structure and nutrient
management - not only for the
benefit of the grass, but also for
the microbial communities that
are a vital consideration when
developing an holistic approach to
managing amenity turf.”
Among these additives is
zeolite, a mineral with a
honeycomb structure that slows
the rate at which nutrients are
leached from the soil. It also aids
water retention, and increases
aeroporosity by resisting soil
compaction.
Kevin Sweet, the Estate
Manager at Ashdown Park Hotel
and Country Club was keen to see
for himself how the product would
perform on their golf course. Built
in around 1992, it consists of
‘push-up’ greens in which the
indigenous substrate is pushed
together to create a playing
surface. Beneath the turf is a layer
of accumulated topdressing
material approximately 25mm
deep, under which is silt subsoil.
For the trial, four greens were
selected on the basis of their
relative proximity and similarity in
terms of size, south-facing aspect
and previous management. Each
was arbitrarily assigned to a
treatment group as follows:
Green 1 - Hollow tined and
their first treatment, or for basal
topdressed with 3m3 sand
dressing prior to laying new turf,
(aerated control)
Green 2 - Hollow tined and
an application of 100g per square
metre is recommended.
topdressed with 3m3 sand and
Subsequent applications should be
rootgrow turf at 100g/m2
Green 4 - Not hollow tined or top
made on an annual basis at half
this rate, although badly damaged
dressed (non-aerated control)
Green 7 - Hollow tined and
areas will benefit from repeat
treatment at the higher dose.
topdressed with 3m3 sand and
Further trials are currently
rootgrow turf at 50g/m2
underway in the Midlands and
Shortly before the trial started,
North of England as PlantWorks
core samples were taken at
random from each
green to measure the
natural background
level of mycorrhizal
activity.
On 3rd June 2009
greens 1, 2 and 7
were hollow tined to a
depth of three inches
using a SISIS
Supaturfman. Core
debris was removed
and discarded. Half of
the sand topdressing
Green 1 (aerated control)
was applied by hand
over the greens, and
luted into the turf
using a metal
dragmat.
On greens 2 and 7,
rootgrow turf was
then applied using a
hand-propelled
cyclone fertiliser
spreader calibrated to
35g/m2, with
additional passes
made to achieve the
desired application
rate as closely as
Green 2 (rootgrow at 100g/m2)
possible. Finally, the
remaining sand was
applied to the three
greens and luted into
the tine holes using
the metal dragmat.
The greens were
playable immediately
after treatment.
After 26 days a
further four core
samples were taken
from each green and
assessments made of
root and shoot fresh
weight, and
Green 7 (rootgrow at 50g/m2)
percentage
mycorrhizal
colonisation.
Prior to treatment,
all greens were
broadly similar in
appearance. These
images were taken 26
days after treatment.
The green treated
with rootgrow turf at
the 100g/m2 dose
had a superior visual
appearance and a
significantly higher
root fresh weight per
Green 4 (non-a
aerated control)
gram of soil than the
other treatments - a
sets out to demonstrate the
result with particular relevance to
benefits of UK isolates for UK
the stability and durability of
conditions. Michael Weekes, Group
playing surfaces. However, the full
Course Manager with Bromley
effect of the mycorrhizal fungi
Mytime Leisure, is trialling the
won’t be seen for a few weeks yet,
product on the USPGA-spec greens
as Simon explains: “It takes a little
at Bromley Golf Centre, a full
while for the fungi to fully colonise
report from which will be available
the rootzone, after which we
later in the year.
should start to see denser top
With the commercial launch
growth. From extensive trials in
planned for Autumn 2009, there is
Eastern Europe we also anticipate
a limited quantity of rootgrow™
benefits in terms of reduced
turf available for trials work over
fertiliser and irrigation
the next two months. Any
requirements as the mycorrhiza
greenkeeper wanting more
takes over the sourcing of water
information, or wanting to set up a
and nutrients for the turf,
trial, should contact Simon Taylor
essentially reducing the amount of
at PlantWorks on 01795 411 530.
management intervention
required.”
For greens and tees receiving
To advertise in this section contact
Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
GOLF COURSE DESIGN
IRRIGATION
gaunt
golf
design
The ONE STOP
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international golf
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Derbyshire, DE45 1FG, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1629 815423
Fax: +44 (0) 1629 814986
SkypeIn: +44 (0) 161 408 5423
Email: jonathan@gaunt-golf-design.com
Web: www.gaunt-golf-design.com
Senior Member of the European Institute of
Golf Course Architects since 1997
Call now for your
free catalogue
Tel. 0845 230 9697
www.lws.uk.com
GRASS CUTTING MACHINERY
IRRIGATION SPECIALISTS
DESIGN & SUPPLY
INSTALLATION
A range of quality traditional gang mowers at
an affordable price offering outstanding value
Tel: 01296 738197
Email: sales@rtmachinery.co.uk
Website: www.rtmachinery.co.uk
MAINTENANCE
Tel. 01722 716361
www.mjabbott.co.uk
Trimax PegasusS2
Tractor not included ...
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Design
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Irrigation supplies
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info@trimaxmowers.co.uk
www.trimaxmowers.com
Tel: 01785 812706
E: NSIrrigation@aol.com
www.northstaffsirrigation.co.uk
IRRIGATION
British Turf & Landscape
Irrigation Association
REUSABLE, RECYCLED AND SURPLUS
IRRIGATION AND CONTROL EQUIPMENT
x Good quality irrigation, control &
pumping equipment always wanted
x Buy products and spare parts on-line
x Collection and delivery available
Visit our web site
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07929 741618
Irrigation
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Call Lely: 01480 226848 or
email: irrigation.uk@lely.com
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Irrigation Systems
Professional Design, Supply,
Installation and Maintenance
Visit our new online store
at ocmisonline.com for an
extensive range of plumbing
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Ocmis Limited
T 0870 600 5131 F 0870 600 5132
E Sales@Ocmis.com W www.Ocmis.com
www.pitchcare.com
127
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Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
Football
IN CLOVER!
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Bottom blades
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Telephone:
01902 826826
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ROLLERS
Fax: 01902 826827
OVERSEEDING
NEED TO
OVERSEED?
