these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

SERVING THE TURFCARE INDUSTRY
KEYNOTE
interview
Eddie Seaward MBE
THE
The turfcare magazine
from pitchcare.com
pitchcare
visa
approved
BROMSGROVE SCHOOL•CANADA•SWILLINGTON
SANDOWN PARK•SOUTHAMPTON•TURTON
PARKSTONE•PAKISTAN•ROCHDALE•KELVINGROVE•BUNKERS
February/March 2012
Issue No. 41 £4.50
FEATURE
LIVING AND
WORKING
OVERSEAS
We hear from three
greenkeepers about their
experiences of living and
working in foreign climes
Building
the future
of English
Football
In July 2012, the National Football Centre
St.George’s Park will finally open its doors to
become the home for all the England national
teams under The FA’s banner

is a worldwide brand of AGCO.

WELCOME TO
pitchcare
2012 - and all
it might bring
- or not!
IS it just me, or will the Olympics come
and go, creating nothing more than a
few ripples in the annual calendar of
sport? I don’t want to rubbish the
event, but I just can’t get excited about
its imminent arrival. I know that I
should, and I’m sure I will tune in to
see the highlights of a close run 1500m
final or a new world record javelin
throw, but you can, by and large, keep
the rest.
I’ve tried to put my finger on the lack
of enthusiasm; not just my own, but so
many others. In the last couple of
weeks on various radio channels and
TV, I’ve heard presenters say as much
about the lack of excitement. I think,
for me, the football has never been
taken seriously and I just switch off
from the whole event. I must admit to
enjoying Winter Olympics so much
more. Let’s hope, despite my
reservations, that the event proves to
be a huge success, leaving a legacy of
great sporting facilities for generations
to come.
As the country falls into a ‘double-dip’
recession, you could have been
forgiven for thinking that, actually, the
economy was reasonably buoyant,
judging by this year’s BTME at
Harrogate. The general feeling was
positive and, certainly, two of the three
days seemed to be reminiscent of days
gone by as you slowly edged along the
walkways due to the sheer weight of
people in front of you. It was good to
see and, at face value, appeared to be a
step in the right direction.
In perspective, the numbers were up,
certainly on the previous two years, but
probably still fall far short of the
numbers three or more years ago. The
condensed nature of the halls made
the show look busier but, a key talking
point was the decision to put John
Deere, Ransomes Jacobsen and Toro
under the same hall roof.
For the discerning customer, the
opportunity to view ‘the big 3s’
equipment side by side was great, but
for creating a better flow of well
distributed footfall through the halls,
perhaps that decision may be reviewed
next time?
The arguments surrounding the
installations of synthetic turf into
stadium sport continue. The money
men (Chairmen) think they are making
the right decision, usually based on the
salesmen’s spin of low, ongoing
maintenance cost and vastly increased
income from many more hours of
sport. It’s unfortunate, at the moment,
that they don’t get the balanced
argument of high replacement costs,
particularly if little maintenance is
being carried out, as well as the
difficulty of attracting sufficient extra
sport and corporate events in any way,
shape or form to make it pay in the
first place.
The first professional Rugby League
game was played a few weeks ago on a
new synthetic surface, Widnes played
Wakefield. There was much discussion
after the game on the TV, and in the
papers, focused on the damage to the
players’ knees.
It seems there are interesting times
ahead then, and the future will very
much depend on there being a resolute
and strong argument coming from the
natural turf lobby.
At Harrogate, someone likened me to
King Canute, trying to turn the tide of
inevitability. The fact is that in
America, where synthetics have been at
the forefront of mainstream sport,
many stadiums are reverting back to a
natural surface. Why, because of the
many documented cases and published
papers on injuries, diseases and the
safety of children using artificial
surfaces?
The current tide is incoming, and will
peak. Yet, with a united voice, it will
recede to a point where we see natural
grass remain as the preferred choice in
stadiums.
Cheers
Dave Saltman
Say that again!
“Even though I still detest slow
greens, if they are true and firm
they are still preferable to quick,
bumpy ones”
Greg Evans, Ealing Golf Club
“There is no point designing a
good course if it isn’t well built,
and there is no point building a
good course if it isn’t well
maintained”
Donald Steel, GTC
“It’s about the money to be
made, at the expense of
whatever happens to get in the
way of that”
Matt Frost, Football Pitch Consultant
“It is important to check that
you have sufficient cover within
your insurance policy should an
accident take place on your
artificial pitch”
Nick Harris, Technical Surfaces
“It is no good just moaning
about the lack of respect and
understanding our industry
seems to suffer from, we have to
try and do as much as possible
to change this”
Barry Glynn, East Molesey Cricket Club
“The words ‘gas oil’ or ‘red
diesel’ in themselves are generic
terms that mean nothing and
everything at the same time”
Neil Ryding, FAST
“It is only the untrained who
think they are good interviewers.
The trained ones know their
limitations!”
Frank Newberry, Training Consultant
“I got very close to walking out
of the industry because I was
very disillusioned with it.
Instead of getting involved, I
became marginalised and
disillusioned”
Eddie Seaward, All England Club

Contents
The PC team
DAVE SALTMAN
Managing Director
Tel: 01902 440254
Email:
dave@pitchcare.com
LAURENCE GALE
Editor
Tel: 01902 440 260
Email:
laurence@pitchcare.com
CHRIS JOHNSON
Training Coordinator
Tel: 01902 440 263
Email:
chris@pitchcare.com
ALASTAIR BATTRICK
Web Monkey
Tel: 01902 440 255
Email:
al@pitchcare.com
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-by-Sea, West
Sussex BN43 6NZ
Pitchcare.com Ltd
Allscott Park, Allscott, Telford
Shropshire TF6 5DY
Tel: 01952 897 910
Fax: 01952 247 369
Email: editor@pitchcare.com
JOHN RICHARDS
Operations Director
Tel: 01902 440256
Email:
john@pitchcare.com
PETER BRITTON
Advertising & Production
Tel: 01952 898 516
Email:
peter@pitchcare.com
DAN HUGHES
Sales Manager
Tel: 01902 440 258
Email:
dan@pitchcare.com
SHARON TAYLOR
Company Accountant
Tel: 01902 440 261
Email:
sharon@pitchcare.com
Cover Story
Building for the future of English Football
In July 2012, the National Football Centre St.George’s Park will finally open its doors
to become the home for all the England national teams under The FA’s banner.
Former Ipswich Town Head Groundsman, Alan Ferguson, is the man in charge of the
pitches. Page 58
Eoghan Buckley,
Seymour Golf & Country Club Dan Groome, Aqualate Golf Club
Golf
Canada eh?
Eoghan Buckley, from Coolrain, Co. Laois, Ireland,
writes about his time spent in Vancouver, Canada
working as a 2nd Assistant Superintendent at
Seymour Golf and Country Club. Pg14
Presenting Parkstone...
Parkstone Golf Club occupies an SSSI between Poole
and Bournemouth. The new man charged with
maintaining this ecologically sensitive site is Steve
Richardson. Pg20
California Dreamin’
Seamus Moriarty’s dream of working abroad was
realised when he contacted Mike O’Keeffe about the
Ohio State University’s International Exchange
Programme. Pg24
Wainwright Talks - Ecology
Antony Wainwright, Greenkeeper at Turton Golf Club
in Lancashire, discusses the ongoing ecological work
he is carrying out at the course. Pg28
Cover Story -
Alan Ferguson,
St George’s Park
Aqualate - being well Groomed
Dan Groome, Head Greenkeeper at Aqualate Golf
Club in Newport, Shropshire, can now count on two
additional staff to help tend the ten hole course. Pg32
Never a dull moment
John Tate has been Course Manager of the Defence
Raya championship course in Pakistan for over a year
now, and recalls how he found himself in Lahore.
Pg36
Those were the days
The GTC Chairman, Donald Steel, reflects on the
‘good old days’ and how modern machinery, training
and communication have improved the greenkeeper’s
working environment. Pg42
How smooth are you?
When Greg Evans ‘came out’ about maintaining
greens in an aggressive manner, a huge amount of
debate and discussion followed, questioning the
merits of such a method. Pg46

Andy Gray, Southampton FC
Artificial Surfaces
Life is short, Fake it!
Is anything that is ever a copy of something natural better
than the original? Can natural things even be compared to
their artificial counterparts or, should I say, counterfeits?
Matt Frost enters the ‘artificial‘ debate. Pg50
Understanding maintenance
responsibilities
The performance, durability and safety of an artificial
sports pitch is intrinsically linked to the level of
maintenance completed throughout its life, and
understanding your maintenance responsibilities could go a
long way to avoiding a costly court case. Pg54
Winter Sports
Saints be praised!
With Southampton flying high in the Championship, their
free flowing, passing game requires a good surface. Charged
with providing that is Head Groundsman, Andy Gray, and
his team of three. Pg62
Dale’s Diary
Coping with dual sports is never easy but, with a new pitch,
new equipment and ‘new’ assistant, Phil Collinson, Head
Groundsman at Rochdale’s Spotland Stadium is winning the
battle to retain grass coverage. Pg66
Viewpoint
Our anonymous football league head groundsman, Mr AKA
Grasscutter, offers some advice to youngsters wishing to get
into the industry. Pg70
Schools and Colleges
Eric’s not been idle!
After thirty years service to Bromsgrove School, Head
Groundsman, Eric Burford, aims to retire later this year.
Here, he talks about his time at the school and the
improvements he has made during his tenure. Pg86
A matter of degrees
Neville Johnson heads to the University of Kent’s
Canterbury campus to meet Paul Griffiths, the man whose
job it is to see that the grounds always get a First. Pg92
Farmer Joe - happy as a pig in ...
Joe Cooper’s life at Milton Abbey School has evolved into
much more than being a groundsman, and it’s a position he
treasures. It’s not hard to see why, when you can work in
beautiful surroundings in the peaceful Dorset countryside.
Pg96
Equestrian
Sandown Park - ready for anything!
Groundsmen at dual purpose race tracks often have to
work hard to provide the ideal going for flat and national
hunt meetings within the same season but, at Sandown,
Estate Manager Craig Williamson and his team achieve
this feat on the same day. Pg100
Eric Burford, Bromsgrove School
Summer Sports
Ready to take on the world
Expectations are running high that the 2014
Commonwealth Games will mark the rebirth of lawn bowls
in Scotland. All the signs are favourable that it will. Pg72
Perfection - and the better it is, the
better!
How does the bowls greenkeeper attempt to meet the
expectations of the club membership? In fact, how does he
even know what those expectations are? Mark Allen seeks
out the answers from two of the best bowls greenkeepers in
the Birmingham area. Pg76
Thoughts for the winter
Another year entered, with thoughts on a blisteringly hot
summer heavy on the mind. Then you pinch yourself back
to reality and know you will settle for no rain on a Friday,
but for some nice heavy rain about 8.30 on a Sunday
evening. That’s not too much to ask for is it? Pg80
Smith family are rolling on...
After a lifetime spent collecting, servicing, repairing and
renovating, there’s not much that Eric Smith doesn’t know
about cricket rollers. Now, this enthusiastic ‘Fred Dibner’
of heavy machinery and champion of cricket club
groundsmen has finally produced his own, radical model.
Pg84
Technical
Germination Summed Up
Seed germination is one of the most fundamental
processes of nature. It is a source of immense debate on
how to achieve optimum establishment when sowing grass
seed mixtures. Pg104
Safety management of trees
Trees provide carbon sequestration, replenish oxygen,
provide habitat for vertebrates and invertebrates and,
when trees die, they can be utilised for various products.
Pg106
Under the cover of darkness
Normally carried out under the cover of darkness, away
from prying eyes, revetting pot bunkers has been a closely
guarded secret passed down through generations of
greenkeepers. Pg110
Sand - making the right decision
Choosing the right sand can be a huge decision. Graeme
King, Managing Director of leading sports sands supplier
Hugh King & Co, reveals some of the key factors to
consider. Pg112
The anatomy of a golf course -
Fairways
The fairway is the glue of the golf course holding all other
elements together, and becomes the target point for the
golfer if the green is not in sight or range. Pg116
Given much thought to your red
diesel lately?
The fact that the specification for red diesel (BS2869:A2
gas oil) changed significantly in January last year passed
many people by, including, it has to be said, many regular
users. Pg119
Also in this issue:
News .............................. 4
The Eyes have it .............. 8
The Keynote Interview .... 10
Turf Tip.......................... 115
Monthly Diaries ............ 122
Thoughts on training .... 126
Pitchcare training ........ 128
Frank Newberry .......... 130
History of covers............ 132
Now that’s magic ........ 134
National Memorial
Arboretum .................. 136
Hard times .................. 138
Cost of spraying .......... 140
Chafer Grubs .............. 142
Turf side up .................. 144

News
Gilly Gilford receives a
Special Merit recognition in
RCA Groundstaff Awards
Fontwell Park, Musselburgh and Newmarket honoured
at annual Neil Wyatt Racecourse Groundstaff Awards
FONTWELL Park, Musselburgh
and Newmarket were the big
winners as the results of the
2011 Neil Wyatt Racecourse
Groundstaff Awards were
announced.
Newmarket was the winner in
the Best Flat Racecourse
Category, whilst the Dual
Purpose award went to
Musselburgh Racecourse and
Fontwell Park Racecourse
received the award for best
Jump track.
A Special Merit Award,
presented at the discretion of
the award sponsors with full
support from the judging panel,
was awarded to Gilly Gilford,
Head Groundsman at Ascot
Racecourse in recognition of his
knowledge, hard work,
dedication and professionalism
throughout his forty year career
within the racing industry.
On behalf of the sponsors, John
Richards, Operations Director of
Pitchcare commented, “The
contribution that Gilly Gilford
has made to horse racing and
groundsmanship is second to
none. He has spent 45 years as
a racecourse groundsman, 15
years at Ascot and, prior to that,
30 years at Sandown. He is
quite rightly regarded as one of
the leading professionals in the
industry and a very worthy
recipient of the Merit Award.”
Judging of the awards took
place on Tuesday 10 January
2012 and the panel comprised
4 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Fontwell Park
Gilly Gilford
representatives of the National
Trainers Federation and
Professional Jockeys’
Association, with support from
the BHA Inspectors of Courses.
The Awards, organised by the
Racecourse Association and
sponsored by Pitchcare in
association with ALS and
Fornells, are in their sixteenth
year and recognise the
achievements of racecourse
groundstaff.
Richard Linley, Senior BHA
Inspector of Courses, said: “It
was an extremely difficult
decision for the panel to select
a winner in each category for
the Pitchcare Neil Wyatt
Groundstaff Awards 2011, yet
again Groundsmen around the
country have demonstrated real
commitment to their work and
on frequent occasions in very
difficult circumstances. It is also
fitting that Gilly Gilford has
received recognition with a
Merit Award for his devoted and
professional approach to
groundsmanship for over forty
years and I feel privileged to
have worked with him both at
Sandown and at Ascot.”
Rupert Arnold, of the National
Trainers Federation, said: “The
award submissions always give
an interesting account of the
challenges of producing a
racing surface to the highest
standards. There is some
impressive work going on at
racecourses around the country
and the panel has chosen very
worthy winners.”
Dale Gibson from The
Professional Jockeys Association
said “We all appreciate the hard
work that the ground staff put in
day in day out; the PJA
recognise that and in our eyes
all of the courses are winners.
Without their effort racing
simply would not take place.
The four safety officers all had
an input into the final decision.
Well done to all concerned.”
Newmarket Racecourses director
of racing and clerk of the
course, Michael Prosser, was
Musselburgh Newmarket
delighted to hear that his
groundstaff’s efforts had been
rewarded with this accolade.
He said: “I am thrilled that the
excellent performance of our
team has been recognised with
the Neil Wyatt Groundstaff
Award. It is the second time in
five years that we have been
fortunate enough to receive this
honour and I am very proud of
the staff’s efforts. 2011 was a
tough year in that we weren’t
always helped by the weather.
But the groundstaff continued to
deliver a racing surface that
drew praise from all quarters –
jockeys, trainers and media
alike – which can only be
attributed to their dedication
and skill.”
Musselburgh Racecourse
general manager, Bill
Farnsworth, said the award was
a “truly great result” against
strong competition. He said:
“Mark and his team deserve
great credit for this Award and it
reflects the dedication and hard
work which goes into the track
and grounds at Musselburgh
throughout the year. Working
alongside our clerk of the
course, Harriet Graham, we
undoubtedly have one of the
strongest ground staff in the
country and I don’t think anyone
who has visited the course
would object to Musselburgh’s
team receiving this accolade.”
Edward Arkell, Clerk of the
Course at Fontwell Park
Racecourse said “We’re thrilled
to receive this award. It’s great
that the panel have recognised
the hard work put in by the 3
groundstaff, Paul, Reg and
Darrin, on a small course with a
heavy programme of racing.”
The Neil Wyatt Racecourse
Groundstaff Awards are
sponsored by
Neil Wyatt
Racecourse
Groundstaff
Awards 2011
FLAT RACECOURSE
Winner: Newmarket
Racecourse
The Panel commended the
team at Newmarket on
continued high standards, and
the improvements, particularly
to the Beacon area of the
course. They also noted the
improvements which had been
made to the Weighing Room
and Winners Enclosure on the
July Course.
Runner Up: Nottingham
Racecourse
The Panel recognised the
challenges, not of their own
making, which had faced the
team at Nottingham
Racecourse throughout 2011,
and the manner in which
these had been addressed. In
addition, the investment in
new washdown facilities
received particular support
from the trainers’
representative.
JUMP RACECOURSE
Winner: Fontwell Park
Racecourse
The Panel recognised the hard
work of the small team to
manage their challenging
fixture list, which received
much support from the
Trainers and Jockeys.
Runner Up: Cartmel
Racecourse
The Judging Panel noted the
improvements at Cartmel
during 2011, largely carried
out by their one full time
member of staff.
DUAL PURPOSE
RACECOURSE
Winner: Musselburgh
Racecourse
The Panel was pleased to
reward the improvements in
the racing surface at
Musselburgh, along with the
high standards in all areas for
which the team are
responsible, and the
involvement of the team in
development of the new stable
complex.
Runner Up: Ascot
Racecourse
The Panel commended the
overall high standards of the
team at Ascot Racecourse, and
in particular the proactive
measures taken to provide the
best possible racing surface for
British Champions Day.
Merit Award: Gilly Gilford
The Merit Award, presented at
the discretion of the sponsors,
was awarded to Gilly Gilford.
The Panel commended his
many years of hard work,
dedication and
professionalism, which
received a huge amount of
complimentary support from
jockeys and trainers.