Moore Uni-Drill is the proven
machine for accurate seed placement
on flat or undulating areas
Contact Synergy Products on
01380 828337
Dave on mobile: 07971 843802
Email: sales@synergyproducts.co.uk
www.synergyproducts.co.uk
RUBBER CRUMB
The use of RUBBER CRUMB on
grass as top dressing has been
granted a PATENT in the UK and
Ireland under Number EP0788301B1
TEBBUTT ASSO.
ARE THE LICENSEES
with CROWN III rubber crumb Turf
Reinforcement, the licensed product.
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SEED SUPPLIERS
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128
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‘saw it in Pitchcare’
Can clover
replace
traditional turf
for community
sports pitches.
Some local
authorities
believe it can,
reports Frank
Fielding
oncern over the viability of
intensively used community
turf sports pitches is fuelling
a drive to switch to alternative
surfaces in a bid to ensure play for
all right through the season.
The rising popularity of
grassroots and youth football in
Britain has created a level of use
that traditional grass pitches are
struggling to accommodate.
As participation booms, local
authorities are searching for
solutions to ease mounting
pressure on already hard-pressed
budgets, as they strive to maintain
playing surfaces to reasonable
standards throughout the year.
Wear and tear on traditional
grass pitches, coupled with the
poor conditions that excessively
wet weather creates, has reached
untenable levels in some cases,
prompting cancelled fixtures and
an extended playing season
because of that. The result is that
groundscare teams have less time
for renovation to bring surfaces up
to speed for the new season.
However, two north-west
authorities, Salford City Council
and Bury Metropolitan Borough
Council, are addressing the issue
by pioneering a playing surface
that relies on clover - a plant that
all those who cherish turf have
traditionally sought to banish from
grass sward.
Trial results strongly suggest
that the sportsturf mix of ‘white’
microclover and perennial ryegrass
could be the answer to their
prayers.
Salford piloted the Microclover
Sport mix, supplied by seed
producer DLF Trifolium, last year,
with tests undertaken on the
Patricroft recreation ground in
Eccles - an area used
predominantly for football, and
one of the most heavily used in
C
the city.
“We’ve found, even in a short
time, that the wear factor has
been very good,” reports Tony
Barton, Salford City Council’s
Environmental Coordinator. “The
microclover has produced strong
visual results such as a better
sward and a fuller coverage, and
we are predicting reduced
maintenance and renovation levels
for the playing area,” he adds.
Salford is entering its first full
year using the Pro82 mix and
Barton expects significant cost
savings to result from rolling it out
across pitches in the city.
“We calculate a saving of £104
per pitch using the microclover
mix. Taking the total 64 parks
pitches throughout Salford, we
would estimate a saving of £6,656
annually,” he predicts.
Next spring and summer will
reveal “the true benefits” of using
microclover, Barton adds, when
“the value of the product will really
begin to show”.
Although priced nearly £1 more
per kilo at £2.80 than the Pro80
ryegrass he was using, Barton
seems sure the microclover will
prove a winner, for several
reasons.
Clover captures nitrogen, so
reducing the need for summer
fertiliser, maintains a healthy deep
green colour even in dry periods
and resists wear well.
“The slight difference in price
will be more than offset by
reduced maintenance, less need
for feeding and the playability of
pitches through the winter
months,” Barton argues.
Independent trials by the Sports
Turf Research Institute (STRI), and
BSA grass trials in Germany have
shown microclover blends to be
more wear tolerant and give
improved winter colour and
appearance
compared to
standard lawn
mixtures.
The product has
proved popular in
the rest of Europe,
notably Germany,
Denmark and
Holland and has
been slowly
introduced to the
UK, primarily
targeting the
domestic and now
public sectors.
Salford is known for its high
operational standards, explains
Bernard Noon, Principal Officer for
Green Space at the council.
“We’ve taken a number of awards
in recent years, including Green
Flags for Victoria Park, Clifton
Country Park and Blackleach
Country Park, as well as the
Service Team of the Year for
groundscare awarded by the
Association of Public Service
Excellence (APSE).”
“We are always looking for new
ways to improve and innovate, and
microclover so far ticks all the
right financial and environmental
boxes.”
Bury Metropolitan Borough
Council is entering its first year
using microclover, but has decided
to launch straight into a seeding
programme for ten sports pitches,
confident of the maintenance
benefits the mix will deliver.
“I’ve been more than pleased
with growth to date, despite the
fact we have enjoyed good growing
conditions lately with the rain and
sun,” says Parks Technical Officer
Les Beardwood.
“We only seeded the pitches
five weeks ago [May], and they’re
playable already. The growth rates
are impressive and ideal, bearing
in mind we only have a short time
between the end and the
beginning of seasons.”
Beardwood believes that
microclover has the potential for
not only improved turf quality but
also long-term cost savings. “The
Pro82 mix was dearer than the
Pro81 seed we were using, but we
believe the benefits will outweigh
this,” he adds.
Microclover’s ability to reduce
broadleaf weed growth is one
feature that he is particularly
excited about. “If we find that this
is the case, it could save me
£1,000 a year in the cost of
selective weedkiller alone. I always
look out for market advances and
have no objections to spending a
bit more for quality and am not
scared to take a risk,” he states.
The ten pitches seeded with
Microclover Sport are spread over
four sites - Nuttall Park,
Ramsbottom (four pitches),
Manchester Road playing fields
(three) and one each at Waterside
Road, North Bury and Dobbies
Football club.
“All ten are heavily used
throughout the year, as the
number of junior football players
continue to grow year on year,”
says Beardwood, “with games
increasingly being played through
the week and in the evenings.”
Wear resistance and
sustainability of colour are key
factors in helping pitches keep
their condition for longer - benefits
Beardwood hopes will figure
strongly with the switch to
microclover.
“The real test for the
To advertise in this section contact
Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
SEED SUPPLIERS
SPARE PARTS
Scotland’s leading grass seed specialist
LANDSCAPING • SPORT • GOLF
TURF SEED •WILD FLOWERS • FERTILISERS
microclover will be how well it
holds up through the winter
months and if the amount of
cancelled games reduces. We will
know by the end of the coming
season if the positive early signs
are sustained.”
Les Beardwood, speaking at the
end of July, said: “Pitch renovation
usually begins just after the FA
Cup Final , traditionally marking
the end of the football season.