Reverting to
farmland!
The Norfolk Golf & Country Club sold by
Savills for an undisclosed amount
SAD news coming out of
East Anglia as we learned
that the Norfolk Golf &
Country Club which, when
built in 1993, was
considered one of the best
new clubs in the UK, has
been sold. The 159 acre
rural site, located in central
north Norfolk, will revert to
its original use as farmland
and the clubhouse will be
put to a suitable compatible
use.
The club, advised by Savills,
was on the market for £1.6
million.
Kay Griffiths, from Savills’ leisure
team, said: “The conversion of the
golf course back to farmland is a
reflection of pressure that has been
faced by some rural golf club
owners who are subject to a lot of
competition in a challenging
economic climate.”
“In the case of the NGCC it was
+44 (0)1332 824777
Clubhouse will be used for ‘rural’ pursuits
concluded that, in light of declining
income and continually-increasing
costs, the golf and leisure business
was no longer viable.”
The Club, which was owned by
Kate and Ray Barlow, shut on
Christmas Eve.
The identity of the new owner or
the final sale price has not been
revealed.
Trump that!
Pitchcare office gets a call from
Donald Trump’s office
IF any readers are planning a
trip to New York in the next
month or so, then make an
effort to visit the Trump
Organisation building on Fifth
Avenue, where you are likely
to see a familiar magazine on
display.
In the last issue of the Pitchare
Magazine, there was a feature
on the supply of turf to Donald
Trump's new golfing
Grounds Maintenance Equipment
for Professionals
News
We need ‘this’ many!
development at Balmedie, just
north of Aberdeen. A few days
after its publication, a
telephone call was received at
Pitchcare HQ from the office of
Trump International-Scotland.
Mr Trump had seen the
magazine and was so
impressed he asked for fifty
copies to be despatched to his
main offices in New York. We,
of course, obliged.
www.dennisuk.com PROUDLY BRITISH
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 5

News
Player participation
in decline say KPMG
KPMG report first fall in Europe Golf participation in
more than twenty years
KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice
reports that there was a net loss
of 46,000 registered golfers in
2011, with the UK & Ireland -
42,700 (-3.1%), Sweden -21,000
(-4.1%) and Spain -9,700 (-2.9%)
recording the most significant
reductions in player numbers.
The Golf Participation in Europe
2011 survey recorded a small
increase in the total number of
courses in Europe last year (up
0.7% to 6,740), whilst the
number of participants fell below
4.4 million (-1%).
The downturn in registered golf
participation follows a twenty-five
year period of growth - the
number of golfers has more than
tripled since the 1980s, whilst the
number of golf courses has
doubled in the same period.
Andrea Sartori, head of KPMG’s
Golf Advisory Practice, said:
“Whilst the growth of golf started
to slow down after 2005, last
year was the first time there was
“No signifi cant differences in the cut
quality in terms of shredding, rough
cut edges or turf die back between the
Merlin 320 rotary mower and the
control (reel type) mower”.
Mitchell, A. (2011). Trimax Merlin 320 Mower Trial.
NZ Turf Management Journal, 26(2), 20-24.
Unit 11B, Hill Farm Estate, Irthlingborough Road, Little Addington
Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 4AS, United Kingdom
PHONE: 01933 652235 EMAIL: info@trimaxmowers.co.uk
6 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
an actual decrease in registered
golfers. The decline can be
attributed to two factors: the
reduction in the number of
golfers in some of Europe’s
largest golf markets, especially
the UK and Ireland, and the lack
of dynamic growth in Europe’s
emerging markets, specifically
Eastern Europe and the South-
East Mediterranean.”
Whilst the number of officially
recognised participants in the UK
and Ireland fell to 1,326,700,
still more than double the size of
Europe’s second largest golf
market, Germany (610,100),
Sartori pointed out that golfers in
the UK and Ireland don’t have to
be registered, unlike most
European countries, so the
decline could be attributed in
part to players giving up club
memberships, while continuing
to play on a daily fee basis.
However, feedback from the
survey also suggests golf courses
across Europe are failing
to respond appropriately
to the challenging
economic conditions, and
may be losing customers
as a result.
“Golf clubs need to
proactively and effectively face
up to the challenging economic
climate to retain members or
attract new golfers,” continued
Andrea Sartori. “Based on our
survey, rather than introducing
youth and family programmes,
and promotional packages,
approximately 30-40% of
Europe’s operators and club
managers actually increased
prices in 2011. More than half of
clubs have not invested in
enhanced marketing - and many
have not yet capitalised on the
opportunities provided by online
marketing and social media.”
The survey highlighted that golf
remains a male-dominated sport
in Europe, with 65% of all
Andrea Sartori
players being male and 25%
female (10% are juniors).
German-speaking countries
(Germany, Austria and
Switzerland) and the
Netherlands, remain flagship
markets for female participation,
with more than 30% of golfers
being women.
“Whilst much of the golf market
stagnation in Europe may be
attributed to the overall
economic climate, continued
support and investment in new
programmes will be needed to
sustain demand and generate
further growth in the game,
especially in mature and
developed golf markets,” added
Andrea Sartori.
www.trimaxmowers.com

Amenity-specific
NSK revamped
More tailored training syllabus for the
amenity sector
NOMINATED Storekeepers
(NSKs) in the amenity sector
now have a more tailored
training syllabus and
qualification, thanks largely to
the efforts of BASIS trainer,
Mark Mason.
For the past four years, Mark
has run his own training and
health & safety consultancy, but
he spent much of his career at
the sharp-end in landscape
and amenity services for
Sandwell Council in the West
Midlands.
About eighteen months ago,
he got involved in BASIS
training and found himself
struggling to keep the attention
of amenity sector delegates
when they were on the NSK
course.
As Mark explains: “The
problem was that large
sections of the agricultural
syllabus were really not very
relevant for the amenity guys.
For example, a lot of time is
spent on the requirements of
the ADR Directive concerning
the transport of dangerous
goods. Whilst the amenity
storekeepers need to know of
the ADR and its basic
requirements, they don’t need
the same depth of knowledge
as the agricultural sector.
This had the knock-on effect of
making the exam at the end of
the training very challenging
for the amenity guys, with up
to a third of the questions
connected to the ADR.
”Mark took the problem up
with BASIS and suggested a
revised syllabus be developed
for the amenity sector.
“I’m pleased to say BASIS took
the idea on board and asked
me to work on a separate
syllabus and workbook. So,
now, when storekeepers want
the NSK certificate, they have a
choice between an amenity
sector or agricultural distributor
course. They can also rest
assured that the exam will be
relevant to their chosen sector.”
working for a brighter future
Widnes reject
safety concerns
Artificial surface criticised by players
THE “iPitch” at the
Stobart Stadium in
Widnes was criticised
by former Wakefield
full-back Richie
Mathers, who posted
images of grazes to his
body on Twitter.
He described the
surface, on which his
side won 32-14, as an
“absolute joke”.
But Widnes claim that Mathers’
injuries are more likely the result
of the icy conditions the match
was played in.
The club’s chief executive, Julie
Gaskell, stated: “We had four
games on the pitch this weekend,
and you have to bear in mind the
extreme weather. On Friday night,
it went down to minus seven.”
“The injuries are consistent with
those on any surface in those
temperatures. We noted there
were similar injuries from the
game at Salford on Saturday.”
“Our players have been training
on a similar surface for the last
nine months, and there have been
designer & manufacturer
of natural and artificial turf
maintenance machinery
since 1932
www.sisis.com
News
no issues. I am sure any problems
would have shown up.”
“We have also had five-a-side
football and boys and girls tag
rugby on the pitch over the last
four weeks and, again, we have
had no reported injuries.”
The Rugby Football League say
their match commissioner had no
concerns about the surface, which
is the first artificial pitch ever to be
used in the sport.
“We are happy for Widnes to
continue using the iPitch,” said
RFL spokesman, John Ledger.
“The indications are that it posed
no more danger to players than
on any other surface over the
weekend. We believe the extreme
weather may have been an issue.”
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 7

News
The Eyes
have it ...
As Timbuk3 said in 1986; “The Future’s
So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades”. If only
I had listened back then.
Ian Smith, Grounds Manager at St
Albans School, offers a timely word of
warning about eye damage from UV
rays, and the importance of wearing
sunglasses
I LOVE this profession, and one
of the great joys is being
outdoors, whatever the weather,
along with the different variety
of tasks I carry out though the
year. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I seem to be one of the lucky
people who actually enjoys
going to work in the morning.
But, I write this as a word of
caution to all of you. I’m sure
that, by now, you have all been
made aware of the damage that
the suns UV rays can cause to
our skin, so, hopefully, we either
stay covered up or we use
sunscreen. But, it is not just our
skin that we should be
protecting.
Pterygium is caused by UV rays
Back in 2002, I went for a
routine eye test and I was
diagnosed as having something
called pterygium. This is a
benign growth to the
conjunctiva, growing from the
nasal side towards the cornea,
and forming a wing-shaped
growth. Apart from looking
unsightly, by the end of the day
my eyes felt sore and gritty.
If I wanted to wear contact
lenses, with this condition, it
would not have been possible.
The optician asked me if I had
ever worked in the Middle East
or Australia. I said that I hadn’t,
but that I spent the majority of
my time outdoors. I was asked if
I wore sunglasses. I explained
8 PC 4 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
that I never had, and was told
that this was the reason I now
had this condition, as it is
caused by UV damage.
After the diagnosis, I always
wore sunglasses when outside.
Unfortunately, this was all too
late for me; the damage was
done. Whilst wearing sunglasses
slowed the growth down, now,
ten years on, the pterygium had
growth to the edge of my
cornea. This meant that, if it was
not removed, it would continue
to grow, over the cornea, and
blind me.
An operation was the only
option if I wanted to keep my
vision.
The operation is
really not very
pleasant. The
pterygium is cut out
and removed, a
graft is then taken
from under the eye
lid and stitched in
the hole where the
pteryguim had
been.
I have had one eye
done, and it is not
something that I
would wish on
Ian’s eye one week after the
operation, showing new skin
graft on left side of eye
anybody! In a month or so, I
have got to go through it all
again for the other eye.
The operation will probably
change the shape of my eye,
meaning visits to the opticians
after both operations to get
appropriate new lenses for each
eye of my glasses.
We must learn the lessons from
the past. I know people go on
about health and safety
regulations being a pain but, as
we become aware of issues that
affect people’s health, we must
try to avoid the same things
happening to the next
generation of groundsmen and
greenkeepers.
As well as this recent condition,
my ears ring at night through
not wearing defenders when I
first started out, working on the
machinery that was much noisier
back then. We used to have
fertiliser delivered in 50kg bags,
which I could hardly move, so
my back aches constantly ...
and, now, my eyes.
These things can all be
prevented through risk
assessments, and using the
appropriate machinery that falls
within EU regulations. We
should only be carrying
manageable weights, or using
lifting equipment where
necessary. We should be making
sure that we, and our staff, wear
the appropriate PPE; not just
toetectors, ear defenders and
hard hats but, now we are
aware of the issues with UV,
should also include sun screen
and sun glasses for 100% UV
protection. All these things your
employers should supply to you
as part of your terms of contract.
For all my moans and groans, I
still feel very lucky to work in
this industry. Hopefully, it will be
even better for the next
generation of both greenkeepers
and groundsmen.
It’s not a fashion statement
wearing sunglasses, it’s to stop
long term eye damage.
It’s not soft carrying only 20kg
at a time, it’s safer for your long
term health.
Let’s learn from our past
mistakes. As I started by saying;
“The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta
Wear Shades”.
PTERYGIUM in the conjunctiva is
characterized by elastotic
degeneration of collagen
(actinic elastosis) and
fibrovascular proliferation. It
has an advancing portion,
called the head of the
pterygium, which is connected
to the main body of the
pterygium by the neck.
Sometimes, a line of iron
deposition can be seen adjacent
to the head of the pterygium
called Stocker’s line. The
location of the line can give an
indication of the pattern of
growth.
The exact cause is unknown,
but it is associated with
excessive exposure to wind,
sunlight, or sand. In addition,
pterygia are twice as likely to
occur in men than women.
Some research also suggests a
genetic predisposition due to an
expression of vimentin, which
indicates cellular migration by
the keratoblasts embryological
development, which are the
cells that give rise to the layers
of the cornea. These cells also
exhibit an increased P53
expression likely due to a deficit
in the tumor suppressor gene.
These indications give the
impression of a migrating
limbus because the cellular
origin of the pterygium is
actually initiated by the limbal
epithelium.
As it is associated with excessive
sun or wind exposure, wearing
protective sunglasses with side
shields and/or wide brimmed
hats and using artificial tears
throughout the day may help
prevent their formation or stop
further growth.
Symptoms
Symptoms of pterygium include
persistent redness,
inflammation, foreign body
sensation, tearing, which can
cause bleeding, dry and itchy
eyes. In advanced cases the
pterygium can affect vision as it
invades the cornea with the
potential of obscuring the
optical center of the cornea and
inducing astigmatism and
corneal scarring.
Treatment
A variety of options are
available for the management
of pterygium, from irradiation,
to conjunctival auto-grafting or
amniotic membrane
transplantation, along with glue
and suture application. As it is a
benign growth, pterygium
typically does not require
surgery unless it grows to such
an extent that it covers the
pupil, obstructing vision or
presents with acute symptoms.
Some of the irritating symptoms
can be addressed with artificial
tears. However, no reliable
medical treatment exists to
reduce or even prevent
pterygium progression.
Definitive treatment is achieved
only by surgical removal. Longterm
follow up is required as
pterygium may recur even after
complete surgical correction.

Launching Spring 2012
www.ransomesjacobsen.com
PC/MTR/02/2012
PREPARE FOR THE
LIKE NOTHING
YOU'VE EVER
SEEN BEFORE

Keynote
This first in a new series of interviews with some of
the sports turf industry’s leading individuals features
someone who is considered by many to be the
groundsman’s groundsman.
Eddie Seaward MBE has been the Head Groundsman
at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon
since 1990; he is due to retire later this year
following the staging of the Olympics tennis
tournament at the venue.
A groundsman since he left school at the age of 16,
Eddie has been an active proponent of
groundsmanship and the industry, and is held in the
highest esteem by his fellow professionals. His service
to sport was recognised in 2008 with the award of an
MBE.
It is an unprecedented year ahead for Eddie and the
club, but he is facing the change and the challenge in
his calm, inimitable way
KEYNOTE
interview
Eddie Seaward MBE
THE
Pitchcare - with the Olympics at
Wimbledon this year, I don’t suppose
you’ll have any time to put your feet up?
Eddie - I wish. We’re all really looking
forward to the Championships and the
Olympics. What a great honour it is.
There’s only a couple of weeks in
between the Championships ending and
the Olympics starting, so it’s going to be
quite a challenge to get the grounds and
the grass ready again. However, whilst I
say there is a two week gap, in reality
there is only two days before we have
players practising here, plus we have to
keep members going at the same time.
It’s going to be quite a juggling act.
Also, we have to deal with all the logistics
of the two events, which is what we are
going through at the moment - new
security fences being erected, changing
the marquees, cameras being installed
10 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
etc., whilst we are busy working on the
courts. That’s a nightmare as well as a
challenge. As you can imagine it’s all go.
Neil Stubley, our Head Groundsman
Designate, is certainly coming in at the
deep end, but we work well together.
You can’t knock it, it’s going to be great
fun.
Pitchcare - What sports were you
involved with in your younger days -
were you a tennis player?
Eddie - No, I played football and cricket;
I never really got the opportunity to play
tennis at school. Some people may
consider it ironic that I have ended up at
the home of tennis, but you don’t
necessarily need to have played the
sport, it’s all about understanding what
the sport needs. When I first came to
Wimbledon, I worked with the referee
Alan Mills and I learned a lot from him.
I was very lucky in that respect.
Pitchcare - How did you become a
groundsman?
Eddie - I got interested in
groundsmanship at school. I used to help
out the caretaker at my secondary school,
marking out the pitches and whatever
else was needed, so I developed an
interest and went straight from the
school into the industry. We had a
sportsmaster who doubled up as the
careers master, and he knew me better
than I knew me. He recommended that I
go for a groundsman’s job to start with,
at a local public school, which I did. And
so it went from there.
Pitchcare - What would you consider has
been the highlight of your career?
Eddie - Going up to the Palace and

getting the MBE, without doubt. It has to
be at the top. Being appointed here at
Wimbledon was also another big moment
in my life, and that was in 1990. I was
appointed Head Groundsman Designate
which, incidentally, is what Neil is doing
now.
The MBE was a total surprise, just not
something I was expecting. I received the
letter, and it was my wife who recognised
that it was from the Prime Minister’s
office. I didn’t, it was a brown envelope
and I thought it was probably from the
Inland Revenue! It was a wonderful
feeling. On the day, the Queen presented
me with the medal, and she was
absolutely phenomenal. Obviously, there
are people reminding her of who I was,
but immediately she was asking me
questions about the job as if she knew
what it was all about. It was a very special
day, and one I will always remember.
It was also nice meeting so many other
people, in particular an elderly lady in
her seventies who had done a lot of
charity work. She was getting an MBE at
the same time and she was absolutely
incredible, a very bright spark.
Pitchcare - How has the sports turf
industry changed during your time at
Wimbledon?
Eddie - I think the industry has changed
an awful lot. It has changed from the
individual’s point of view, conditions are
a lot better now for staff, in general
terms. I think they get better paid and
better recognition, and deservedly so.
From the actual grounds point of view,
there have been impressive
developments in machinery and plant
breeding. I think everything has moved
forward; for example we are getting
plaudits for the major improvements in
Keynote
“I got very close to
walking out of the
industry because I was
very disillusioned with it.
Instead of getting
involved, I became
marginalised and
disillusioned, not thinking
that I could change it”
football pitches, they’re far better than
they used to be. The science has moved
forward. I remember when I first came to
Wimbledon, there was a lot of Poa on the
courts, but now there is very little. It is
not a criticism of those who worked here
before me, but it’s a fact that modern
techniques have helped us treat and
eradicate a lot of the Poa, and that has
made a big difference to the playing
facilities.
Pitchcare - What additional pressures are
put on your work by being in the media
spotlight?
Eddie - You have to be constantly on
guard. Even when you give talks to
groundsmen, you still don’t know who
may be there in the audience at the time,
so you’re very careful what you say and
how you say it.
I have to say, however, that I have a very
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 11

Keynote
good working relationship with most of
the media, and they have been very
supportive. I don’t really have any
problems with them, which I know some
people tend to have. There’s the odd
occasion when you get misreported, but
sometimes that can be misunderstanding
rather than anything else. It’s a case of
making sure that you are understood,
and many of the journalists let me see
the article before it goes to print, because
they want to get it right as much as I do.
There is a difference as well between
what I call the trade media and the
general media. For the general media,
it’s sometimes more difficult to get the
message across, because one day they are
writing about a war or the financial
situation, then they’re writing about turf
culture, and it’s totally different.
Pitchcare - You have always been
considered as an ambassador for our
industry. Is it in a good place right now?
Eddie - I think it is in good shape at the
moment. It still needs to move forward
and, dare I say, within the industry and
with the individuals within the industry.
One thing I would like to see at some
point is more emphasis on research, and
more particularly coordinating and
monitoring the research. It needs
managing, rather than all of us going
our own way and spending a fortune on
reinventing the wheel. There are many of
us doing research work, but we don’t
necessarily know what everybody else is
doing; a lot of money can be wasted,
which could be better spent on other
things. I think the industry needs that
coordination, and then it needs to
publish the papers somewhere where
they are readily available to everybody.
We are doing some research work here at
Wimbledon, for example, but it doesn’t
mean to say that someone else isn’t
doing similar research and spending a
lot of money unnecessarily.
Pitchcare - Is there anything you would
have done differently, professionally and
personally?
Eddie - I think we all have things we
would have done differently. Many years
ago I got very close to walking out of the
industry because I was very disillusioned
with it. Instead of getting involved, I
became marginalised and disillusioned,
not thinking that I could change it. I
needed to get involved, as I now have
done, but I’d liked to have got involved
earlier.
Pitchcare - Any regrets?
Eddie - None at all. I’ve had a
wonderful life.
Pitchcare - What relationship did/do you
have with the players?
Eddie - We tend not to have a lot of
involvement with the players; I do meet
them in the week before the
Championship when they are here
practising; and it’s at that stage you talk
to them about the courts. It’s generally
their coaches who talk more about the
12 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
“When the cover
came off, the
grass was lush
and light and I
knew we were in
trouble. Players
were slipping all
over the place
until we could get
it dried out again”
courts, there are one or two who will give
you a very straight and honest opinion.
They’re not particularly knowledgeable
about the surface, but they know what
they want. However, I won’t have any of
them influencing me; I did have that
many years ago, a player who wanted me
to fix a court for him; my answer was “Of
course I’ll do it for you, but let’s go and
get it cleared with the referee first.” As
soon as I said that, he dropped his
request straight away. He knew what the
referee’s reaction was going to be!
Pitchcare - Is there one player that has
made an impact on you?
Eddie - There are many players who
impressed me, the ones that worked
hard. And most of the top ones have an
incredible work ethic. That’s the thing
that impresses me most; players who
have played and won at the French
Open, then the next day they are out
practising on grass for the
Championships. They don’t rest on their
laurels, to be at the top of their sport
they know they’ve got to work at it. One
or two of the top male players have
impressed me with their modesty, big
players who are at the top of their game,
but it would be unfair to name them.
These people are professionals and they
work hard at the game. And you never
have any problems with the top players,
in any sport, because they haven’t got
anything to prove; they’ve done it all. It’s
the up and coming ones that give you
the problems.
Pitchcare – what is the most difficult
problem you have had at Wimbledon?
Eddie - The worst situation I’ve
probably had to deal with was in 1996.
Day one of the Championships was
lovely, it was overcast, but we played. Day
two, it came on to rain and continued for
seventy-two hours. In those days, we had
different covers to what we have now; we
had a very dark cover on Centre Court
and, of course, the grass went looking for
light. When the cover came off, the grass
was lush and light and I knew we were in
trouble. Players were slipping all over the
place until we could get it dried out
again. That was the most difficult time.
Also, a couple of years ago, we had an
interesting situation; we normally spray
the courts with a preventative fungicide
just before the tournament, and before
the covers go on, because we are creating
the environment for these diseases to
come in. For whatever reason, and I
never got to the bottom of it, I found out
that one of the courts had been sprayed
with a systemic fungicide rather than a
contact fungicide. It was a very warm day
and the stomatas hadn’t opened up to let
the systemic into the leaf, so it didn’t
have any effect. On the Saturday, a week
before the Championships, the court
looked good but, the following day, it was
covered in leaf spot and the grass was
dying. We had just a week to get it back
again, but we did, so nobody knew any
different.
Pitchcare – What do you plan to do in
retirement?
Eddie - Nothing in the short term; my
wife has a couple of more years before
she retires, so we will stay here until
then. I might even try relaxing, read a
book or something like that. I intend
carrying on my work with the IOG and
the Land Drainage Contractors
Association. Then we’ll see what happens
from there. I’ve been asked numerous
times about consultancy work, but I’m
not really interested. I’ve worked for fiftythree
years of my life, and it will be nice
to go on holiday and do some travelling
at a time when I want to. I’d like some
time off, I’d like to have a rest.

THE REAL STARS OF
WEST HAM, WIMBLEDON
AND WENTWORTH.
GREENSMASTER FLEX 21
TORO Commercial Products are distributed by Lely (UK) Limited, St Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 1QH. Tel: 01480 226800 Email: toro.info.uk@lely.com www.lely.com www.toro.com
REELMASTER 3100-D GROUNDSMASTER 4300-D REELMASTER 5510-D PROPASS 200
WORKMAN MDX-D
PROCORE SR54-S
TORO manufactures some of the finest
turf machinery in the world and you will
find it at most of the world’s finest sporting
venues. From mowers delivering superb
cutting ability and aftercut appearance,
to its utility vehicles, top dressers and
aerators, the TORO family of sports turfcare
machinery has everything you will need to
prepare and manage the perfect surface.
The choice of professionals the world over,
TORO is a must for all the major players in sport.
Call 01480 226800 or visit www.toro.com
PROCORE 648 AERATOR

Golf
We arrived in Vancouver on
April 13th, 2009 and I was
harvesting aeration cores at
6.00am on April 15th!
Canada eh?
Eoghan Buckley, from Coolrain, Co. Laois, Ireland, writes
about his time spent in Vancouver, Canada working as a 2nd
Assistant Superintendent at Seymour Golf and Country Club
In the summer of 2008, after three
years as Superintendent of
Mountrath Golf Club, my wife,
Marie, and I decided that we would
try broadening our horizons and
take the plunge to live and work abroad.
The only stipulation we decided on
regarding location was that the first
language of the country had to be
English, so we both could find work
comfortably without having to learn a
new language. We had both worked and
lived in the States at some point,
however obtaining working visas for
there was tough. So we decided to look
further north, and ended up applying
for a one year work visa for Canada.
Vancouver was our destination city of
choice, voted the world’s most loveable
city nine out of the past ten years, and
14 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
boasting skiing in the morning and the
beach in the afternoon; it seemed like
the perfect location.
In March 2009, upon returning from a
six month trip around South America
and Africa, I applied to several golf
courses in the Vancouver area. Following
a phone interview with Jim McGarvey,
Superintendent at Seymour Golf and
Country Club, I was hired as a Senior
Groundsman. We arrived in Vancouver
on April 13th, 2009 and I was harvesting
aeration cores at 6.00am on April 15th!
Vancouver
Vancouver is located on the west coast of
Canada in the province of British
Columbia. The downtown population of
the city is approximately 500,000, but
urban sprawl quickly brings the
population up to around two million, if
you take in the surrounding thirty
kilometres. It is the biggest city in the
province of British Columbia, which is
almost four times the size of Great
Britain. The city is fringed by water and
set against a spectacular backdrop of
mountain peaks on the north shore.
These North Shore mountains -
Seymour, Cypress and Grouse - provide
skiing in the winter and mountain biking
and hiking in the summer for locals and
tourists alike. The world renowned
Whistler Ski resort is only a ninety
minute drive north.
The city is most well known for having
the largest urban park in North America
- Stanley Park - which is 1,000 acres in
size and was named after Lord Stanley,
the Governor General of Canada at the

time. He also was the man who donated
the Stanley Cup, the much sought after
Ice Hockey Championship trophy.
Vancouver’s climate is considered
moderate oceanic. This translates to
summer months that are typically dry,
often resulting in several weeks/months
without rain, to winter months where it is
not uncommon to have two inches of
rain every day for two to three weeks.
The north shore, where Seymour Golf
and Country club is located receives, on
average, ninety inches of rain a year.
Temperatures are similar to the UK and
Ireland throughout the year, with slightly
warmer summers.
Seymour Golf and Country Club
Seymour Golf and Country Club is
situated in North Vancouver,
Golf
approximately twenty-five minutes drive
from the city centre. The lease for the
existing property, which is 180 acres, was
signed with the municipality of the
District of North Vancouver in June
1953. The agreement with the district
had one major condition which would be
of considerable benefit to the club
throughout its early years. The club was
to be a private organisation, but the
public would be allowed to play on
Mondays and Fridays with a percentage
of the proceeds of each green fee going
to the district. This condition still
remains in the current lease, so the club
is essentially a semi-private Country
Club.
This allows the club to generate a
steady stream of revenue in the summer
months through green fees, which helps
to finance a higher quality product for its
members on the other five days. I have
worked at a number of clubs throughout
my career, including TPC Sawgrass and
Congressional Country Club, and
Seymour is by far the busiest club, with a
one hour start ahead of golf every
morning for maintenance, and tee times
booked solid right through until 5.00pm.
Construction on Seymour G&CC
started in the autumn of 1953, with an
ambitious stipulation from the district
that it must be open for play by July 15th
1954. Its premature opening on that date
took years to erase the notoriety of
jungle rough, swampy fairways and
abnormally high counts of lost balls.
In 1969, North Vancouver District
offered to build a new back nine for the
club in exchange for some prime
residential land that the club owned. The
back nine changed substantially from its
original design, and was eventually
reopened for play in late 1972.
In 2004, the front nine were renovated
following a redesign by Ted Locke. The
work included new USGA greens on
Eoghan Buckley
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 15

Golf
What’s in the shed?
Rough Mowers
2 x Toro Groundsmaster 3500-D
1 x Toro Groundsmaster 4500-D
1 x Toro Reelmaster Gangs
Fairways
2 x Toro Reelmaster 5410 Crosstrax
AWD
Greens
1 x Jacobsen Eclipse 322 Electric
2 x Toro GM Triflex 3300
1 x Toro Flex 21
Tees/Approaches
4 x Toro GM 3150
1 x Toro 1600
Intermediate
1 x Toro Sidewinder
Sprayer/Topdresser
1 x Toro Workman 4300-D with 200
Gallon Sprayer
1 x Toro Workman 4300-D with
ProPass 180
Transport Vehicles
1 x Jacobsen Cushman Turf Truckster
2
Augusta
x Toro Workman
National
4200- 4WD
1 x Toro Workman 3200-2WD
4 x John Deere Gator 6x4 Gas
1 x John Deere Gator 4 x 2 w/cab
1 x Toro Electric Workman 2050
1 x Yamaha Golf Buggy
3 x Yamaha UMAX
Bunkers
2 x Smithco Super Star 48 Electric
1 x John Deere BR 1200A
Tractors
1 x Kubota M4700
1 x Kubota L4630 w/ Loader
1 x Kubota L4200
1 x Kubota L4310
1 x M5700
Miscellaneous
Tycrop MH400 Fairway Topdresser
Bobcat 5 tonne Excavator
Bobcat A300K Skid Steer
1 x Planer Air Aerator HD50
1 x Smithco Greens Roller
1 x Ryan Sodcutter
2 x Supertilt Trailers
1 x Tycrop Dirtcub Trailer
1 x Redexim Charterhouse
Overseeder 1575
2 x Toro Procore 648 Aerator
2 x Toro ProForce Towed Blowers
1 x Buffalo Tractor mounted Blower
2 x John Deere BR1200A with
Problow
1 x Vicon Fertiliser Spreader
1 x GreensGroomer Brush
3 x Jacobsen Core Harvester with
Toro adaptors
1 x Express Dual D3000 DX Reel
Grinder
1 x Express Dual Anglemaster 3000
DX Bedknife Grinder
1 x Express Dual Blade Rite 175 Relief
Grinder
16 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
seven holes, tee improvements, levelling
and reshaping of fairways and rough on
several holes, drainage on most holes,
installation of culverts and covering open
ditches, the redesign of the short game
practice area and an irrigation system
upgrade.
Grass species around the golf course
consist of Poa/Agrostis greens, Poa tees and
fairways and Poa/Perennial ryegrass roughs.
When the front nine was renovated in
2004, these greens were sodded with turf
that had been grown from aeration cores
that had been taken from the previous
greens. This was to ensure continuity
between the old surface and the new
surface, and this poa had adapted to
growing in the climate of North Vancouver.
Greens and collars are kept on a
fourteen day foliar fertiliser programme,
following aeration in spring until the end
of October. This programme includes
approximately 5kg of nitrogen/Ha, plus
various seaweed and biostimulant packages
every fortnight. PrimoMaxx is also
included at the manufacturer’s
recommended rate.
Throughout the growing season,
fungicides are applied on a preventative
basis. All greens and collars receive a
monthly application of the wetting agent,
Fabulous location
Revolution, which has substantially reduced
our need to hand water greens through hot
periods. Because greens were constructed
with an 80/20 rootzone mix, and the collars
were constructed of pure sand, we do run
into issues of hot spots as the collars dry
out quicker than the greens. Other inputs
on greens include applications of lime,
Epsom salts to control moss development,
and potassium.
Throughout the growing season,
verticutting and topdressing is carried out
to ensure firm, smooth surfaces for our
members. We also utilise the Planet-Air
system to introduce air into the rootzone
on a bi-weekly basis.
Generally, the pests and diseases we see
here are the same that one would see in
the UK and Ireland. Microdochium Patch
and Anthracnose are the two most common
on greens, with red thread and dollar spot
common on tees and fairways in
midsummer.
Greens are maintained at a height of
2.8mm throughout the summer months
using a mixture of petrol and electric
triplexes. The club is bound by the by-laws
of North Vancouver, one of which states we
cannot operate machinery close to homes
before 7.00am on Monday to Saturday, and
9.00am on Sundays. This is the main
Irrigation on the 6th

eason we run the electric triplex around
the perimeter holes each morning. We
roll greens on average three times a
week, but may increase that this year and
skip some mowing to ease stress on the
turf and save on manpower.
Tees and approaches are mown with a
Toro 3250 on an every other day cycle at
a summer height of 9.5mm and fertilised
along with the fairway applications.
Fairways are mown every day at 11mm,
mostly nine a day and the mow lines are
alternated throughout the growing
season. This year, we expanded our
wetting agent programme to include
fairways and approaches and the results
9th tee
have been very impressive. Using
Revolution has reduced our water bill by
20-30%. As we buy our water from the
city mains, this savings will almost pay
for the cost of the wetting agent.
Maintenance and Staff levels
The majority of the staff at Seymour are
employed on a seasonal basis,
approximately from the middle of April
to the end of October. On a typical day
in the summer we would have between
fifteen and twenty staff on the property.
We have a core crew of six to eight that
work Monday to Friday.
A lot of our summer students work
Our 2012 Catalogue is available NOW!
Golf
Generally, the
pests and
diseases we
see here are
the same that
one would see
in the UK and
Ireland
twenty-four hours a week, split over two
full days and a half day on Saturday and
Sunday. Some of the staff on the course
have been here over thirty years and Jim,
the superintendent, has been here since
1991. Jim’s assistant, Derek Krahn has
been here since 2003, and Dave
McIntyre, Equipment Manager, has been
here since 2004, moving from the main
Toro distributor here in British
Columbia, Oak Creek.
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
Programme
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
Programme (ACSP) is an education and
Hand Tools and Tractor Mounted Products for the Outdoor Professional
BMS Products, Made in Britain. Genuine British Manufacturers.
Golf Furniture Signage Tools Rakes Turf Care
ORDER NOW by calling 01582 758444 or email your order to orders@bmsproducts.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 17

Golf
Most days,
throughout the
summer, you
can see deer
and coyotes
roaming
around the
course
certification programme that helps
organisations and businesses protect the
environment whilst enhancing their
bottom line. The ‘plan-do-check-act’
approach of the programme offers
information and guidance to implement
an environmental management plan that
improves efficiency, conserves resources,
and promotes conservation efforts.
Audubon International awards
certification to publicly recognise and
reward the environmental achievements
and leadership of ACSP members.
Seymour was the first Canadian golf
facility to join the programme in 1992.
We carry out water testing twice a year to
ensure that we are not contributing to
contamination of watersheds. We have
created buffer zones around all ponds
and bio-swales, where no pesticide or
fertiliser is applied. We also conduct bird
surveys throughout the year. Most days,
throughout the summer, you can see
blacktail deer and coyotes roaming
around the perimeter of the course and
very occasionally a black bear.
Irrigation
With ninety inches of rain a year, it’s
hard to believe that the system would be
Coyote pups
used much. However, the summer here
can get very dry and, when I arrived in
2009, there were eight straight weeks of
no rain. Seymour uses the Rainbird
Cirrus irrigation control system.
Included with the Cirrus system is a
weather station that is located on the golf
course. The weather station monitors for
relative humidity, temperature, wind
speed and direction, solar radiation and
precipitation in order to determine
evapotransporation rates from the turf.
The Cirrus programme uses the data
collected from the weather station to
determine appropriate irrigation cycle

times. Cycle times are then modified
manually, as required, to meet the
demands of the turf based on
observations.
Fairways and roughs are watered by
series 900/950 heads, and greens, tees
and approaches are watered by series
700/750. In total, on the property, there
are approximately 600 heads watering
turfgrass areas, with another 100
watering landscaped areas. As the system
is nearing twenty years in the ground, we
are now experiencing a lot of glue
failures in the PVC pipe so, throughout
the summer, we spend a lot of time
13th fairway
isolating zones and replacing sections of
pipe.
Conclusion
It’s almost three years since I arrived in
Canada and I would like to thank my
manager, Jim McGarvey, for offering me
the opportunity to work at one of
Vancouver’s finest Country clubs. Jim is a
very easy person to work for and I enjoy
learning from how he maintains such
fine turfgrass under some trying
circumstances.
I have found Canadians to be very
friendly, accommodating people who
Golf
I would advise
anyone
seeking a
move in the
turf industry to
consider
Canada
seriously
enjoy the odd beer and the great
outdoors to its fullest. I would advise
anyone seeking a move in the turf
industry to consider Canada seriously, as
jobs are plentiful countrywide.
If you require
any further
information
regarding moving
to Canada and
seeking
employment
here, you can
reach me at buckleyeoghan@gmail.com.
Slainte!!