After koroing down to 10mm, a
pre-seed 20:10:10 fertiliser was
applied, followed by ten, 20kg
bags of the Microclover Sport
Pro82 seed - a mix of 30% Verdi
and 35% Platinum ryegrasses,
30% Delamere perennial ryegrass
and 5% microclover - were applied
to each of the ten 4,500-5,000m2
pitches, followed by 60 tonnes of
moist 60 sportsmix sand spread
over each pitch.
No watering was undertaken
and the seed had germinated
within two weeks, producing
playable surfaces within five to six
weeks. This year has been
exceptional for growing. The
periods of rain followed by sun
have created perfect conditions
but even so I was amazed at how
quickly a playable surface was
produced. We’ve cut the pitches
three times since then.
Local clubs have been alerted to
the change - Dobbies Football Club
already commenting on how green
the surface looks.
The 50 other pitches within
Bury’s boundary have been
renovated with Pro81 for the last
three years, which hold up well,
although no microclover is present
in the mix. I’ll be looking for colour
retention and wearability from the
Microclover Sport Pro82,
particularly during the December
to February period when there’s
less light and pitches are taking a
hammering.
Manchester Road playing fields
was one of the sites on which Bury
tested Microclover Sport Pro82.
The pitch renovations were carried
out five to six weeks ago on the
three full-size pitches there and, as
the images show, they are ready
for use with a 80-90% full sward
coverage already. This is a
fantastic result given the fact that
all three pitches were kored down
to 10mm.
I shall be monitoring the seed
performance over the season and,
if all goes well, be looking to
include the PRO82 seed mix again
as part of our sports pitch strategy
renovation programme next
season.”
All pitch renovations was carried
out by Fine Turf Services of
Macclesfield.
Email: sales@grogreen.net
www.grogreen.net
TELEPHONE:
TELEPHONE: 01968
01968 661705
661705
FAX:
FAX: 01968
01968 660087
660087
WEST LINTON
SCOTLAND
EH46 7AZ
Tines
Slitters
Scarifiers
for turf maintenance
machinery
Tel: (0044) 0114 251 3344
Email: sales@tines.co.uk
Fax: (0044) 0114 251 3000
Cricket Renovation Seed Mixes CR1 & CR2
WASP coated seed also available
24 hour delivery
www.tines.co.uk
THE UK’s PREMIER SUPPLIER
FOR ALL YOUR GOLF AND TURF
MACHINERY SPARES
Hurrells Specialist Seeds, Beverley Road
Cranswick Driffield East Yorkshire YO25 9PF
Tel: 01377 271400
Fax: 01377 271500
INTERNATIONAL LTD
Email: nick@hmseeds.com
www.hmseeds.com
design, manufacture
and distribution of
turf aeration solutions
for the past 20 years
SOIL SCREENERS
ULTRA T1500 TROMMEL SCREEN
HIRE AND SALES
Produce high quality topsoil from
recycled soil/green waste
Contact Synergy Products on
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Dave on mobile: 07971 843802
Email: sales@synergyproducts.co.uk
www.synergyproducts.co.uk
Blair Precision
Engineering Ltd
began
manufacturing
tines in1987 after
Carnoustie Golf
Links approached
the company
looking for
custom shapes and sizes of tines to fit their
aeration machines. More than 20 years later,
Steelmaster Tines are used by greenkeepers
and groundsman all over Europe.
Tel: +44 (0)1241 853639
www.steelmaster.co.uk
E: sales@steelmaster.co.uk
SAFE SURFACES
FIELDGUARD
SAFE
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Soft, non slip
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Established 1998
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Fax: 01483 275341
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Fast efficient service from
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Division of Campey Turf Care Systems Ltd
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129
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Bowls
Classifieds LOOKING AFTER THE
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
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SPRAYERS
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
PURSE STRINGS!
Avonmore Associates
sportsfield construction
25 year of experience in
bowling greens, fine turf
management, pitch design,
sportsfield construction
and irrigation
Tel: 01789 293439
email: info@avonmore-associates.co.uk
www.avonmore-associates.co.uk
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
Vertidraining, Hollow Coring,
Overseeding, Draining,
Gravel Banding, Field Top Maker,
Deep Scarifying
Mobile: 07860 259692
Tel: 01284 735105
Email: peter@buryturfcare.com
www.buryturfcare.com
GOLF COURSE & SPORTSGROUND
CONSTRUCTION
RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
LAND DRAINAGE SCHEMES
WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Tel. 01722 716361
D CRANE
SPORTSTURF
EST. 1984
Tel: 01494 866776
Email: info@agripower.co.uk
www.agripower.co.uk
Broomfield Farm, Rignall Road, Gt. Missenden, Bucks, HP16 9PE
CONSTRUCTION
Golf Courses and Sports Fields
DRAINAGE
Sand Slitting, Gravel Banding, Piped Drainage
the pitch of performance
Football, Hockey Multi-Sports,
Cricket, Tennis & Bowls
Design and construction of synthetic
and natural sports surfaces and facilities
RENOVATION
Verti Draining, Scarifying, Hollow Coring,
Koro Top Dressing, Overseeding, Sand Spreading
SPRAYING
Fungicide, Pesticide, Herbicide
For further details & consultation contact
07860 458822 or 07921 290985
Tel: 01474 364320
www.activeleisurecontracts.co.uk
Why not visit our on-line Buyers Guide for direct links to
suppliers websites - www.pitchcare.com
130
ic Purse has been a lover of
bowls for over forty years,
having first taken up the
game up as a player way back in
the early 1970s at his local club
Coton, near Cambridge. As the
years went by he became more
and more involved with the club,
helping with bar duties, as captain
and, eventually, head greenkeeper,
taking on sole responsibility for
maintaining the green and
organising end of season
renovations.
It was a steep learning curve
but, over time, his experience and
reputation for providing a good
surface grew. This led to other
clubs in the area seeking advice
from him, so much so that he saw
an opportunity to set up a bowling
green maintenance contracting
business. That was seven years
ago.
Vic now looks after fourteen
bowling clubs in and around
Cambridge, six of which are on a
full time contract basis. The eight
other clubs employ him to
undertake the end of season
renovations, winter mowing duties
and specialist works, such as
feeding, aeration, spraying and
topdressing.
Being a ‘one-man’ business is
hard, however he is lucky he can
call upon his brother and grandson
to help him during the busy
periods, generally with mowing
V
www.mjabbott.co.uk
Natural & synthetic pitch
design & construction
Bowls
groundsman,
Vic Purse, has
taken the
unusual step of
using a triple
mower to cut his
greens.
Laurence Gale
MSc finds out
why
and end of season work.
Vic is only too aware of the big
issue facing bowling clubs.
Declining membership means that
many clubs simply don’t have a
huge income stream and,
subsequently, only have a
shoestring budget for
maintenance.
So, Vic has to cut his cloth
accordingly, constantly seeking
good deals from his suppliers.
Buying in bulk helps to keep down
costs. He has forged a good
relationship with Sherriff Amenity
who supply him with a range of
products, including 90 tonne of
topdressing, fertiliser in half tonne
loads, plus seed and fungicide.
Many of the greens he looks
after are predominantly clay
based. In the past these were
problematic in terms of surface
drainage. Many would become
unplayable after a bout of rain.
However, after several years of
‘appropriate maintenance
regimes’, topdressing, aeration
and the use of fertiliser products,
wetting agents and, more recently,
the application of Tower’s Oars soil
conditioner, Vic has been able to
improve the performance of the
sward, with all his greens having
deeper rooting and improved
surface playability.
During the playing season Vic
will cut the greens three times a
week, twice mid week and once
To advertise in this section contact
Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
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Sports Ground Contractors Ltd
on match days, which are
either Saturday or Sunday.
A height of 5mm is
maintained during the
playing season (AprilOctober), and raised to 1012mm for the closed
season, mowing as and
when required.
Up until this year Vic
always mowed the greens
using Ransomes Super
Certes pedestrian mowers,
which meant walking
several miles a day. This
began to take its toll on
him (he is in his sixties)
and he found it
increasingly tiring. So, this
year, he decided to invest
in a triple mower to see if
that would help.
In February he bought a
second hand Toro
Greensmaster which not
only did away with the
walking, but also
significantly reduced his
mowing time.
However, it has come at a cost.
The Greensmaster cost around
£5,000 and he also had to buy a
trailer and skids to transport the
machine.
He obviously considers it
worthwhile because, when I met
up with him recently, he was trying
out a Jacobsen Tri-king provided by
Ransomes Jacobsen.
He seems at ease using the
triple and is convinced it will not
create any lasting problems to the
greens. He knows that, during the
winter months, he may have to
revert to pedestrian mowing when
weather conditions dictate.
End of season renovations begin
in late September when the greens
are scarified to a depth of 15mm
using a Graden, topdressed with
five tonnes of 70/30 and over
seeded. The greens are then
fertilised with a NPK 6:5:10
granular fertiliser.
During the winter months Vic
will aerate the greens several
times with his Groundsman spiker
to a depth of 100mm.
Vic also takes a number of soil
samples from the greens and
sends them off for analysis
A full maintenance programme
costs between £4500-5000
(mowing and end of season
renovations), end of season
renovations £1500 and £600 for a
winter cutting regime. To assist
clubs he offers a direct debit
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D W Clark
DRAINAGE LTD
SPECIALIST SPORTSTURF CONSTRUCTION
& DRAINAGE CONTRACTORS
• Gravel Banding • Sand Slitting
• Top Dressing • Renovation • Irrigation
Unit 7, Brailes Industrial Estate, Winderton Lane, Lower Brailes
Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5JW
Tel: 01608 685800 Fax: 01608 685801
email: jim@dwclarkdrainageltd.co.uk Web: www.dwclarkdrainageltd.co.uk
payment scheme to help them
spread the maintenance costs.
At the end of the day there is a
cost for providing a maintenance
service - labour, materials, fuel and
transport have to be paid for. It
may seem a large amount,
however, when you split the costs
down by the amount of games
played per season, and take in to
account the number of members
who participate, the costs are
manageable.
For example, most of the clubs
Vic looks after play at least four
matches per week - a total of 96 in
a season. Divide the annual
maintenance cost of £4500 by 96
and the cost is £46.87 per match.
Further divide this cost by the
number of members who regularly
play matches (usually twenty) and
the cost is just £2.34 per match
per player.
Vic is concerned that
membership appears to be on the
wane at most of the clubs he looks
after. In addition, there appears to
be a lack of interest in working on
the greens.
He sees the survival of these
clubs dependant on individuals
who are prepared to take up the
role of greenkeeper (paid or
volunteered).
But, for the moment, it would
seem that there are plenty of
bowling clubs in the Cambridge
area who are happy to rely on Vic’s
skills and dedication. Long may it
continue!
www.EARTHBOUND
SERVICES.co.uk
SPORTS PITCH SPECIALIST
SANDMASTER
An instant solution to poorly
drained pitches this season. The
Sandmaster can provide drainage
solutions by injecting sand into
the turf by continuous channels
without any disruption to play.
• Cricket field
renovations
& levelling
• Winter pitches
construction
01883 340969
Kevin Barker
email: info@earthboundservices.co.uk
FTS
Sportsground & Amenity
Contractors
• Sports Pitch Construction
• Earthworks • Maintenance
• Drainage & Irrigation
• Custom Grown Turf
• Install n Playball Turf Tiles
01400 251605
www.fine-turf.co.uk
info@fine-turf.co.uk
Cricket Pitch
Specialists
Unit 5, Beenham Industrial Estate
Reading, Berkshire RG7 5PP
Tel: 0118 9714420
Mob: 07768 696291
Fax: 0118 9714522
www.fts-sportsturf.co.uk
Help us to help you! When responding to advertising please
mention that you ‘saw it in Pitchcare’
131
To advertise in this section contact
Plant nutrition
Classifieds PLANT NUTRITION
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
CONSTRUCTION
Sports Fields and Golf Courses
DRAINAGE
Sand Slitting, Gravel Banding
RENOVATION
Verti Draining, Hollow Coring, Scarifying,
Koro Field Topmaker, Topdressing,
Overseeding, Sand Spreading
SPORTSTURF
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
- food for thought?