Golf
Parkstone Golf Club
occupies an SSSI between
Poole and Bournemouth.
The new man charged
with maintaining this
ecologically sensitive site
is Steve Richardson and,
as our editor discovers,
he has, in just a few
months, already made an
impression on the course
and the members
Steve Richardson
Golf clubs often form an oasis of
green within an urban sprawl.
One such club is Parkstone Golf
Club, a stunning, mature
heathland course set just a few
minutes’ drive from the town centres of
Poole and Bournemouth in Dorset.
Its setting preserves a tiny pocket of
what was once an extensive heath
covering much of this area of the county.
Today, only pockets of the original heath
remain, protected by various
conservation bodies from the demands
for housing and industrial sites.
Founded in 1909 by Lord Wimborne as
the Parkstone and Canford Cliffs Golf
20 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Presenting Parkstone
Around the
blooming
heather!
Links, the original course was designed
by two times Open champion, Willie Park
Junior.
In 1927, it was discovered that Lord
Wimborne wanted to sell the land for
building development, but he agreed to
give the members first refusal. Six local
businessmen formed a company to run
Parkstone as a proprietary club, but were
unable to raise the total amount of
£2,000. T. W. Simpson, whose house at
Compton Acres overlooked the course,
saved the day with a low interest loan
and, in doing so, preserved his views
over the course to Poole Harbour. Sadly,
for Mr Simpson, his house fell foul to
developers, but Compton Acres Garden
remains as a tourist attraction!
In 1937, the course was substantially
enlarged and redesigned by James Braid,
the famous golf course architect and five
times Open Champion. Additional
acreage was obtained by buying bogland
from Lord Arlington, and reclaiming it
to form the current 8th, 9th, 10th and
11th holes.
The club continued in this form until
1960 when, after many years of
deliberation and uncertainty, the
shareholders finally agreed to sell and,
equally importantly, the members agreed
to buy the club. The price was a very

easonable £12,000.
And so Parkstone has continued for
the last fifty-two five years. Perhaps the
most noticeable and important change in
this period was the decision, in 1996,
that ladies should become full members,
with the eminent good sense of this edict
being emphasised by the appointment of
one of Parkstone’s outstanding lady
golfers, Miss Jeanne Bisgood, as
President from 2001 to 2004; her father
having held the position from 1949 to
1969.
In 1996, English Nature (now Natural
England) used their statutory powers to
designate the course a Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) as part of the
wider South Dorset Heathland Project.
This controversial move proved a
blessing in disguise, as it enabled the
removal of thousands of pines that were
steadily choking the fine native grasses
essential to the wellbeing of the course.
In 2004, the club’s successful stewardship
was recognised with a rare award by
English Nature for Outstanding
Management of an SSSI.
Managing this stunning piece of real
estate is Course Manager, Steve
Richardson, who was appointed in July of
last year.
Steve was initially invited to Parkstone
Golf
“There wasn’t an awful lot I could do in
such a short space of time, so I decided
to tidy up the course to the best of my
ability, and to concentrate on the
performance of the greens”
for an informal interview by the club’s
General Manager, Gary Peddie, who was
looking to appoint a modern course
manager capable of undertaking much
needed renovation work within the strict
confines of an SSSI.
Steve’s CV is impressive, having
worked at over twenty-five televised golf
tournaments by the age of thirty. He
studied at Elmwood College, completing
NC and HNC. His first greenkeeping
position was at Bothwell Castle Golf Club
in Scotland. From there, he moved to
Wentworth, and then to Pinehurst, where
he worked for one and a half years as an
irrigation technician, looking after eight
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 21

Golf
An ecologically sensitive site Transforming the heathland areas
“I should also
say that I have
been delighted
with the
response of the
staff. We have
been on an
extensive
programme of
work since I
joined, and they
have really
impressed me
with their
commitment”
Steve with his ‘impressive’ team
22 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
courses. He was then invited to spend six
months working on Course 2 at Pinehurst
in preparation for the 2005 US Open.
Prior to moving to Parkstone, he spent
five and a half years as Head
Greenkeeper on the New Course at the
prestigious Sunningdale Golf Club.
“It was Steve’s passion that really shone
through,” explained Gary. “We were
looking for a course manager with an
empathy for our particular location, and
Steve fitted the remit perfectly. He has
made a very good start, as he will no
doubt explain.”
Whilst walking the course, it was easy to
pick up on Steve’s enthusiasm, passion
and attention to detail. He is certainly on
a mission to make his mark, and has
made one heck of a start.
“I was keen to make an impression
straight away,” explains Steve. “When I
arrived, I had five days to prepare the
course for the annual Captain’s Day
tournament, which was a bit of a baptism.
There wasn’t an awful lot I could do in
such a short space of time, so I decided
to tidy up the course to the best of my
ability, and to concentrate on the
performance of the greens.”
“Agronomically, they weren’t in a bad
way, but were running at 8 feet on the
stimpmeter - pretty slow for July. So, I
rang up one of my contacts and arranged
for a turf iron to be dropped off. Using
this, along with PrimoMaxx, Headlands
Seamac Pro-turf and altering the cutting
regimes, I was able to get the speed up to
10.6 feet, by tightening up the sward, as
well as giving the
ball a more
consistent roll and
making putting
much more of a
challenge, without
dramatically
dropping the height
of cut and putting
the plant under any
stress. The
members were
delighted.”
“Since then, I
have been using
PrimoMaxx on the
greens, and also
changed the cutting
regimes around the
course, which will
help improve and enhance definition.”
“I should also say that I have been
delighted with the response of the staff.
We have been on an extensive
programme of work since I joined, and
they have really impressed me with their
commitment.”
His assistant is Paul Cooper, who has
been with the club for sixteen years, with
greenkeepers Martin Saunders (ten years
service), Charles Ireland (seven), Kevin
Sturney (six), Kevin Arnold (one) and Ian
Lloyd (four months) making up the team.
So, what has this extensive programme
involved?
“We are having a brand new Toro
Irrigation system installed to service
greens, tees, surrounds, fairways, some
walk off areas and south facing bunkers,”
explains Steve. “The work is being
carried out by Ocmis, who have been on
site since last August. They began by
open trenching the transfer and main
lines from the reservoir to the compound,
then building a new pump station and
water holding tank, followed by ring
mains, and then moving on specific areas
to complete the system. I’ve been very
pleased with the way the company has
managed to keep surface damage to a
minimum.”
“I will oversee the setting up, and
spend most of the first year learning the
system and training the team on how to
use it. With the help of our weather
station we will monitor
evapotranspiration (ET) rates; to help use
as a guideline. It will be a case of fine
tuning to get maximum performance.”
“The biggest task, so far and most
enjoyable, has been the transformation of
heathland areas,” says Steve. “To date,
over four hectares of overgrown scrub
have been removed. We hope to be
granted a felling licence for selected
trees, which will help increase heather
regeneration, plus light and airflow
around the course.”
“We’ve been using a large tractor
mounted flail deck on the back of our
Carraro tractor, which does a fantastic
job. All scrub is chipped or burned on
site, and then it’s a case of scraping back
the fibre until finding the native heathy
soil, and tapping back into the natural
seed bed, which will help the heather
seed banks to flourish again. This
winter’s mild weather has certainly

Controlled burning of scrub Fairways wind through the heath
helped achieve more than we might have
expected.”
“This work has already made a great
difference to the course,” says Steve,
“both aesthetically and environmentally.
We work very closely with Natural
England and the RSPB to ensure all
parties are aware of the work going on,
and we constantly monitor the diversity
of flora and fauna found out on the
course.”
“We have a number of conservation
volunteers to come and help out at
various times of the year. This ongoing
management programme is necessary to
maintain the balance of the ecology of
the course.”
In early autumn, due to fixtures, Steve
carried out his first renovation
programme. “The greens, collars and
aprons were aerated with solid tines at
125mm depth and topdressed with sixty
tonnes of fen dressing. In early
November, we vertidrained all the
greens, collars and aprons with 12mm
tines to a depth of 150mm and, from the
second week of November to date, we
have slit-tined in fortnightly intervals.
Directly behind this, they were then
rolled with a turf-iron to ensure the
members had little disruption to their
playing surfaces.”
“We employed ALS Contracts to
hollow core ten hectares of fairways and
semi-rough to a depth of 50mm,
collecting the cores using a Sisis
Litamiser, a week later this was followed
up with a vertidrain to relieve
www.headlandamenity.com
compaction at a deeper depth. ALS will
return in March and August to repeat the
same process and, at the same time, to
verti-core the greens, collars and aprons
to a depth of 175mm. This is a good first
step on the way to my soil exchange
programme.”
“Presentation and course definition
will be my priority, and regular brushing
of greens and tees will become part of
our maintenance regime. Standing the
grass up, mowing on a daily basis and
rolling as and when required will help
improve the playing surfaces.”
“We’ve already made a few machinery
purchases,” says Steve. “Four new Toro
Pedestrian G1000 mowers, complete with
towing trailers, were first on my list, so
that we could start hand mowing the
greens. I’ve also bought a ride on blower
for clearing up debris all around the
course, which helps keep the course tidy
all throughout the year. Other important
buys included a Toro Multi Pro ® 5800
sprayer, a Greentek greens slitter and a
Tru-Turf Roller. I’m still reviewing my
overall machinery needs, but these first
purchases were something that I felt were
an immediate requirement, and Gary was
happy to back me up.”
“Last summer, the greens were kept at
around 3.5-4mm and raised to 5mm
through autumn and winter. Surrounds
and tees are kept at 8mm in the summer
months, rising to 10mm at other times.
Fairways are cut between 15-17mm and
semi rough at 20-28mm.”
“This year, we will continue with our
Grass Agronomics
Golf
new and ongoing renovation programme
to greens, tees and fairways,” explains
Steve. “I’ll also be upping the rate of
sand going on the greens. I’m looking to
apply between 200-300 tonnes per year.
Tees will also receive more dressing. We’ll
continue to core the fairways twice a year
to control thatch levels, along with an
excessive over seeding programme to
improve sward composition.”
“Prior to my arrival in July, I had
several different tests carried out on
greens, collars, aprons, tees and fairways.
Once we had the results back, in
conjunction with Mark Hunt at
Headland, we formed an aeration and
fertiliser programme. Everything we are
doing is aiming at improving soil and
surface conditions. I am using a full
Headland programme on all surfaces
throughout the year to help produce a
healthy, strong and disease free plant.”
As we complete our course walk, Steve
returns to the subject of his staff. “I want
them all to feel part of the course, to
have an empathy with the surrounding,
and to understand why we are doing this
work. To that end, I want to ensure that
they are properly trained and qualified. I
also want them to visit other courses and
trade shows to get a wider perspective on
this industry.”
It is early days yet but,
talking to Steve, you get the
sense that he has found his
true vocation at Parkstone.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 23

Golf
Seamus Moriarty’s dream
of working abroad was
realised when he
contacted Mike O’Keeffe
about the Ohio State
University’s International
Exchange Programme.
Placed into Lake Merced
Golf Club, he soon found
out that shorts and
sunscreen were not the
order of the day in this
particular part of
California
24 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Seamus Moriarty
“We maintain a
stimp reading of
11.5 to 12 feet on
a daily basis,
regardless of
weather”
California
Dreamin’
On such a foggy day!
After spending nearly six years in
Adare Manor, which included two
Irish Opens and two JP McManus
Pro Ams, the time had come to
move on. So, I sent an email to
Mike O’Keeffe at The Ohio State
University International Exchange
Programme explaining my story. From
the very beginning, Mike was great in
explaining how much would be expected
of me if I took part on the programme,
and that this would be the biggest test of
my career thus far. After some planning,
and a short conversation with my new
Superintendent, Zach Ohsann, my host
golf course was confirmed as Lake
Merced Golf Club in the San Francisco
Bay Area.
I arrived in San Francisco at the end of
May 2011. The golf club is located in
Daly City, which is about ten miles south
of downtown San Francisco. Zach had
taken over here at the helm from the
previous super at the beginning of April.
Realising that the previous super had just
retired after forty-six years of service, I
was pleased to hear of Zach’s immediate
plans to change more than a few things,
both agronomically and nonagronomically.
During my first few days here, I began
to familiarise myself with the course and
the crew. The course itself was originally
designed by Dr Alistair McKenzie and
has gone through a few design changes
since then; by Rees Jones in 1996 and a
greens renovation in 2010.
Lake Merced is a beautiful golf course
set amongst some of the most
magnificent pine sand Monterey Cypress
trees one could imagine. The crew
consists of twenty, each of them bringing
with them their own unique culture and
ethnicity. As you can imagine, the
canteen in the morning is an interesting
place to be with such diversity and
different languages filling the air.
Immediately, Zach and I set about
setting our goals for the remaining six
months of the year, the most important
of these being an aeration programme,
whereby light, but frequent applications
of sand topdressings are performed on
the greens, approaches and tees.
With the USGA Girls’ Junior
Championship scheduled for July 2012,
it was imperative that we implement an
intense topdressing programme to all
surfaces. Hollow tine or solid tine
aeration is to be kept at a minimum, so
topdressing with our double screened
USGA specification sand will help us
dilute the thatch layer that is
accumulating beneath the turf, and also
keep surfaces as firm as possible. We
follow a similar aeration programme with
our tees and approaches, with minimal
disruption to play being key. Some of the
most important things I have learned
from Zach already are to always have a
plan A and a plan B, record everything
and, most importantly, take pictures of
everything!
The weather here in Daly City is pretty
amazing. When I was packing a bag to
come from Killarney to Northern
California, I anticipated many
necessities, such as shorts, t-shirts, and
plenty of sunscreen. Well, I soon
discovered that sunshine certainly is not
the norm here! During the summer
months of July and August, the fog sits
out in the bay and, when it gets pushed
in by the warm sea air, the area becomes
submerged in fog. This fog may persist
for days, even weeks at a time. Quite
often I find myself having to change into
dry clothes at lunch time for the
remainder of the day. It’s amazing!
This mild, damp weather obviously
increases disease pressure. It’s not
unusual to apply fungicides on a biweekly
basis.
Another project under my
responsibility was to become familiar with
the pesticide products, and to create a
rotation system so that no strains of
pathogen become resistant to any
fungicide. At this moment in time, we
have a rotation with ten different
fungicides.
I have learned many things during my
term at the club regarding the
expectations of playing conditions in
America. The most significant is the
quality of the putting surfaces. At first,
the expectations seemed unreasonable;
maintaining a stimp reading of 11.5 to
12 feet on a daily basis, regardless of
weather.

However, in collaboration with the
superintendent, we have managed to
achieve this goal using a low fertility
programme and growth regulators. The
fertility programme is unique in that our
goal is to keep the plant as lean as
possible without sacrificing turf health.
Therefore, we constantly monitor soil test
reports and supplement accordingly
using custom nutrient blends from a
local distributor.
The use of growth regulators also
assists in our struggle to maintain
consistently smooth surfaces. In addition
to mowing frequency, growth regulators
are used to provide a horizontal growth
pattern, thereby reducing clipping yields
and preserving smoothness. Given the
unpredictable nature of the weather
patterns, growth regulators are probably
the most important weapon in our
arsenal.
Of all the struggles we encounter in
Same day, different weather!
“The fog has the potential
of being socked in all day
and night, or breaking at
12.00 midday”
our effort for superior putting surfaces,
the most significant is limiting the
establishment of Poa on the bentgrass
surfaces. In 2010, the existing USGA
greens were renovated from Poa annua to
bentgrass. The Poa surfaces were
stripped and the top four inches of sand
was removed. The surfaces were restored
with four inches of USGA specification
sand and a bentgrass blend of Tyee, T-1
and 007. Given the fact that the
microclimate of the San Francisco Bay
Area is conducive to Poa, the relentless
battle between Poa and the greenkeeping
staff continues to rage on daily.
I can safely say that the weather affects
our decisions by the hour during the
summer months. The fog has the
potential of being socked in all day and
night, or breaking at 12.00 midday,
which forces us to redirect our efforts of
the day to managing wilt.
The course is closed on a Monday of
Golf
each week, which allows us a
maintenance day, which is great. So, on a
Sunday around midday, I’ll set the
computer to perform an irrigation cycle
that night to soak the entire course,
sometimes applying more than 500,000
gallons of water to a property of just 136
acres. Deep and infrequent is the motto!
Then, on a Monday, I can cruise the
course and turn on irrigation heads
individually if any areas need more water
than others.
The crew is divided into sections. So we
have the guys who will take care of the
mowing, blowing and other machine
operated tasks, and then we have four
guys who look after their section. We have
the 18 holes and practice facilities divided
up into four sections. Each section
requires one maintenance employee who
is tasked with the management of every
inch of their section.
Amongst other things, these employees
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 25

Golf
“My biggest fear
was landing a
job at a bigbudget
private
club whose only
goal was to
recreate the
Disneyland
experience”
are constantly probing to investigate soil
moisture levels, probing the sand depth
in the bunkers to make sure there is an
adequate amount of sand in each, and
ensuring that the tee plates and yardage
markers are clean. Attention to detail is
key for these guys. For instance, if there
is some wilt on a green surround, or even
a green itself, the guys will get out their
100 foot hoses and hook up to a quick
coupler connection and address the
wilting area.
When I was preparing to come to the
USA, my biggest fear was landing a job
at a big-budget private club whose only
goal was to recreate the Disneyland
experience. The superintendent, who
spent three years at Augusta National as
an Assistant Superintendent, and an
additional three years as the
Superintendent of the Olympic Club’s
Ocean Course, prefers the traditional
mowing patterns where a 50/50 cut is
performed on tees and fairways and in
the rough as well.
As regards playing conditions, firm
and fast is the key and, in no way, should
aesthetics influence quality turf. It’s great
to see that the more traditional style to
course maintenance still exists where the
“Each Sunday,
we sit down and
discuss our
week ahead and
try to come up
with a schedule,
knowing it will
change fifty
times by Monday
afternoon!”
26 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
golfer needs to be able to play all types
of shots.
Scheduling is an essential aspect in
such an intensive environment. Each
Sunday, we sit down and discuss our
week ahead and try to come up with a
schedule as best we can, knowing it will
change fifty times by the Monday
afternoon!
Each day, greens are mown. Our
greens, at the moment (18th January),
are being mown at 0.150 inches (3.8mm).
We mow with a Toro 3250 triplex. The
four guys on section, who take care of the
clean up, cut up to three times a week,
depending on the clipping yield, with a
Toro 1000 pedestrian mower. Our
approaches, tees and grass walkways are
mown with a Toro 3150 triplex. The
fairways are mown with a Toro 5500. The
rough is mown with a Toro 4500 and also
an articulator, which is attached to a
tractor for all the wider areas of rough.
The bunkers are hand raked fully twice
a week, depending on play, and touched
up on the remaining days of the week.
Green surrounds are mown using a Toro
Sidewinder, and must stay well away from
all bunker edges as, around each bunker,
we have anything up to twelve pop up
Magnificent pines and Monterey Cypress
sprinklers.
The course’s design of drastically
sloping bunker edges presents us with
many maintenance challenges. Perhaps
the most significant is the pedestrian
mowing of the green surrounds that the
Toro Sidewinder is unable to mow.
Everything must be neat, tidy, and
presentable. Perception is everything
here in America and, if something is not
done to the standard expected, it will be
noted and presumed something is wrong.
It’s important that we all help each
other as a team to achieve the high
standards that we have set. Another thing
I have learned from the superintendent
is to set your standards and expectations
as high as they can be. As managers, it is
our obligation to motivate the staff to
achieve these high results.
If provided the opportunity, I would
encourage everyone to take part in the
International Exchange Programme of
The Ohio State University. Mike
O’Keeffe has been a great help to me
since I arrived. I am fortunate for Mike’s
responsiveness in answering all of the
questions and concerns that I have had
throughout this journey - both before my
arrival and currently - he owes me a beer
16th green

after Kerry defeated Cork in last year’s
Munster final also,
I might add, I’ve learned so many
different aspects of golf course
management. Whether it is a complete
green construction, irrigation repair and
maintenance, or staffing issues, it’s all
part and parcel of learning the industry
inside out. The thing I love out here is
that you are exposed to everything. The
superintendents here in the USA seem to
throw you in at the deep end and see
how you cope. Once they spot your areas
of weakness, they will work with you to
set your own personal standards and
goals, and support you in becoming a
ANOTHER
BRIGHT IDEA
IN GRASS
TECHNOLOGY
better person, and a better person for
the job.
Zach has taught me numerous things
since I arrived here, which I know will
stand to me in good stead in the coming
years and follow through into the next
chapter of my life in this industry.
I have been lucky enough to come
across some good superintendents along
the way, from Alan McDonnell in Adare
Manor and David Mcindoe in Killarney
Golf Club who, amongst other things,
taught me as a young teenager that no
matter how small or irrelevant a job may
appear it is worth doing correctly, to my
current boss, Zach.
Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass (RPR) is the ultimate creeping ryegrass. Its faster
establishment and recovery after wear is unrivalled.
Combining a unique creeping growth habit with the capability to establish quickly
and tolerate wear, RPR creeping perennial ryegrass promises to be of great benefit
for football, rugby, golf, racecourses and cricket applications.
Call 01359 272000 or visit bar7rpr.co.uk
Approach to the 3rd green
Golf
Another thing I
have learned
from the
superintendent
is to set your
standards and
expectations as
high as they
can be
In June of this year, I will have the
honour of being able to add a US Open
to my CV, as I will be volunteering at The
Olympic Club here in San Francisco. In
addition to this, I will be proud to have
the opportunity to add my role as an
Assistant Superintendent for the USGA
Girls’ Junior Championship, which will
be held here at Lake Merced in July.
With these achievements under my
belt, and a wealth of new knowledge and
insight into the industry, I have no doubt
that the next chapter in my story
promises to be even more interesting,
exciting and challenging. I look forward
to it!
REGENERATING
HARDWEARING
REVOLUTIONARY
NEW!
A REVOLUTIONARY
NEW PRODUCT
FOR 2012 FROM
BARENBRUG
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 27

Golf
Antony Wainwright, Turton golf Club
Antony Wainwright,
Greenkeeper at Turton
Golf Club in Lancashire,
discusses the criteria he
had to meet to receive
the Conservation
Greenkeeper of the Year
award, and the ongoing
ecological work he is
carrying out at the course
Winning the 2011
Conservation Greenkeeper
of the Year award has got to
be my greatest professional
achievement to date, and I
am honoured and proud to have
received this accolade.
During my six years here at Turton
Golf Course, conservation and
enhancement of our out-of-play natural
habitats has been my main focus, as
they offer refuge for native wildlife
whilst playing a vital role in the
character of the course. My fascination
with improving these habitats stems
from thirty years of learning about
nature, especially birds, and observing
the gradual decline of some of our once
common species. In fact, I once
successfully campaigned against
expansion of a local golf course, long
before I came to work in the field - if
only I had known then what I know now
about what golf can offer to improve
our countryside and, ultimately, the
environment.
Turton Golf Course is situated on the
southern slopes of Turton Heights,
above the town of Bolton, and offers
stunning panoramic views of the town
below and surrounding hills, including
five counties.
Nine of the holes were constructed in
1908 with the further nine completed in
1996, which has resulted in the course
having a distinct difference between old
and new areas, where more mature
plantations and moorland grasses
predominate at the older holes. The age
of a golf course is an important factor
in determining its value for wildlife, as
ecological value increases with age due
to the maturity of wildlife habitats.
Although Turton is a predominantly
‘moorland course’, there are a few holes
that could be considered ‘parkland’,
especially on the lower reaches. The
total area of the course is fifty-six
hectares, of which are twenty hectares
of prime habitats such as heath, moor,
beech woodland, acid grassland and
five ponds. These habitats form a
substantial part of the course, and it is
these which I have managed over the
last few years that have no doubt helped
the club to offer something different for
golfers to enjoy - a thriving wildlife
community that contributes to
improved aesthetics, appearance and a
better playing experience to our
members and visitors alike.
All I have done is to ‘work with the
land’ we have to maximise the potential
for wildlife and, therefore, provide a
course that blends in with the
surrounding environment. This
Wainwright
Talks - Ecology

involved various management strategies
within specific areas of the course to
preserve and enhance our habitats.
One project was to maintain our
already abundant heather and try to
encourage new heather regeneration in
key areas, such as carries and the
course boundaries. Admittedly, this was
quite easy in some areas as there were
individual heather plants trying to grow
in areas that were intensively managed,
showing that there is a healthy heather
seed bank within our soil.
All we did here was to leave these
areas to grow and, hey presto, we now
have new areas of heather.
Other areas weren’t so easy due to a
very healthy sward of moorland grass
species, so we trialed a small area
where we removed the turf to the point
where the humus layer was revealed,
thereby exposing the seed bank.
Heather has started to colonise these
areas now, two years on, showing that
the method works, albeit very slowly.
Another key habitat present within
our boundaries is ‘lowland dry acid
grassland’, which hosts a thriving
wildflower community and has largely
disappeared from our countryside.
Management of this habitat required
strimming of vegetation and subsequent
removal of the clippings so as not to
increase fertility of the soil here.
Timing is imperative so as to not
impact upon the invertebrate and
flower populations, and work
commenced during the autumn, after
the first frost, when most of the
invertebrates had retreated away from
the cold and vegetation growth had
ceased.
Strips of vegetation were strimmed,
about three metres wide, leaving a
mosaic of strimmed and unstrimmed
areas, so as not to completely remove
the vegetation and allow somewhere for
creatures to reside. The strimmed areas
are rotated annually, in such a way that
the whole of the acid grassland receives
this treatment over a period of three
years, before we start it all over again.
This management removes fertility
from the soil, thereby preserving this
very important habitat that is full of
colour throughout the summer.
Heathland is another important
habitat in Britain, which, along with
most other habitats, has decreased
dramatically over the past century.
Luckily, at Turton, we have a
considerable amount which forms the
main out-of-play areas on the course.
It is home to heather, bilberry and
gorse that, in turn, provide food and
shelter for a host of birds, mammals
Golf
and insects. Deer, badger, weasel,
stonechat, grasshopper warbler and
bard owl are just a few species which
inhabit the heath and, without proper
management, would revert to woodland,
and the heath would be lost.
However, management of the heath is
not quite as time consuming as it would
first appear, as we only need the scrub
and tree saplings to be kept in check.
Here, we removed some, not all, of the
older hawthorn and mountain ash
(rowan) and simply snipped any tree
saplings. This management helps
prevent shading of the vegetation below,
thereby allowing heath species to
thrive. Now, all the largest trees and
shrubs have been removed it is simply
just a walk through the area once a year
to clear any new saplings.
Providing nestboxes for birds is
another measure we have taken to
ensure a healthier population of those
species that have a limited availability
of nestholes in which to raise their
young. Boxes have been placed on the
course for blue, great and coal tits, and
robins, with further plans for boxes for
barn owls, tawny owls, kestrel and
nuthatches.
We have had
major success
from
“I once successfully campaigned against
expansion of a local golf course, long before I
came to work in the field - if only I had known
then what I know now about what golf can
offer to improve our countryside and,
ultimately, the environment”
The 12th hole at Turton Golf Club set amongst a heath and moor habitat

Golf
“There are now
ten hectares of
our course that
have received
the Biological
Heritage Site
designation
from the local
authority”
30 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Common Spotted Orchid
now predominate in some
areas of our long rough
eighteen boxes erected, with a total of at
least seventy birds reared from ten of
them during 2010 and 2011. Little Owls
have also bred successfully for a number
of years now in a cavity of the clubhouse,
cheering those up who are lucky enough
to see them during the early morning.
Add to the above a comprehensive
pond management scheme, gorse
planting scheme, himalayan balsam
control, log pile creation, grass clipping
management and a bat box scheme,
amongst others, and we have a complete
management plan that recognises the
need to think about the ecology on our
course.
This is all documented and planned for
in a full ecological appraisal I wrote for
the club which asked the questions; what
do we have at the club in terms of wildlife
habitats? And what do we have to do in
order to preserve or enhance these areas?
So, if you are thinking of going down the
environmental road in your future
greenkeeping career, then I think you’re
Heathland habitat showing abundant bilberry and heather
half way there if you can answer these two
questions.
Recognising the importance of some of
the habitats we have, I also worked with
Lancashire County Council to achieve the
official title of Lancashire Heritage
Site/Biological Heritage Site (BHS).
There are now ten hectares of our course
that have received this designation,
whereby management regimes described
above have been initiated.
Local authorities are required to
identify and provide for the protection
and enhancement of the natural heritage
within their areas and so promote the
BHS scheme. As part of their planning
function, they have a responsibility to
take account of sites of significant nature
conservation value.
All of the above has helped me gain
this fantastic award, but I wish to thank a
few individuals who have made this
possible. Firstly, thanks must go to our
Head Greenkeeper, Chris Westwood, who
really helped to get the ball rolling by
Heather regeneration along the boundary of our course

convincing the greens committee to
adopt an environmental policy, and allow
me to execute a strategy to improve the
ecological value of the course. Without
him, I simply wouldn’t have been able to
advance my experience of golf course
ecology.
Thanks also goes to the Greens
Chairman, John O’Hara, and the whole
team up here at Turton who have
supported and adopted new
environmental initiatives.
Finally, I don’t think anyone would
disagree with me when I say that there
has never been a more important time to
see our full
range of engines at:
www.kawasaki-engines.eu
Buffer areas provide refuge to wildlife
whilst adding definition to the course
focus on ecology and to minimise the
carbon footprint we leave for our
children to inherit.
Far too much valuable land, which
once provided natural habitats for native
British flora and fauna since time in
memorial, has been lost to us - 97% of
England’s traditional wild flower
grasslands have disappeared, for
example. The result is a comprehensive
list of various species of flowers, plants,
animals, birds, insects and other
organisms whose numbers are in a steep
decline.
I feel extremely lucky to operate within
Golf
“There has never
been a more
important time to
focus on ecology
and to minimise
the carbon
footprint we leave
for our children
to inherit”
the golf industry, and one of the reasons
why is that British golf courses have the
potential to play a critical role in
preserving and enhancing Britain’s
countryside. No other industry, except
maybe the management of nature
reserves, has the opportunity to directly
impact upon the state of the countryside
like golf has. Eventually, I see golf
courses becoming havens for wildlife
within the British countryside and
shedding the public conception
that golf courses are
detrimental to the countryside
and the environment.
Cutting Edge
Performance
The Professional Choice
Brush Cutters Hedge Trimmers
Hedge Clippers Blowers
www.kawasaki-powerproducts.co.uk
or call +44 (0)1628 819555
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 31

Golf
Dan Groome, Head Greenkeeper
at Aqualate Golf Club in
Newport, Shropshire, can now
count on two additional staff
to help tend the ten hole course
and driving range.
The story of the course has been
one of steady progress due, in no
small part, to Dan’s dedication.
Our editor ‘pops down the road’
to meet the man who wants
nothing more than to do the best
job he and his team can
Aqualate -
being well
Groomed!

As editor of Pitchcare, I am
fortunate to interview many
greenkeepers and groundsmen at
all levels. The one uniting factor
is their dedication and
commitment to producing the best
quality playing surfaces they can, with
the resources they have available.
Quite often, I am amazed at what is
being achieved at the lower levels, often
with the bare minimum of equipment
and staff.
So, when I got asked to visit Aqualate
Golf Club in Newport, Shropshire, just
down the road from ‘Pitchcare Towers’,
by their Head Greenkeeper, Dan
Groome, it was another opportunity to
see how a facility on a shoestring budget
was coping. [and it kept the travel
expenses down!]
Dan has been at the club for fourteen
years. The layout is somewhat unusual in
that it has ten greens and eighteen tees,
providing a 5,659 yard, par 69 course,
made up of two par 5s, five par 3s and
eleven par 4s. A scattering of bunkers
and water hazards, plus new tree
planting, has increased the difficulty of
the course. The team are currently
building a new 2nd green. There is also a
driving range on the site.
Aqualate occupies a fairly flat area of
land to the east of the town, on the
junction of the two main road arteries,
the A41 and A518.
The course was created without a lot of
fuss, simple self build greens laid down
on the natural local soils, ranging from
free draining sandy soils to local deposits
of clay, and anything in between.
Therefore, the performance of the
greens is dictated by the underlying soil
types, with some drying out quickly,
whilst others retain water.
Dan knows every inch of the course,
and is well aware of the differing
maintenance needs of each hole in terms
of watering and fertiliser requirements.
For the first eleven years, Dan had the
assistance of Mike Thomas and, although
now way past retirement age, Mike still
helps out in the summer; “I’m such a
good boss he just doesn't want to leave,”
jokes Dan.
Three years ago Dan was joined by
Sam Mullinder, who had been taking
Media Studies at a local college, but
fancied a change of direction. “I’m glad
he did,” says Dan, “as his help and
willingness to learn has been invaluable.”
With the addition of Joe Daws six
months ago, Dan now feels he has the
staff to continue to improve the course.
Greens maintenance is the big issue
here,” explains Dan. “With each one
requiring something slightly different
from the other, we have to have a degree
of flexibility. I have set up a liquid
feeding programme utilising a variety of
products, with some finely tuned tank
mixing. We mainly tend to use Headland
products, but are not averse to using
other branded products, if they are right
for the job. That includes different forms
of nitrogen, seaweed, tonics, humic acids
Golf
etc., all applied on a weekly basis.”
“On average, we apply between 50 and
80 kg/ha of N and double that of K.
Headland do leaf tissue samples to help
us monitor nitrogen levels and other
macro nutrients.”
“A ‘typical’ summer feed will consist of
40kg/ha N46 urea, 15lts/ha Seamac
Proturf and 10lts/ha Seamac Ultra Plus.
This gives a consistent clipping yield for
the week, enough growth to recover from
wear and exceptional colour. Other
products we use include Turf Complex,
N46 urea soluble and 15:0:25.”
“We aerate in the spring and autumn,
using our Wiedenmann G160, utilising a
combination of 8mm, 12mm and three
quarter inch tines.”
Greens are mown at 4mm in the winter
and 3mm in the summer. Tees are kept
at 14mm in winter and 10mm in the
summer. Fairways are mown at 17mm in
the summer and raised to 20mm in the
winter. Approaches are kept at 10mm,
whilst the semi rough is maintained at
50mm all year round.
Dan has built up a reasonable shed of
equipment, over time, that includes a
John Deere 2500E Hybrid electric
cylinder mower, John Deere 2653 tees
mower, John Deere 3235C fairway
mower, a John Deere 1600 turbo rough
mower, a Propass topdresser, and the
aforementioned Wiedenmann G160 deep
aerator.
Machinery maintenance is undertaken
by Dan. “We do all our machinery
servicing in-house. It’s more of a case of
necessity than anything else. I’m very
much ‘self taught, picking up things as I
go along. I always say that, if you
approach problems with the right
attitude, there is nothing you cannot
learn or, indeed, fix yourself!”
“I am fortunate that, four years ago,
the club agreed to buy me a set of
Bernhard's cylinder and bottom blade
grinders, after looking at how much we
spent on having our grinding
oursourced. This decision was based on a
return of investment in five to six years,
but I believe we have already broken
even, as we did not consider the fact that
we can get the full working life from a
bottom blade, against when we sent the
“I always say that, if you
approach problems with
the right attitude, there is
nothing you cannot learn
or, indeed, fix yourself!”
Dan Groome, Head Greenkeeper, Aqualate Golf Club
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 33