iain watson
GREENKEEPING
Maintenance Contracts
Renovation Programmes
Relief Staff
Tel: 01772 641008
Mobile: 07894 727361
Email: IWGreenkeeping@aol.com
www.iwgreenkeeping.co.uk
Natural and synthetic
pitch construction
Mobile: 07768 122577
Tel: 01772 780545
danvicturfcare@btconnect.com
A N Y S P O R T - A N Y S U R FA C E
CONSTRUCTION - MAINTENANCE
w w w. s g c g ro u p . c o . u k
SeniorGolfConstruction
RapidTurf
SeniorSportsMaintenance
SeniorSportsConstruction
Tel: 0161 343 1044
Sportsfield Construction
Drainage Schemes
Renovations & Improvements
Cricket Specialists
Tel: 01529 455757 Fax: 01529 455775
e-mail: steve@stevenpask.co.uk
www.stevenpask.co.uk
WORTH
DRAINING
25 years experience in
sports turf aeration
Verti draining
Blec Groundbreaker
Overseeding - Sanding
Top Dressing
Hollow Coring
Tel/Fax 01476 550266
Mobile: 07855 431119/20
email: bloodworth@onetel.com
www.worth-d
draining.com
www.pitchcare.com
132
Tel: 01256 880488
Email: info@kestrelcontractors.co.uk
www.kestrelcontractors.co.uk
Agronomist
David H Bates
offers an
alternative and
interesting view
to using
ammonia based
fertilisers
uring World War II the need
for air support to troops on
the ground was vitally
important, particularly in the
pacific region. Landing zones were
extremely difficult as the natural
environment was wooded
scrubland. Clearance of such sites
was made and, following this
clearance, re-growth management
undertaken by applying Anhydrous
(water free) ammonia. This helped
to ensure extremely hard runways.
Nearly seventy years on these
landing sites can still be seen from
miles above our planet as regrowth has not occurred due to the
ammonia, the basis of our present
day fertilisers. For example,
ammonia nitrate is produced by
combining anhydrous ammonia
and nitric acid. Urea is produced
by combining anhydrous ammonia
with phosphoric acid.
In 1903 Cominco Ltd
constructed an anhydrous
ammonia plant at Trail, British
Columbia, and became the first
producer of granular fertiliser in
1932. The company produced a
granular ammonium in 1963,
followed by a granular urea in
1964.
So, is it not conceivable that, if
we continued to apply such
ammonia based salt fertilisers, our
soils will become more compacted
and toxic and less likely to sustain
plant growth? This could result in
restricted root room, exchange and
nutrition pick up, along with poor
drainage and, therefore, the need
for yet more fertiliser applications
D
Consultancy, Management & Renovation
of Sports Surfaces
Cricket and Bowling Green
Renovation Specialists
Nutrient Analysis and Fertiliser
Programmes
Midlands & North Wales
Mobile: 07779 333010
Tel: 01889 567449
www.vitalturfmanagement.co.uk
Email: lee@vitalturfmanagement.co.uk
SPORTS TURF COVERS
to compensate for the decline. A
spiral effect that leads to greater
decline and, importantly, budget
implications.
A non organic turf manager
tends to rely on these kinds of
fertilisers to achieve their needs,
but there are always downsides. It
is all about ‘balance’. You will
inevitably feed more and apply
more fungicides to control disease,
whilst not necessarily achieving
more. You will apply chemical
growth retarders to manage the
unruly growth habits which have
arisen from the salts, otherwise
fuel costs will escalate, i.e. more
mowing on a daily basis.
Over-use of salt based fertilisers
tends to stimulate retardation in
Poa annua, particularly in early
spring growth. How many
greenkeepers observe that their
greens are not responding to
growth at such times, for example,
that spring growth is poor? It
appears more common than ever
this year following two poor
summers and very cold winter and
spring period.
The developments in
environmentally friendly and
natural products have been
evaluated by greenstaff and
managers in recent years. The
unique combination of nutrients
that contribute to a greener,
stronger, healthier and sustainable
turf is possible.
The supply of stabilised amine
nitrogen, in a form that is highly
accessible via both the foliage and
the roots, is now available.
To advertise in this section contact
Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
Design
Construction
Renovation
Maintenance
Specialists in turnkey naturalturf& artificialpitch solutions
Sports Ground Contractor
Turnkey Projects
Artificial Facilities
Natural Turf
Land Drainage
Environmentally Conscientious
Calcium is bonded to develop
stronger soils. Aeration and water
penetration are improved and salt
accumulation lessened.
Magnesium and iron are
constituents of chlorophyll, which
is produced by the grass to give its
green colour. Both of these
elements are formulated, thereby
making complex forms available
for rapid assimilation via the
foliage, which then remains
accessible in the soil for take up
by the roots. These types of
products will replace at least 50%
of nitrogen application on all turf
and lawns where good colour,
sward density and health are
desired.
Feeding within this regime does
not encourage excessive
vegetation growth. However, other
salt based nitrogen applications
should be reduced to allow for the
replacement of the nitrogen by
these new products, otherwise the
total nitrogen may encourage
excessive vegetative growth.
What once we considered best
management has now given way
to a whole new suit of better
practices, which cultivate
environmental responsibility and
better green and grass
management.
Technology offers more
opportunities than ever to improve
returns on investment. But, even
sports facilities utilising 21st
century genetic technologies, will
not reach their full plant potential
with 20th century fertilisation
programmes and chemistry.
Ideas about good fertilisation
are changing, and for the better.
Each growing season brings
conditioners that challenge the
turf manager and the facilities in
different ways. Understanding, and
becoming familiar with, the
language of the plant will help you
meet these challenges. The adage
is “If you always do what you
always did, then you will always
get what you always got.”
You may say, “I’ve used the
same fertilisation programme for
years, why should I change now?”
Well, there is a much better
understanding now of how plants
use nutrients. Applying this
knowledge can give you better
quality greens and grass.
Today, the goal of a “best
management” fertilisation
programme is to feed the plant not
the soil. The correct amount of
nutrients should be available to
the plant as it needs them in
various stages of growth. This may
mean more applications at lower
rates of nutrients throughout the
growing season.
The question now is, are equal
amounts of each nutrient needed
to sustain growth? The answer is
no!
The nutritional needs of each
grass are different. Therefore, each
element must be present in
sufficient quantity for the others to
work to their potential. Just a
small, economical foliar
application may be enough to
provide the critical quantity of a
particular nutrient which is
essential for the optimum growth.
These would include Baron (B),
Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe),
Molybdenum (Mo), Zinc (Zn),
Manganese (Mn), Colbalt (Co),
Nickel (N) and, most recently,
Chloride (Cl).
A balance of all nutrients must
be achieved in the leaf because
this is where the plant gets
photosynthates which are its food.
They are transferred out of the
leaves to the plant’s growing
points (foliage roots, fruits or
nodes) as needed in various stages
of its growth. It is critical to feed
the plant, not just the soil.
With all the required nutrients in
place, many of them chelated, the
plant can then select the nutrients
it needs at any stage of growth.
This is called “free choice feeding”
and it enables the plant to grow
naturally to its full potential.
But, I hear you say, “my budget’s
not growing, so how much will this
balanced nutritional programme
presenting this ‘free choice
feeding’ cost?”
The good thing is that it will cost
you no more than you are already
spending on your fertilisation
programme. Often, it is simply a
matter of reallocating you current
fertiliser expenses to make them
more efficient through the use of
secondary and micro nutrients. In
addition, these can be tank mixed
so they are applied at the same
time as other liquid formulations,
e.g. seaweed extracts and forms of
liquid derivatives, thereby ensuring
that adequate levels of nutrients
are present. This can make
significant differences in your
sward/grass and its quality. Which
translates into improved return for
you.
Alternatively, continue to put
chemicals on your turf and
continue to decline. The choice is
always yours!!
Contact David H. Bates on
07736 066031 or email at
DHBatesservices@aol.com
Your Choice
Tel: 01924 497283
www.stanleylanddrainage.co.uk
sales@stanleylanddrainage.co.uk
8YVROI]REXYVEPERHEVXM´GMEPXYVJTMXGLIW
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#ONTRACTORS,TD
*SVJYVXLIVHIXEMPW
[[[[LMXILSVWIGSRXVEGXSVWGSYO
SPORTS TURF CONSULTANTS
Total Turf Solutions
One resource for all your turf care needs
The tts culture is based on its independence.
tts embodies a new generation of turf consultants combining experienced
and practical groundsmen with in-depth technical knowledge.
For more information on how tts can improve your playing surfaces and
contribute effective resource management to your organisation, don’t
hesitate to call.
Telephone: 01604 750555 Mobile: 07973 885 775
Website: www.totalturfsolutions.co.uk email: enquiry@totalturfsolutions.co.uk
SWEEPERS
TYRES
KERSTEN SWEEPERS
We offer the largest and most comprehensive
range of pedestrian hydraulic propelled
equipment and sweeping attachments
SALES • SERVICE • PARTS
Kersten (UK) Ltd. Reading RG7 3AH
Tel 0118 9834337
Fax 0118 9834512
info@kersten-machines.com
www.kersten-machines.com
Help us to help you!
When responding to
advertising please
mention that you
‘saw it in Pitchcare’
NO MORE DOWNTIME - 100% RECYCLABLE
WHEELBARROWS TO GOLFCARS
PSI RATED TYRES KIND TO YOUR TURF
CALL 01564 824343
FOR PRICE AND TYRE AVAILABILITY
WWW.HANCOX.CO.UK
133
To advertise in this section contact
Weed of the month
Classifieds KNOTWEED - not
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
TOPDRESSING & LOAM
the Japanese one!
From village green to county ground
Visit our website at www.boughton.co.uk
and download an analysis sheet to find out
which of our three cricket loams are most
suitable for your ground.
Boughton Kettering, Club, and County
Loams are sourced locally and analysed to
establish compatibility and conformity.
They are then screened and can be
supplied dried and sterilised or untreated
for construction projects.
Boughton Loam is available nationwide. To find your local stockist
of bagged products please use the postcode selector on our website
at www.boughton.co.uk or telephone 01536 510515.
Much favoured by herbalists to cure a whole
host of ailments, from the trivial to the
downright life threatening, Common
Knotweed or Knotgrass can be a problem on
turfgrass
Top quality dressings
Kaloam & Ongar Loam • Fertilisers
Specialist grass seeds, machinery & tools
Contact: Alan Ford - Tel:0870 242 1090
Alan.ford@monrogoundrey.co.uk
www.monrogoundrey.co.uk
Contact: Philip Furner - Tel:01277 890246
sales@binderloams.co.uk
www.binderloams.co.uk
Contact: Andy Hodges - Tel:01202 537777
sales@roffey.ltd.uk
TURF SUPPLIERS
TURF SUPPLIERS
“For landscaping,
for sports, for amenity ...”
Polygonum aviculare or Common
Knotweed is a plant related to
buckwheat and dock. It is also
called birdweed, pigweed,
wireweed, common knotgrass,
matgrass, doorweed, pinkweed,
birdgrass, stonegrass, lowgrass
and prostrate knotweed.
It is an annual found in fields and
wasteland and, occasionally, in
roadsides, gardens and turf grass
from June to October.
The English botanist, herbalist,
physician and astrologer, Nicholas
Culpeper, recommend knotweed to
cure the spitting of blood. Modern
herbalists use it to treat dysentery,
excessive menstrual flow, lung
disorders, bronchitis and jaundice,
and gall and kidney stones. Not all
of these uses are supported by
scientific evidence!
Knotweed has a prostrate form of
growth, especially in close mown
turf. Stems are very long and
nodal with leaves forming
alternately along the stem.
The prostrate stems merely trail
across the ground, clamber over,
or lean upon other plants, rocks,
fences, or whatever happens to be
in the way.
Knotweed stems can grow up to
one metre in length. They often
sprawl over the ground surface but
may have an erect habit in other
situations.