Golf
L-r: Joe Daws, Sam Mullinder and Dan Groome
These two pigs were rescued from the adjoining
main road, and brought onto the course for
their safety. Dan has no idea where they came
from, but a good home was found for them.
Who are you? Dan Groome, Head
Greenkeeper/Mechanic at Aqualate Golf
Club.
Family status? Married with two children.
Who’s your hero and why? Radio One’s
Chris Moyles, because he helps me get up
and motivated every working day.
What is your dream holiday? The
Bahamas.
What annoys you the most? People who
think they are above their station.
What would you change about yourself?
I would have changed that I was a smoker -
I have been smoke free for twelve weeks,
and counting!
Who would you like to be? Jeremy
Clarkson, he just has the best job in the
world.
Favourite record, and why? The Manic
Street Preachers’ Motorcycle Emptiness, but
credit must also be given to Green Day’s
Basketcase.
Who would you choose to spend a
cutting unit away in January with two or
three months life on the bottom blade.”
“I regrind the cutting units on the tees,
greens and fairway mowers two or three
times a year to ensure a consistent high
quality of cut all year round, and carry
out weekly backlapping to increase the
life of the bottom blades.”
“This winter, we have undertaken some
bunker reconstruction work, some
clearing of ditches and crown lifting some
tree plantations. With only a team of
three we are always kept busy. There’s
always something that requires our
attention, or something I want to do to
improve the course.”
Dan considers presentation to be of
paramount importance. “I want people to
really enjoy playing golf at Aqualate.
TWENTYQuestions
Dan Groome - if you can read this, our special ink is not
working ... and, if you’re his wife, don’t read on!
romantic evening with? The wife, unless
you’ve got secret ink that only greenkeepers
would see - then it would be Kate Hudson!
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Head straight for the
Aston Martin dealership.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? Probably a drum kit - make a lot
of noise - some good, some not so!
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Don’t eat yellow snow - from
my dad.
What’s your favourite smell? Petrol.
What do you do in your spare time?
Gardening, listening to music and spending
time with the family.
What’s the daftest work related question
you have ever been asked? I once got
asked if the sprinkler heads were, in fact, big
nuts to hold the greens down. Jesus wept!
What’s your favourite piece of kit? The
John Deere 2500e greens mower.
Because we don’t have the mature trees,
water hazards and mega bunkers that
other courses have, what we do have, I
always want presented to the best of our
ability.”
With a healthy membership, and a
committed head greenkeeper, Aqualate
Golf Club appears to be in a healthy
position. “I’m aware that we will never be
much of a rival for the larger courses in
the county, but we do, however, offer
local people the opportunity to try their
hand at golf via the pay and play route.”
Dan seems very content with his role
and enjoys being left alone to get on with
the job in hand. He is to be commended
for his dedication to the club.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Handy, knowledgeable
and workaholic.
What talent would you like to have? Any
musical ability.
What makes you angry? People being
late.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? A fixed minimum wage
system for greenkeepers and a fairer
taxation system.

Golf
In October last year, Ian
Robson, UK and Export
Manager for Hunter Grinders,
travelled to The Defence Raya
Golf Resort in Lahore, Pakistan
to install a new Hunter
Grinder ATI.
Ian is from Newcastle and was
interested to discover that
John Tate, the Course
Manager, was also a local
Newcastle boy. Ian wanted to
John Tate
Sitting in ‘downtown Lahore’, I am
fairly sure few will know what a
popular sport golf is in Pakistan.
There are four courses in Lahore
alone, with another under
construction; the older courses having
been built in the colonial era. Presently,
the golfing community is growing at 20%
per annum.
It is true to say that I am pretty well
travelled. In the late 80s, after a short
spell in Southern Ireland, I went off to
Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. To say it
was a culture shock is a bit of an
understatement. However, being pretty
open-minded, I soon settled.
After being dumped in a ‘life camp’
36 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
know how John came to be in
Lahore, and what on earth it
was that kept him in what, on
the surface, appeared to be a
pretty inhospitable place.
Talking to John, Ian realised
that he was neither a typical
greenkeeper, or Geordie for
that matter, and, in fact, had a
history of being part of golf
development in many places
around the world where,
full of Germans, off we went to work on
the construction of the IBB International
which, I think I’m correct in saying, was
the first ‘green’ greens course in West
Africa. Having never seen or worked with
Bermuda grass, I had to learn quickly -
twenty odd years later and I’m still
learning about it! Once I had grasped an
understanding of the climate, it became
quite easy to produce a high standard of
turf although, admittedly, a workforce of
one hundred and twenty helped!
Grass, trees, flowers grew 365 days a
year, so we planted the course with a
different colour on every hole - Delonix,
Regina, Jacaranda, Acacia, Mango etc. -
with superb results.
despite the humidity, the dust
and the intense heat, the
challenges of achieving
excellent golfing conditions in
such an environmentally
difficult place was stimulating
in itself.
John Tate has been Course
Manager of the 18 hole
championship course for over
a year now, and recalls how
he found himself in Lahore
THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF A ROVING ‘GEORDIE’
GREENKEEPER
Never
a dull
moment
The wildlife was fairly exciting, with
crocodiles and snakes everywhere! The
smaller crocs would run away, but we had
one that appeared to be about 5 metres
long and an aggressive ‘blighter’ who
upset many a midday fishing
competition. The boys even refused to
jump into the lake when I unfortunately
had a hook snagged!
Golf in Africa was never dull, especially
when invited to play with my dear friend
Baba Kingerbe who, at the time, was the
Nigerian Interior Minister, and a couple
of other friends. Off we went but, after
about two or three holes, we could hear
gunfire! After eight holes we could hear
the bullets passing over our heads. I did

Bonny Island, Nigeria
mention to Baba that “wouldn’t it be a
good idea to give up after nine?”. His
reply was “it’s your putt”. It turned out
that there had been an attempt to
overthrow the President two miles up the
road!
Another interesting four-ball was with
‘Chip’ Bush - his father was US President
at the time - and the US Ambassador,
George Arthur Trail III. After a rather
mundane round, we retired to a private
restaurant room in the Hilton. Next door
there was a meeting regarding the crisis
in Sierra Leone. Mr Trail, after half a
glass of red wine too much, mentioned
that, if a certain Mr G Taylor did not
behave himself, the ‘Yanks’ would go in
and sort it out. He was removed from his
post the next morning!
“The ‘blighter’, in this case,
turned out to be a hippo.
Believe me - do not keep
one as a pet in your back
garden. It will destroy the
place on a daily basis!”
Working down in Bonny Island, off the
southwest coast of Nigeria, was an
experience. After flying to Port Harcourt,
I travelled to the island by powerboat
through the delta, mangrove islands and,
what seemed like, constant rain. My
accommodation was on a houseboat that
was hit by tidal waves nightly from the oil
tankers moving up and down the delta.
The ‘blighter’, in this case, turned out to
be a hippo. Believe me - do not keep one
as a pet in your back garden. It will
destroy the place on a dialy basis!
Bermuda grass would not grow here
because of the lack of sunlight. We tried
‘papsalum’ as it grew naturally, and was
known locally as Port Harcourt grass. It
has a fairly similar method of
maintenance to Bermuda, except it
Golf
tended to thatch up regularly. Back then,
it was very difficult to acquire herbicides,
insecticides and fungicides - apart from a
little spring, dead spot fungicide, which
was never required!
However, insecticides - because of sod
web and cut worm, which could be
devastating - were essential! So, I had to
make my own. The Nim tree, a cousin of
Mahogany, grew on the course, and is
renowned for its various chemical
properties. Every part of the tree is said
to have medicinal properties, so I soon
learned about pyrethrum and how to
extract it and, after a few months of
experiments, found the right
concentrations. I won’t say it was 100%
effective, but it certainly suppressed
them.
A general view of the Defence Raya course

Golf
As the course has
100% floodlights we
can work when we
want. In the summer
the temperatures
are up to 50 O C
My next stop was Antalya in Turkey!
Unfortunately, the course had been sown
with cool season grass. On the first day I
had a course inspection with the owner!
There was a few tufts of lolium under the
trees, and that was the only grass on the
course - the rest had been wiped out by
pythium! The owner’s demand was “we
need to be open in three weeks!”
September in Antalya is generally hot,
but I ‘got lucky’ with the temperatures
and managed to blitz the course with
lolium, providence (Agrostis) on the
greens. The course opened on time, but
was a little rough. It became playable,
within ten weeks and I received not a
single complaint.
The following summer, we converted
the course to Bermuda 419, and the
greens to ‘tiff dwarf ’ the summer after.
I have never seen anything like Turkish
Pythium in my life! You could just about
set your watch by it. 21st, 22nd May,
same spot every year, it would start, (we
overseeded with Bermuda during the
winter months). From the 20th of May,
whilst the greens were Agrostis, we had a
‘pythium man’, and all he did was check
the greens all day. I have seen pythium
38 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Defence Raya under floodlights
strike at 2.00pm there! I have seen foot
marks through the green when a golfer
walked through an infected area. It really
was quite incredible. Because of the high
Ph. in the water - 7.5 up to 8+when the
tide came in - full or no moon, salt went
from 700 to around 1300 - 2050 was the
highest we measured - so trying to work
out your fungicide active duration was
pure guesswork!
Again, cut worm was easy to deal with,
as was the dreaded white grub! What a
nightmare, the aim was to eradicate
them in their first instar (development
stage); after that it becomes very difficult.
I met some great characters during my
time in Antalya, including the local
Mayor, who had been detained by the
authorities, for six months, for some
financial deal. When he was released, the
whole village was out celebrating. It was a
great party that night.
So, on to Pakistan. I am sure, to most
from the outside looking in, it is
perceived to be a dangerous country.
However, having spent over a year here,
the people are delightful, and I have
never seen such a highly skilled and
motivated labour force in my life.
The Defence Raya Golf and Country
Club is as good a course as I have seen,
designed with a housing complex around
the course. As luck would have it, the soil
structure is fairly similar to the Turkish
south coast. Here, winter dormancy is
from late November through to mid-
February, which is our main golf season.
It has been a long fourteen months.
Everything we do here is in-house, with a
staff of one hundred and twenty,
including eight masons to construct and
maintain the cart track, water feature,
shade canopy etc., and ten
mechanics/electricians who look after all
machines, plus twenty odd generators
around the town.
We have constructed a tree and flower
nursery that produced 250,000 shrubs
from cuttings and seed - six staff are
allocated to this. The plan is to turn it
into a commercial enterprise next year.
We hand planted ten acres of gardens
with Bermuda grass, in the housing area,
over a two month period in the summer.
Then, during the monsoon season, is
when tree planting starts. There’s an
eight to twelve week period (depending
on the rains) in which 10,000 trees and

Defence Raya mechanics with their new Hunter Grinder
60,000 shrubs will be planted.
As for the greenkeepers, what a
delightful rabble. As the course has 100%
floodlights, we can work when we want.
In the summer the temperatures are up
to 40 O C to 50 O C, so we start at 4.30am
and work until midday.
They are a great set of lads, fifteen in
total, led by the supervisor, Imran. The
biggest problem is to keep them cutting
straight with no sharp turns. The greens
are all hand mown, although we do cut
them once a week with a triplex, which is
more of a clean-up pass.
We vertidrain twice a year, along with
regular verti-cutting, and have to use a
lot of Ca and Mg in the fertiliser
programme (all spoon fed) because, in
the soil analysis, they were completely
absent! Ph. was 8.2 and is now 7.2, so
we’re getting there! We use granite dust
for the micro elements, and it works a
treat.
The summer saw a green speed of
seven to nine on the stimpmeter and, in
winter, thirteen plus - it’s exciting
putting! Tees, surrounds and fairways all
have the same programme, but not as
intense.
The main pest problems here in
Pakistan are cut worm, funnel ant and the
dreaded termite, a touch of spring dead
spot (never had to spray a fungicide
once) and pythium on the flower
seedling, which is easily controlled.
Irrigation depends on the season. We
Get a step ahead
The ultimate in
strength, quality,
durability and ease
of operation.
• Yes it will fill aeration holes
• Yes Greenkeepers say you use up
to 30% less sand
• By using the brush regularly, every
2 to 3 weeks, you can virtually
eliminate verti grooming
• Use before mowing increases
putting speed and smoothness
“The TB 200 Turf Brush is one of the most effective grooming
tools I have purchased in the past twenty years”
“ I never thought there could be anything better than what I
was using, then you brought me the TB 200 and we are able
to do twice as much with one less brush”
Golf
“The people are
delightful, and I have
never seen such a
highly skilled and
motivated labour
force in my life”
find that, when temperatures are up
around 40 O C or more, we need to syringe
three times a day just to keep the grass
cool! Even in dormancy, a little water is
required.
We also have a breeding programme of
peacocks and pheasants, which will be
released on the course, to accompany
our ducks!
We run our golf operations
department more as a commercial
enterprise, between the army and the
private sector. My Fayaz – a great
character - runs our office and is
excellent at dealing with the troops. We
seem to spend half our time on
designing the city landscapes, water
features for roundabouts etc. which, in
with the TB 200 Turf Brush
To see for yourself visit:
www.sgmindustries.com/promo_video
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 39