Height can vary between 10cm
and 60 cm. The rootsa are fibrous
Growers of natural & rootzone sports turf
using the very best STRI cultivars
Tel: 01724 855000
Fax: 01724 282777
email: andyfraser@countyturf.co.uk
www.countyturf.co.uk
• Sports Pitch Construction
• Earthworks • Maintenance
• Drainage & Irrigation
• Custom Grown Turf
• Install n Playball Turf Tiles
01400 251605
www.fine-turf.co.uk
info@fine-turf.co.uk
134
Specialist growers of turf
for sport and amenity
Winter sports
Football and rugby
70% Ryegrass 30% Smoothstalk
Standard thickness up to 50mm
Golf
Greens, tees, fairways, bunkers
••••••
Specialists in 1.2m wide big roll supply only or supply and lay
Tel: 01652 678 000
www.tillersturf.co.uk
Advertising in the classified
section of Pitchcare costs
as little as £200 a year
TURF SUPPLIERS
GROWERS OF
QUALITY TURF
Specialist growers of sportsturf with a
wide range of grades, rootzones, thick
and fibre reinforced turf
Tel: 01904 448675
sales@turf.co.uk
www.turf.co.uk
Telephone:
01842 828266
Website:
www.qlawns.co.uk
Email:
sales@qlawns.co.uk
www.pitchcare.com
To advertise in this section contact
Classifieds
Peter Britton on 01747 855335
email: peter@pitchcare.com
WASTE WATER MANAGEMENT
WEED CONTROL
•Broadleaved Selective
Weed Control
•Sports Turf Nutrition
•Soil Pest Control
•Grass Growth Regulation
•Moss Control
•Invasive Weed Control
•Aquatic Weed Control
Languard
Vegetation
Management
and shallow.
The flowers are small and white,
with petals 2.5-3.5mm long,
greenish with pink or white
margins. In contrast to other
Polygonums, there is little or no
honey or scent, so the flowers are
very rarely visited by insects and
pollinate themselves by the
incurving of the stamens.
Flowering period May-October.
The leaves are alternate, oval,
apex pointed and hairless, 530mm long 1-8mm wide
The plant reproduces by seed.
Habitat: Found mainly on arable
land, however, once established,
can be a problem in turf grass
areas.
Miscellaneous info: The plant has
astringent properties, and is used
as a herbal remedy for treating
diarrhoea, bleeding piles and all
haemorrhages.
Cultural Control: Knotweed can be
mechanically or physically
removed. Care should be taken to
ensure that all roots are
thoroughly removed. Close
mowing reduces seed head
formation. Maintaining a dense
sward will deter or prevent
plantains from establishing.
Regular aeration of the soil will
help establish better grass growth
and reduce the likelihood of
compacted soils.
Chemical Control: Apply selective
broadleaf herbicides when plant
growth is active. There are a
number of products available for
controlling broad leaf weeds in
established turf.
TREES
Safeguarding the Environment
T: 01858 880898 E: info@languard.co.uk
WEED CONTROL
These chemicals are best used
when the weeds are actively
growing, usually between AprilOctober.
Re-A
Act - Scotts
Active Ingredients: 256.25g/l
(22.6% w/w) MCPA, 237.5g/l
(20.9% w/w) mecoprop-P and
31.25g/l (2.8% w/w) dicamba as
the dimethylamine salt formulated
as a soluble concentrate.
Relay Turf - Headland
Active Ingredients: contains
200g/l Mecoprop-P, 200g/l MCPA
and 25g/l dicamba.
Estermone - Vitax
Active Ingredients: Contains:
200g/l 2,4-D as the iso-octyl ester
and 35g/l dicamba.
Spearhead - Bayer
Active Ingredients: 20g/l (1.72%
w/w) clopyralid, 15.9g/l (1.45%
w/w) diflufenican and 300g/l
(25.9% w/w) MCPA.
These herbicides are usually
applied as a liquid using watering
cans, knapsack sprayers and
vehicle mounted sprayers.
Ensure you follow manufacturer’s
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135
I don’t believe it!
The not so serious side of the industry
©BBC
Reel lawnmower man!
FORMER Wales striker and
current manager of
Wrexham, Dean Saunders,
has been helping out the
Colliers Park groundstaff at
the club’s training facilities.
Not content with managing
the first team and,
potentially, playing in and
running the reserves, the
Wales assistant coach was
pictured driving the club’s
Toro ride-on mower around
the training ground.
“The goundsman is away on
holiday,” said Dean. “So, it is
a case of all hands on the
pump at the moment.”
“There are things I could be
doing instead, but I am
happy to help out in any way
I can.”
When asked if he had cut the
grass at any of his other
clubs, which included Aston
Villa, Liverpool, Nottingham
Forest, Galatasary and
Benfica, he laughed: “I
haven’t. No!”
Not a ‘Rouse’ ing
welcome home!
POOR old Steve Rouse. After
two days of torrential rain
prior to the 3rd Ashes Test at
Edgbaston, he enlisted the
help of seventeen others to
mop up, with many of them
working through Wednesday
night. Play eventually got
underway late on Thursday
afternoon. But there was no
rest for Steve.
Rain on Saturday, and a day
of ‘blotting’, meant another
‘night out’ for Steve - this
time it was a one-man job - so
that play could begin at
midday on Sunday.
To rub salt into the wound, a
brief trip home was not
appreciated by his partner
Jill. “I popped home for my
first shave in three days and
she gave me a bollocking for
smelling bad,” he said.
Life didn’t get any easier.
Warwickshire hosted a fourday championship match two
days after the Test and a
Pro40 match on the following
Sunday. “After that I might
get some sleep,” he said.
A little known fact ...
THE first testicular guard
(box) was used in cricket in
1874 and the first helmet was
used in 1974.
136
Therefore, it took exactly one
hundred years for men to
realise that the brain is also
important!
It’s behind you!
A groundsman driving a rideon mower in fog along the
runway at Dublin Airport was
unaware of a Boeing 757
approaching him from
behind until it passed just
over his head!
The Thomson Airways flight,
which was carrying 198
passengers and eight crew,
was inbound from Sharm-elSheikh in Egypt.
The plane had just touched
down when crew reported the
ground equipment at the
edge of the runway lights.
The Irish Department of
Transport’s Air Accident
Investigation Unit found the
small ride-on mower had
been moving along the
runway a number of metres
inside the edge lighting.
“It had no rear lighting or
flashing beacon and it was
not equipped with any
airband radio equipment
capable of listening out on
the control tower frequency,”
said the report.
“The operator of the mower
was unaware that an aircraft
was landing and he did not
see the aircraft before it
passed his vehicle. It is
probable that the starboard
wing of the 757 passed over
him during landing.”
Several ride-ons had been
cutting grass on the side of
runways until work had been
stopped six minutes early due
to fog.
Air traffic controllers were
not aware the unsuspecting
workman was almost in the
path of the oncoming jet
when they gave the all-clear
for landing.
Air accident investigators are
now examining the near miss,
which happened shortly
before 3.00am on May 29.
Mood swing on target!
A schoolgirl goalkeeper is set
for the record books after
scoring twice in a single
match from her own penalty
box.
Fourteen year old Emily
Dickson stunned her teammates, and the opposition,
with two huge drop kicks
down the full-sized pitch.
With both attempts, the ball
bounced over the opposing
keeper and into the net
during the under-15s match.
By scoring two goals, Emily
helped her side to defeat the
Stevenage Vixens 3-2.
The FA’s official historian,
David Barber, believes that
Emily could be the first
keeper in the country to have
scored twice on a full-sized
pitch in a competitive match.
“I was in a really bad mood”
said Emily “because I’d just
let in a goal. I took the ball
and smashed it as hard as I
could when it came to me. It
bounced over the keeper and
went in. I couldn’t believe it.”
Quote me happy
“Fraser Watts down there on the boundary, the
24th most eligible bachelor in Scotland. That’s
the good news, the bad news is that Colin
Montgomerie is above him.” David ‘Bumble’
Lloyd commentating on the New Zealand v
Scotland Twenty20 match.
“He could’ve kicked that with his head.” Aussie
RL commentator defines the act of kicking.
“That makes Andy Murray the first man to
reach the final at Queen’s since 2002.” Tennis
commentator.
“And now, Andy and Teddy
with their views.” Steve
Ryder on ITV, after the
England v Andorra match.
That’s Townsend and
Sheringham by the way!
“Bill Gordon has been here
longer than Methuselah.” Bumble’s appraisal
of just how good the Oval wicket was at the
T20 World Cup.
“After Chris Gayle, the rest of the West Indies
scorecard looks like an international phone
number!” BBC commentator after West Indies
v Sri Lanka T20 semi-final.
“These Italian players will be a year older in a
year’s time.” Martin Keown during Italy’s
Confederations Cup game against Egypt.
“You don’t need to be a rocket surgeon to work
that out.” Barrie McDermott during the Hull
KR v Wigan game.
“Since he won the French Open he has been on
Cloud Seven.” BBC pundit Boris Becker on
Roger Federer’s state of mind.
“I have mostly been eating chicken wings. I
only stick to things I can spell.” Boo Weekley
on his eating habits at The Open
“Golf balls don’t know how old you are.”
Former Open champion Paul Lawrie’s verdict
on veteran Tom Watson’s amazing week at
Turnberry.
“Gatt’s finished his lunch - in fact he probably
finished everyone’s lunch!” Bumble upon
spotting Mike Gatting at Lord’s.
“Onions is getting peppered!” Nasser Hussain
on Graham Onions going for runs in the
second Ashes Test.
“His philosophy about football was not unique
but it was different from everybody else.”
Former Chelsea fitness coach Ade Mafe on
Jose Mourinho.
More at www.bbc.co.uk
Forward THINKING
Dates for your diary
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
3rd to 6th - Burghley Horse Trials,
Burghley House, Lincolnshire
(www.burghley-horse.co.uk)
2nd to 5th - ‘Understanding the
science and management of your
golf course’ training course, STRI,
Bingley (www.stri.co.uk)
4th - Rugby Union, Guinness
Premiership season begins
(www.guinnesspremiership.com)
4th - One Day International Series
begins - England v Australia
(www.cricketworld.com)
8th to 9th - Four Oaks Trade Show,
Macclesfield, Cheshire
(www.fouroaks-tradeshow.com)
8th to 10th - IOG SALTEX, Windsor
Racecourse (www.iogsaltex.co.uk)
14th to 18th - BASIS Training
Course Week 1, STRI, Bingley
(www.stri.co.uk)
20th to 22nd - GLEE, NEC
Birmingham
(www.gleebirmingham.com)
21st to 25th - FACTS Training
Course, STRI, Bingley
(www.stri.co.uk/8.asp)
OCTOBER
1st to 4th - Golf, Alfred Dunhill
Links Championship, St Andrews,
Scotland (www.europeantour.com)
14th to 15th - ‘Integrating ecology
into your golf course
management’ training course,
STRI, Bingley (www.stri.co.uk)
28th to 29th - ‘Understanding the
science and management of your
grounds and parklands’ training
course, STRI, Bingley
(www.stri.co.uk)
Supple changes to fairway cutting!
Yes, it’s another bumper crop of wuddled mords that, quite frankly, defy logic. If he ever
left his brain to science neurological techniques would be set back by 100 years!
... catch two birds with one stone
End of season renovations begin as soon
as the season has finished
Foot traction and ball bounce can be
affected by the type of footwear worn and
condition of balls
There’s about a group of them
I’m not going to rush my gut on that one
... thus helping retain some moisture for
the native grasses and fauna
We have to simulate interest
Alex is one of a long line of family
greenkeepers
... along with the supple changes in
fairway cutting
We must strike while the iron’s hot or
we’ll miss the boat
The club have also initiated the
opportunity for a new member of staff to
join the team
... it’s more than my wife’s worth
You can now follow Loz on Twitter http://twitter.com/pitchcareloz
4th to 5th - GCSAI Sportsturf
Ireland trade show, Citywest Hotel
Conference Centre, Dublin
(www.gcsai.org)
7th - Rugby Union, England v
Australia, Twickenham Stadium
(www.rfu.com)
11th to 12th - IOG Scotsturf trade
show, Highland Hall, Edinburgh
(www.iogscotsturf.co.uk)
13th - International Twenty20
Series between South Africa v
England, begins, Johannesburg
(www.cricketworld.com)
16th to 19th - ‘Understanding the
science and management of your
sports grounds’ training course,
STRI, Bingley (www.stri.co.uk)
19th to 22nd - Golf, Dubai World
Championship, Jumeirah Golf
Estates, Dubai
(www.dubaiworldchampionship.com)
To add your event to Forward Thinking
please email details to
ellie@pitchcare.com and don’t forget
that you can add it to Pitchcare’s online
calendar yourself! Simply log on to
www.pitchcare.com, select ‘Calendar’
in the Home drop down button on the
top banner and click on “Add event’ at
the top of the page.
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