Golf
turn, pays for the course. Our
golf secretary, ‘The Brig’, is
one of the most delightful
gents I have ever met and can
handle himself on the track,
however his heart and soul is
in the course, which helps.
For Ian Robson to come to
Pakistan was, I am sure, quite
a culture shock, and during
his trip we took him to Wagha
Gate, the border between
Pakistan and India. I would
imagine that he has never
been escorted by a convoy of
troops with flashing lights
before.
For the uninitiated, Wagha
Gate is where the changing of
the guard takes place under
the scrutiny of two ‘football
stands’ full of representatives
from Pakistan on one side and
India on the other. During
the change, there is a ritual
‘hurling of abuse’ at each
other. It’s very funny, and well
worth the trip.
Despite the bizarre and
somewhat intimidating
circumstances of being
accompanied everywhere by
an army guard, Ian took it all
in his stride and did a superb
job, organising the grinder to
be transported here and in
the training of the staff.
The grinder is an absolute
must here, as there is a lot of
dust in the wind which knocks
the cut off the units pretty
quickly. Our intention is to
use it commercially, as it is the
only one in Pakistan. Ian
completed the training in the
few days available, and gained
great respect with his patience
and relaxed manner. One
consequence is that Baba
Yousef, Chief of Mechanics, is
now praying in the direction
of Moscow, and chief
mechanic, Nadime, is praying
towards Cape Town - nowhere
near the direction of Mecca,
because they insist on praying
next to the grinder.
The moral to the story is,
that if you want to work
successfully in Asia, and even
more so in Africa, you must
become father, mother,
doctor, and mediator to your
team! And an expert in
producing your own
chemicals. But, most of all,
appreciate that you have been
lucky to have had the chance.
40 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Hunter’s gatherer of information!
Ian Robson finds Pakistan a mixture of fear, humour, generosity,
bizarre characters and lovely people
I ARRIVE in Lahore, my first
visit to Pakistan and I am here
to install a Hunter Grinders
Series 5 Jupiter, and provide
training for the greens staff.
A driver has been sent to
collect me in a Suzuki 4x4,
and off we go from the
airport down a sliproad to the
motorway ... and come face
to face with a wagon coming
up towards us! My driver
swerves, avoids the lorry, and
slips onto the dual
carriageway with a loud and
cheerful “Welcome to
Pakistan, Boss!”
And so the scene is set.
Several near misses later,
having dodged oncoming
traffic, gone around
roundabouts the wrong way,
overtook, undertook, ran red
lights, and avoided all
manner of obstacles in the
road, we arrived at the first
police block. At this point, the
driver went faster (causing a
minor panic to course through
my veins), and didn’t stop
until we reached a military
check point. This was my first
taste of how the military run
the show, not the police.
Defence Raya Golf and
Country Resort is owned and
run by the military. The
‘Brigadier’ rules and,
although rarely seen, is
constantly being used as a
threat by Course Manager,
John Tate, to get things done;
“I will let the Brigadier know
that you refuse to fix the
pump”; “Wait till the Brigadier
hears that you can’t deliver all
of the fertiliser needed”. It
seemed to do the trick, the
pump got fixed, and the
fertiliser got delivered on
time. If it wasn’t so sinister, it
was like threatening children
with dad’s slipper.
The ‘Brigadier’ also opened
doors for the trip to the
infamous Wagha Gate, VIP
style. We raced through the
streets of Lahore, complete
with military escort, full sirens
blaring, motorcycle lights
flashing, and with little
consideration for anyone in
our path.
I stayed in a villa near the
golf course with other
operatives, including the golf
course construction manager
and the architect. Each day of
my five day visit I was
protected by an armed guard
outside my door and driven,
under guard, to the
greenkeepers’ sheds. John
assured me it was merely for
my own peace of mind, and
because the ‘Brigadier’
Ian and John at the Wagha Gate
insisted that I was to be given
full military protection at all
times.
The others ate in a
communal area with food
prepared by the resident
housekeeper, but John
preferred to send out for a
takeaway curry every day!
Usually, this was chicken and
seemed to be based on the
principle that nothing should
be wasted, including every
part of the chicken I would
rather not mention. Needless
to say, my stomach rebelled
pretty violently.
Work started at around
4.00am to avoid the
incredibly oppressive
temperatures of around 40 to
45 O C and 90% humidity. The
sheds were concrete and tin
and, although modern
enough, had no air
conditioning. Even at this
early hour, I could only work
for an hour before retreating
to the only air conditioned
room (John’s office) for a
refreshing ten minute coffee
break.
The staff were brilliant,
willing to learn, eager to
please and very stoical about
their conditions. Everything is
about making do with what’s
available. For example, I
needed a driver or spline
shaft to drive a unit. One of
the men handmade one there
and then out of a metal bar.
All by hand, no lathe, just
patiently working the metal
into the required shape and
size. They were a pleasure to
be around, full of jokes and
good temper. One character,
who spoke good English,
translated on the first day but
was nowhere to be seen on
the second. It turned out that
his brother had been stabbed
and killed the previous night.
He was back on the third day
without a word. Welcome to
Pakistan! Brutal yet human.
After five exhilarating days,
I headed back to the airport,
where my bags were whisked
out of my hand by a complete
stranger. An instruction to
“follow me” was obeyed
without question. My bags
disappeared and I was led
through rooms and corridors
until we reappeared at
security ahead of a huge line
of fellow passengers.
Suppressing my
embarrassment and natural
desire to apologise for
jumping the queue, I turned
to my benefactor who held
out his hand. Just before I
reached to shake it, he said
“you pay me dollars?” He had
to settle for the ten quid note
burning a hole in my pocket,
which is probably a month’s
salary for him, if the truth be
known.
Back on the plane at last.
Did I mention I had travelled
Pakistan Airlines? Don’t ever
do it, unless you like curried
scrambled eggs for breakfast
- and I only know that
because it was still on the
seat from the last passenger!
I was the only non-
Pakistani, English speaking
person on the plane, which
came in handy because it got
round that I could fill in the
UK entry visa cards. A queue
rapidly formed and, being the
helpful chap I am, I advised a
would be visitor to the UK
that it would be better if he
didn’t state he was staying in
the UK for four years, when
his university invitation was
only for eighteen months!
And, finally, I was glad to
be of help when one
passenger asked which of his
two passports looked most
like him (although neither
did) for getting through
passport control.
I am a seasoned traveller,
but I have to say Pakistan was
a unique experience, a
mixture of fear, humour,
generosity, bizarre characters
and, above all, good natured,
lovely people.

Golf
In his lighter, tongue-in-cheek
moments, Jim Arthur used to say
that keeping a golf course in good
condition would be a piece of cake if
it weren’t for the ruddy golfers. He
might have said the equivalent when
looking at the Centre Court at the end of
Wimbledon fortnight, or a cricket square
on the fifth day of a Test Match. Battle
scars are a problem in most sports.
It was nothing, years ago, for football
pitches in mid-season to be all earth and
no grass. Goalkeepers invariably stood
on mud from October to April, with a
fair sprinkling of standing water on the
rest of the pitch thrown in. Hockey’s
answer was a conversion to artificial
surfaces, speeding up the tempo of the
game in the process, although a game,
played all along the ground, forbidding
the raising of sticks above the shoulder,
now seems to allow more freedom.
Tennis’s decision to follow suit was also
an attempt to standardise playing
conditions, as well as a consistent method
of snuffing out the weather that could be
so disruptive to tournament schedules.
Only a few British tennis tournaments
remain loyal to grass.
If golf could be played indoors, which
heaven forbid, it too could take place at
all hours of the night and day but, whilst
suspensions to play are made when it
rains and blows too hard, there is no
doubt that golfers’ expectations are more
demanding than fifty years ago, largely a
response to the rising skills of
greenkeepers and their methods.
Increasingly, they have made the
impossible possible.
This expectation among golfers is as
true of clubs’ catering solely for its
members, as it is of the professionals
The Greenkeepers Training
Committee Chairman, Donald
Steel, reflects on the ‘good old
days’ and how modern
machinery, training and
communication have improved
the greenkeeper’s working
environment, even if the
techniques remain somewhat
similar at times
THOSE were
the DAYS?
42 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
competing for indecently large prize
money. Whereas, years ago, members
would put their clubs away when the
clocks went back in the autumn, and
leave them there until they went forward
again in the spring, a high proportion
want to play all the year round. The
season is never ending.
In order for this to happen, a greater
awareness of the need for good drainage
has become ingrained. The example of
new courses building greens designed for
this very purpose has led to something of
a fashion of fairly widespread remedial
work to those built in far off days, but it
has been the arrival of sophisticated and
versatile machinery that has, more than
anything, helped to achieve miracles.
Wear and tear is still a factor but it is
disguised far more skilfully.
Turning the clock back is a wonderful
way of showing your age but, if there is
one benefit in growing old, it is in
enabling you to make comparisons -
comparisons that younger generations
may find hard to believe. It is the same
with today’s young players who think
everybody has always hit drives 350 yards
with club heads as big as melons.
Back in the 1950s, a small part of my
long summer holiday was spent helping
the Head Greenkeeper at Denham with
the annual task of treating the greens. It
took the form of an army of helpers
scarifying the putting surface by hand
with springbok rakes and cutting the
grass raised above ground level. There
then followed the process of hand hollow
tining and an application of sand or
soot to fill the holes before, finally, a
wash-in with sprinklers that were neither
creeping nor automatic. Because of the
laborious nature of the work, it was only
Wilmslow Golf Course in stunning condition
possible to programme five or six greens
a year.
Nowadays, eighteen greens can be
completed in perhaps two or three days
with a wide range of choice surrounding
the type, depth and severity of aeration.
What is more, some sort of aeration can
be attempted several times a summer. All
this came back to me during a series of
workshops given during last year by
Laurence Pithie, Master Greenkeeper, a
helpful series of gatherings to be
repeated throughout 2012.
They were organised by The
Greenkeepers Training Committee to
promote better knowledge and
understanding among Secretaries of
Clubs, Chairmen of Green Committees
and the greenkeeping staff. The clear
message was that, whilst principles
haven’t changed, implementation has
been transformed. Illustrations of a
battery of modern machines that
synchronise the whole exercise were an
absolute eye-opener, although an even
bigger eye opener was putting a figure
on the cost of equipping an average
greenkeeping complex.
There is no hint of criticism at the
methods of yesteryear because everybody

thought, at the time, the greens were
revolutionary in their speed and
smoothness. Nevertheless, I don’t
suppose anybody today would want to
change places. It was an era when
motorcars could be (and invariably had
to be) started with a crank handle, and
agricultural fields harvested with reaper
and binder. Even in the early 1950s,
scythes and sickles were familiar
equipment in greenkeeping sheds.
Tractors had no cabs. Nobody had heard
of a stimpmeter.
Since then, green speeds and surfaces
have been perfected by several improved
techniques and a carefully planned
combination of operations. Plant
breeding has produced new strains of
grasses to add to the maintenance-mix,
thereby rendering overseeding almost
routine, but state of the art modern
mowers are also responsible for the
ability to cut greens ever closer when
expedient to do so; and, therein, lies an
anomaly. It is never a case of cutting as
close as possible, standing back and
everything in the garden will be lovely.
Nothing replaces the day-to-day
judgement of the man on the spot, and
this is where understanding comes in.
When and why are the key factors in the
equation, not simply a mad quest to get
greens as fast as possible and let the devil
take the hindmost. It is said, with truth,
that a little learning is a dangerous thing
and one of the problems with club
committees is that their composition is
ever changing.
That is the reason why the time is fast
approaching when full-time, highly
qualified green staff should be left largely
to their own devices. That is not the
same thing as saying they shouldn’t
maintain close contact with those they
serve, but true understanding can only
be achieved by fuller trust.
You only have to examine the make-up
of workforces to appreciate that
greenkeeping is now a career for life, not
a fall back if all else fails. Those who take
advantage of the training under the
auspices of the GTC, the clubs and a
number of colleges, find that they are
made aware that a proper grounding
includes an approach that is both
theoretical and practical. Confidence is
boosted by actually taking part in various
activities, but confidence is greater with
the knowledge of why it is being done.
Emphasis is also placed on presentation
Golf
“There is no point designing a good
course if it isn’t well built, and there is
no point building a good course if it
isn’t well maintained”
skills and the ability to put the message
over in front of, say, a gathering of
members. In addition, working as a team
gains vital credence.
The real value of the GTC workshops,
to which I have referred, is that support
grows for this modus operandi and that
an exchange of notes with kindred spirits
is another excellent way of learning. Top
class golfers will confirm that talking
amongst themselves about handling
various situations in the heat of battle is
often every bit as beneficial as hitting a
thousand balls on the range.
Knowing what to do is important, but
knowing what not to do can be equally
valuable, although sometimes it boils
down to a question of opinions and likes
and dislikes. However, the setting for a
golf course and the climate in which it is
situated are determining factors between
right and wrong. Here, Augusta National
has been something of a distraction to
those who believe you can grow azaleas,
dogwood and magnolia on a seaside
links, or adopt the “green-everywhere”
dogma that is a direct contradiction to
the sustainability doctrine that is
preached widely in the UK.
Augusta is a law unto itself on many
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 43

Golf
“It has been the arrival
of sophisticated and
versatile machinery
that has, more than
anything, helped to
achieve miracles” Sophisticated machinery
counts. Money is no object. If necessary,
they can make available an almost
unlimited workforce before, during and
after the Masters. They double and triple
cut fairways and greens and, if alterations
have to be made to the course (which
they are on an almost annual basis), they
can establish flawless playing surfaces
from seed or turf in a matter of a few
weeks. All this is because the course is
closed from April to October. Jim Arthur
had a point.
One of the main difficulties of Augusta
is the firm and fast nature of the greens
and the pin positions chosen to add to
the severity. Defending a course in this
way is an attempt to thwart low scoring,
but design of greens can undoubtedly
help or hinder the efforts of those whose
44 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
task it is to maintain them. Golf course
architects can be villain or hero.
There is no point designing a good
course if it isn’t well built, and there is no
point building a good course if it isn’t
well maintained. Any flaw in the design
or construction adds a burden to the
maintenance. There is a delicate link
between the three, but green design, a
separate art, has been made more
intricate by the closeness of the cut and
the resultant speeds that can be
achieved.
An even thinner dividing line exists
between what is challenging and what is
impossible, whilst too much movement
and contour can jeopardise the search
for a genuine range of pin positions
which most courses deem essential.
Signs of wear and tear, caused by an
inability to change the hole positions
often enough are, thankfully, rare. That
is another tribute to the advances made
and the lessons learned. One of the
unusual features about golf is that work
can be carried out on the course whilst
play is taking place, even if bunker
raking and cutting is usually scheduled
in summer before golfers are up and
about.
Another peculiarity is that golfers feel
it is expected of them to make technical
comments, even though not exactly
qualified to do so, a further reason why
good lines of communication need to be
established and golfers educated as well
as what used to be called Keepers of the
Green. On the other hand, the tolerance

Augusta National
levels of cricketers and rugby players are
a lot higher and any pitch imperfections
are soon forgotten when the beer flows.
One difference between preparing
cricket wickets and producing putting
surfaces is that groundsmen spend the
summer compacting pitches by constant
rolling to generate controlled bounce
but, the moment the season ends,
vigorous aeration to break up the
compaction is required to let air into
the soil so that the cycle can start again
in the spring.
No doubt sophisticated machinery has
made that task simpler, too.
In January’s Greenkeeper International
Magazine, David Golding, GTC’s
Education Director, makes the good
point that campaigning “for new
Tel: 0845 026 0064
www.jsmd.co.uk
Outstanding Top Dressing
and Grooming Brush
Completely fills aeration holes in 2-3 passes
Use up to 25% less sand
Use to groom greens to remove grain
Increase putting speed
Promotes healthier denser turf
equipment, materials and staff isn’t easy
at the best of times, but all of these
skills can be gained through training,
and a well presented case can engage an
employer, especially when they see
projected benefits from the proposals”.
This brings me back, conveniently, to
communication and the fact that the
former generations of head greenkeeper
wouldn’t recognise the role of his
successor, and the current reliance on
computers, paper work, spread sheets,
smart phones, never mind the armoury
of shiny machinery. Greenkeeping used
to be an escape to the golf course where
nobody could bother them, but now
anybody can be called up in an instant.
As far as I know, guidelines on mobile
phones are not included in any
Golf
“Augusta has been
something of a
distraction to those who
believe you can grow
azaleas, dogwood and
magnolia on a links”
education package, but let me end with
a relevant tale that may strike a chord
and is a lesson in itself. It concerned the
golfer, who related;
“My boss phoned me today”. He said,
“Is everything OK at the office?”
I said, “Yes, it’s all under control. It’s
been a busy day. I haven’t stopped for a
minute”.
“Can you do me a favour?” he asked.
I said, “Of course, anything, what is
it?”
He said, “Hurry up and take your
shot, I’m right behind you on the 8th
tee”.
For further information on the
Greenkeepers Training Committee visit
www.the-gtc.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
Tel: +44 (0)1462 683031 www.huntergrinders.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 45

Golf
When Greg Evans ‘came out’ about
maintaining greens in an aggressive
manner (such as cutting at heights as
low as 2mm), a huge amount of
debate and discussion followed,
questioning the merits of such a
method. Some commented that the
greens would be dead within three
years. Others said that the approach
was irresponsible at best and suicidal
at worst. A silent few also maintained
their greens in this fashion, but they
went about their business without
comment.
Whatever your views, the topic has at
least got people talking; a discussion
that continues three years after his
first article was published in Pitchcare
One of the biggest criticisms
of my method was the lack
of data supporting it. This
used to really frustrate me,
as I knew it worked but
could not prove it with anything
except anecdotal evidence. I would
not undertake a new regime or
method without evidence of the
results to expect. With this in mind,
I started collating my own data two
years ago. Organic matter tests,
infiltration rates, bulk density,
tissue analysis, sward density, ball
roll speeds and more besides. By
investigating my method, I hope to
understand it more and hopefully
eliminate future mistakes.
Right from the start, I split the
tests into two categories; agronomy
and playability. To produce a top
maintenance plan you need to have
a balance of these two disciplines.
There’s no point going out spiking
How
SMOOTH
are YOU?
every week if you are losing
members and your club’s finances
are going to pot! Get the balance
right and a successful regime is
sure to follow.
In this article I am considering
playability (arguably the most
important issue for golfers), leaving
the agronomy for another time. If
daisies produced great surfaces,
golfers would quite happily putt on
them.
Speed, Smoothness and
Firmness = Playability
One of the biggest complaints
from golfers is that, despite their
greenkeepers doing all the
agronomic work, the surfaces don’t
seem to be improving. Speed
matters a great deal to golfers and
we are commonly asked “What
speed are the greens today?”
Golfers generally love quick greens.

You don’t often hear a golfer say, “Wow
those greens were amazing, they were so
slow!” However, for turf managers, whilst
speed is important (especially for
bragging rights), smoothness is
undoubtedly the key ingredient for top
quality greens.
Personally, I hate slow greens. As a
former decent golfer (yes, I used to hit a
fairway once), if I went to play a golf
course where the greens were sluggish I
would be counting down the holes
waiting for the 18th to get off the course.
But, far worse, were quick, bumpy greens
that you get in the English springtime
with those northerly winds. A round of
golf in March, when the greens were
lightning fast but bumpy as hell, would
produce putting strokes where, if you
watched carefully, you could just about
see a backswing! Such was the speed of
them. So, even though I still detest slow
greens, if they are true and firm they are
still preferable to quick, bumpy ones.
How do we measure these
attributes?
Speed is easy. Get on the phone to your
local rep and request a £50 stimpmeter.
Once it’s delivered, go to a green with a
tape measure and record the distance the
ball travels from a given distance. Bingo.
Green speed! What about smoothness
and firmness? How do we measure the
trueness of ball roll and firmness of
greens when the ball hits the deck?
Luckily there are two tools available to
us. With the assistance of the R&A, the
STRI brought out a measuring device
called the ‘Trueness Meter’ some years
ago which measures the deviations of ball
roll. It costs around £12,000 to buy. The
Clegg Hammer measures the firmness of
the soil and costs £2,000. If you have a
spare £14,000 floating around in your
course budget, you can buy these two
accurate tools which will give you the
information.
When setting out my greens
performance assessment programme, I
didn’t have an extra £14,000, but I did
have £50 to buy a stimpmeter. I still
wanted to measure ball roll and ball
reaction on my greens, so I went about
devising two tests to give me feedback for
both. They are by no means as accurate
as the two scientific tools, but do give me
enough information to judge whether my
greens are improving from a playability
point of view. My tests are cost effective
and require only a stimpmeter (£50),
three golf balls (£10), good eyesight and
the golfers’ golden rule, no cheating!
Smoothness
I thought long and hard about this one. I
wanted a test that could give me an
accurate reading, taking away as much
guesswork as possible. So, I came up with
the following test and a ten point scoring
scheme:
Go to a flattish location on one of your
greens close to the hole cup.
Place the stimpmeter on a small bracket,
so that it is at roughly set at a 15%
degree angle. A small bucket (as shown)
or an old hole cup will do.
Measure a distance of six feet, or slightly
Golf
more if the greens are quick. To gauge
the distance, send the ball down
naturally. Adjust the location of the
stimpmeter until the ball finishes one
foot behind the hole. Once you have this
measurement then you are at your
optimum distance (remember, it must be
greater than six feet).
Now adjust the meter so that the ball
travels in to the centre of the hole on a
regular basis. This may mean that the
meter is facing the right lip position, for
example, so that it takes a slight break
and drops in the middle of the hole.
Once you have this done you are ready
for the test.
Send down 10 balls and score
accordingly:
1 point if it finishes in the centre of the
hole, 1/2 a point if it goes in the right or
left half and zero points if the ball
misses.
After ten balls you should have a score
out of 10. So, for example, if you sent
down ten balls, with eight going in the
middle, one slotting in the right half and
one missing, you score 8.5 out of 10, a
perfectly reasonable score. On the other
hand, if you send down ten balls and
three go in the middle, three in the right
half, one in the left half and three miss,
you have only scored 5 out of 10. Time
to get that topdresser out to smooth
those greens out a bit.
This system may not be as scientific as
the STRI’s trueness meter, but it
certainly costs a lot less! If you perform
this test weekly, you will very quickly see
how smooth your greens are. As with
speed, measuring smoothness is a crucial
element in judging how your greens
perform on a daily/weekly basis.
Firmness
Firmness is a lot harder to gauge. I play
on many greens where they become so
firm or hard that hitting to them is like
trying to stop a ball on a cricket wicket
and not a golf green! You can measure
firmness without having to purchase a
Clegg Hammer, but will need a good
critical eye and unbiased judgement.
“Even though I still
detest slow greens, if
they are true and firm
they are still preferable
to quick, bumpy ones”
Greg Evans, Course Manager, Ealing Golf Club
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 47

Golf
Greg Evans
Greg Evans is the current Course Manager
at Ealing Golf Club. He has helped to turn
around the clubs fortune from a very
negative situation pre-2006 to an extremely
healthy one now. Golf membership has
increased steadily for the past several years
and visitor income has gone through the
roof, with the past year seeing a 42%
increase in revenue.
To contact him please visit his website
www.gregevansmg.com or by phone 07951
157208.
48 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Below are the criteria that I use to gauge
firmness of my greens:
Stand at the back of a chosen green
(hopefully not becoming a target for
golfers).
Watch five golfers hit to the green from
about 150 yards away and mark on a
scale of 1-10:
• 1-4 the green is very soft and the ball
plugs (1 is the worst score).
• 5-6 where the greens are receptive but
comes out of its own pitch mark and
either has forward or backspin
(commonly parkland greens)
• 7-8 the greens are much firmer but
importantly the golfer still has control
over the ball (commonly links greens).
• 9-10 where the golfer cannot control
the ball because the green is so hard
(cricket wicket).
Once you have collated the scores, you
can record them in a spread sheet to
track your progress and to see how
cultural practices, such as topdressing
and aeration, affect firmness or not. I
look for a score of around 7, just a bit
above a parkland feel, but not so hard
that the golfer loses control of his ball.
Results
We can use the results to compare how we
are performing from year to year. I
consider the main playing season to be
from early April to the end of October.
During these months your surfaces need
to be performing to your own chosen
targets. Above is a chart of how Ealing’s
greens have performed this last playing
season.
By looking at the chart, we can see that
the speed target for the playing season was
set at 10.5. On the whole, we achieved that
with an average of 10.8 for this period.
Smoothness came in at 8.8 against a target
figure of 8.5, with firmness just a fraction
up on target at 7.1. I and, more
importantly, the club are very happy with
how the greens have performed during
the year. Better greens performance has
meant extra golf revenue this playing year.
In these tough economic times we all
have to justify our course budgets. If we
are spending £5,000 sanding the greens or
have spent £8,000 on a turf iron, the club
wants to know what they will get out of it.
By producing data on the performance of
your greens, as detailed above, you will
hopefully provide data to justify your
expenditures with proven results.

THE NEW LT3340.
HEAVY-DUTY MOWING
FROM TORO.
THE NEW TORO LT3340
WITH OPTIONAL CAB
Grounds mowers from Toro – now
brought to you by Lely, award-winning
UK distributors of Toro for over 30 years.
CT SERIES COMPACT TRIPLE T4240 HIGH OUTPUT TM5490 TRAILED TM7490 TRAILED
Designed from the start to meet the demanding needs
of the commercial turfcare market, the new heavy-duty
Toro LT3340 triple mower is one of our hardest working
grounds mowers yet. The LT3340 has been built to the
highest specification to give the durability, strength and
performance required to ensure productive, efficient
mowing and a first-class finish. Also, easy access to all
the main service areas and tilting platforms help to
reduce running costs and increase profitability. And
don’t let the weather interfere with your work-load, the
optional full weather cab with air-con and a choice
of high quality seats offers exceptional comfort to
keep your operation running smoothly whatever the
weather. The LT3340 from Toro, heavy-duty mowing all
year round.
Call Lely on 01480 226849 or visit toro.com/lt
TORO Grounds Products are distributed by Lely (UK) Limited, St Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 1QH. Tel: 01480 226849 Email: toro.info.uk@lely.com www.lely.com www.toro.com
GM360 QUAD-STEER
FREE
ONSITE
DEMONSTRATION
CALL LELY ON
01480 226849

Artificial Surfaces
Artificial, fake, false,
synthetic, mock, copied,
unreal, imitation, manmade,
phoney, unnatural.
The Oxford English
dictionary definition for
artificial; made as a copy
of something natural.
Do you want bionic legs
that run faster than anyone
else, or would you want
your own natural legs that
can be trained to run faster
than anyone else?
Is anything that is ever a
copy of something natural
better than the original?
Can natural things even be
compared to their artificial
counterparts or, should I
say, counterfeits?
Matt Frost enters the
‘artificial‘ debate
Life is short,
FAKE IT!
There are not many industries
left in the world that Britain can
claim to challenge for top slot
and, along with the USA and
Australia, these three
Anglophones are way above their
nearest rivals for producing natural
sports surfaces. Call them what you
like, first to arrive at work and last to
go home, groundsmen, greenkeepers
and, nowadays, agronomist or sports
turf managers as they like to be
referred to, have come a long way.
How many other professions can you
think of where, amongst other things,
in one day you have to perform the
duty of biologist, chemist, mechanic,
surveyor, labourer, liaison,
weatherman, computer technician,
people manager, and machine
operator, whilst displaying an absolute
understanding of health and safety
laws and having your work scrutinised
by millions of people on TV - all of
whom consider themselves to be
experts because they have a 30m 2
patch of weeds and moss outside their
home, commonly referred to as a
lawn? Not to mention having to please
your end users ‘the players’ who, in
general, take home a larger salary in
one week than the average
groundsman does in one year.
British stadium football pitches are
the envy of the world and are
unrecognisable from fifteen years ago.
Now, even in the depths of December
and January, we see minimal wear and
clean football shirts at the end of most
matches, and this despite stadiums
rising to the heights of small
skyscrapers. Certainly, aesthetics aside,
football can actually be played year
round on the ground, with the only
real excuse left for players being their
own ineptitude.
This is all the more remarkable as
the ruling body of the sport have
constantly turned their backs on the
surface we all know and love. They
have invested millions of pounds in
the development of plastic pitches and
other aspects of the game, yet not one
penny on the improvement of natural
surfaces in the entire history of their
existence.
So, what made FIFA decide to
promote artificial pitches again after
their infamous and highly criticised
entry into the professional game back
in the 1980s? There are players who
swear their careers were curtailed
because they played for those teams on
‘those pitches’ for a couple of seasons,
and I should know. I worked with one
for six years! QPR and Luton will
always be synonymous with the most
unforgiving professional football
surfaces in living memory!
Well, having said that, just like

natural pitches artificial pitches have also
improved beyond recognition since TV
money changed the investment in the
game at the start of the 90s.
The standard answer would be that
FIFA want to develop the game in less
traditional footballing countries, some,
but not all, of which have extreme
climates and are unable to grow grass
year round, which is the standard story
they have spun for some time now.
But that would be the line expected
from the press department of the
governing bodies and the companies
involved in selling plastic - it’s big
business and, as with all business, it’s
about the money to be made, at the
expense of whatever happens to get in
the way of that.
If you delve a little deeper you begin
to see that, as with most things, those
great big dollar signs in the sky take
priority over any benefit to developing
football nations.
Did you ever wonder what happened
to the millions of rubber products that
become useless after just a year’s usage,
such as car tyres and trainers?
Well, not a lot, apart from pollution of
the atmosphere when they tried to burn
them, and there is no degradation if you
try to bury them.
Now, governing bodies want your
children to be brought up on these
dangerous, bacteria infested, outdoor
carpets filled with toxic waste products.
That is exactly what they are! Did you
ever see a house carpet left outside for
months that looked healthy enough to lie
down on, roll around on and, as with
activity and sport, exchange fluids on?
These imitation grass carpets are no
different to the one in your house.
Natural grass filters away all of this
nastiness, unlike its fake counterpart. In
summer, artificial pitches in extreme
climates become dangerously hot and, in
winter, unless heated, freeze just the
same as a normal pitch, so the term ‘all
weather’ is just yet another false
marketing spin.
Governing bodies will retort that we
see some pitches disappoint in some of
the new super stadia built over the last
fifteen years, the infamous examples
being the new Wembley Stadium and
Amsterdam Arena. A top official even
infamously stated - when Arsenal were
building the Emirates - that they should
use artificial turf because they would not
be able to make a pitch as good as
Highbury in their new stadium! As we all
know the natural pitch at the Emirates is
superior to that of Highbury!
Of course, the people behind all this
the corporate Johnnies, will not say a lot,
except to reiterate that, over the course
of thirty years, they think they have
bettered one of the planet’s, and Mother
Nature’s most resilient living things,
Artificial Surfaces
“It’s about the money to be
made, at the expense of
whatever happens to get in
the way of that”
something which has been evolving for
millions of years, something that will still
be here when humans have gone!
Remember, grass has been around since
before those fish creatures from the
Guinness advert froze their tongues.
In my opinion, the artificial companies
cannot improve on what they have now,
and what they have now is only good for
stacking oranges on at the supermarket.
It took them thirty years to develop that!
There sales approach is bordering on the
disgusting. All their spin is trying to
rubbish natural grass, comparing
ridiculous scenarios that just don’t exist
and, actually, having the brass neck to
say that, by having an artificial pitch, the
club can sack the groundsman and that
will reduce the wage bill! When looking
for cuts, I suppose they [football clubs]
overlooked the players’ insane salaries
and seven assistants to the assistant coach
then?
All clubs are constantly trying to seek
an advantage all the time. It can be
gained in a myriad of different ways - an
advantage cannot be gained if all clubs
are given the same advantage!
So, if all clubs are given, for arguments
sake, £100k each per year, what is the
advantage they now have over each
other?
There has only ever been one
argument for artificial and that is it can
be used regularly for non-elite players,

Artificial Surfaces
“Installing an artificial pitch will,
most certainly, change the game
to a poorer, non contact version
according to many of the world’s
leading coaches. It will allow
every man and his dog to use
the stadium pitch”
i.e. it can be a leisure centre - that will
not allow the club to progress to a higher
level, as all clubs will have this
‘advantage’. So, how to progress over
another? Or, allow clubs to play in arctic
conditions when roads are closed, or
allow clubs to use the stadium 24/7, as
lighting restrictions are in place in most
areas of the UK?
The demand is not there; only in a
rose tinted marketing view. Neither will it
allow clubs income to increase to such an
extent that they move up a league or
increase their fan base.
Installing an artificial pitch will, most
certainly, change the game to a poorer,
non contact version according to many of
the world’s leading coaches. It will allow
Rated up to 30°
slope operation
with dual wheels
every man and his dog to use the
stadium pitch thereby, most certainly,
eliminating an elitist feel.
It will also see the need to pay for
security, demountable fencing and
specialist maintenance. The carpet will
need replacement - if they are going to
use it 24/7 - at least once every three or
four years if it is going to meet the strict
FIFA testing requirements that are in
place, and at a cost that will almost
certainly negate the previous period’s
financial gain!
So, the governing bodies have a
choice. They can do the right thing,
which is to invest and encourage
development in both natural and
artificial playing surfaces, both of which
YYoouurr OOnnee TTrraaccttoorr SSoolluuttiioonn
Rear Discharge Mower
have a purpose in the game. The
premise being that artificial is there as a
spare parachute, which can be applied
where nature truly does not want grass to
succeed, which are not very many places
at all, and certainly not the UK where it
is temperate. Or they can go exactly the
route they are taking now, and that is to
remove the soul of all stadiums and
change the game to a non-contact sport.
Of course, a few individuals will get rich,
but so could a lot of people by doing the
wrong thing, and where would that leave
us? In a recession perhaps?!!!
Changing stadia into leisure centres
seems to be every chairman’s ambition
and, if 150 games can be played in one
stadium, why have several stadiums in
www.ventrac.uk.com TTeell:: 0011225566 446611559911
Toughcut Mower Power Rake Stump Grinder Edging Tool

one area? Clubs are then likely to lose
their identities as the best and biggest
stadium/club in the region will
monopolise all use.
Clubs talk about having all these
events, but the fact is there are not that
many events that are big enough to be
held in stadia in one area.
It is interesting to note that anything
other than sporting activity, such as big
concerts, has left artificial pitches either
damaged or destroyed and in need of
expensive replacement or repairs.
Stadiums are supposed to be elitist to a
certain extent. That is what gives them
their atmosphere. The fact you only get
to play there professionally, or on special
corporate occasions, not twenty-four
Contour Mower
ssaalleess@@vveennttrraacc..uukk..ccoomm
hours a day. Its most kids dream to one
day run out at Wembley onto the
hallowed turf and take in the roar. If, in
ten years, every man and his dog have
been on there, because it is plastic, it
won’t exactly have the same appeal will
it?
But, not to worry all that money we are
going to make can go towards the
medical costs of looking after ourselves
in old age when we are suffering from
respiratory diseases related to pollution,
and joint problems related to impact.
Who needs the natural environment
when it can be made artificially? Let’s
replace all trees with artificial ones so we
don’t have to pick up leaves every
autumn. Why not a robot football team,
Artificial Surfaces
“It is interesting to note that
anything other than sporting
activity, such as big concerts, has
left artificial pitches either
damaged or destroyed and in
need of expensive replacement
or repairs”
then the players would never get injured
and you wouldn’t have to pay out
ridiculous salaries. The fact remains that,
in general, football clubs are incapable,
on a huge scale, of managing their
finances, and a fake playing surface is
not going to change that incompetence.
What it will change is the way the game
is played, but it seems no one cares so ...
why go to the hardship of living at all
when a microchip can do the same job
for you ... subscribe to the artificial ethos
... life is short, fake it!
Matt Frost has worked at some of the
leading stadia in the UK and abroad, both
as a groundsman and a consultant. His
current project involves growing in and
maintaining natural turf pitches in extreme
temperatures in Eastern Europe.
YYoouurr OOnnee TTrraaccttoorr SSoolluuttiioonn
OOnnee TTrraaccttoorr
MMoorree tthhaann 3300 AAttttaacchhmmeennttss
www.ventrac.uk.com
Rake Power Brush Power Scoop Rear 3-point Hitch

Artificial Surfaces
Each year, local authorities and
facility management
companies receive
compensation claims arising
from injuries sustained on
artificial sports pitches. As with
all accidents, a broken ankle,
damaged knee or sprained
wrist can simply occur during
active play on a sports surface;
however, the condition of the
artificial pitch itself could also
be a contributory factor in a
ARTIFICIAL PITCH MAINTENANCE
player suffering injury.
The ‘blame culture’, ubiquitous
in modern society, encourages
the pursuit of litigation, and
some injury claims firms even
incorporate a dedicated
Astroturf Accident
Compensation within their
remit.
Claims are often centred on
the performance characteristics
of an artificial pitch, or else the
presence of rips or tears in the
carpet. The performance,
durability and safety of an
artificial sports pitch is
intrinsically linked to the level
of maintenance completed
throughout its life, and
understanding your
maintenance responsibilities
could go a long way to
avoiding a costly court case in
the future, as Nick Harris of
Technical Surfaces explains
Understanding
maintenance
responsibilities
For the owners and operators of
artificial sports pitches, it is
important, first and foremost, to
understand that there is a
recommendation for such surfaces
to conform to British standards. BS 7044
Artificial Sports Surfaces was developed
by the British Standards Institution to set
out the characteristics and performance
requirements of artificial pitches.
‘Performance’, in this context, is
determined by a pitch’s dimensions,
durability, safety and playing
performance. For an artificial pitch to
conform to BS 7044, it must successfully
pass a series of tests, including ball roll
and rebound, traction, abrasion
resistance and tensile strength, whilst
54 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
testing methods are also standardised to
ensure uniformity.
An element of testing is completed in
laboratory conditions (resistance to air
ageing, abrasion resistance to metal
blades, for example), and so holds little
relevance in the practical day-to-day
management of an artificial pitch;
however, a series of maintenance
procedures can be completed which will
impact directly on criteria such as ball
behaviour and player performance. This
is particularly relevant when you consider
that uneven ball bounce is cited on one
injury claims company’s website as a
likely cause of injury that can be
sustained on an artificial pitch.
It is also important to check that you
have sufficient cover within your
insurance policy should an accident take
place on your artificial pitch, as the
facility might not be covered
automatically by standard insurance.
Artificial pitches require special
consideration depending on their
location, build quality, susceptibility to
vandalism or damage, security in place,
etc. and must be insured accordingly.
However, it is not only to avoid the
threat of legal action arising from injury
that maintenance should be completed
regularly on artificial surfaces: The RFU
stipulates that artificial pitches hosting
competitive rugby matches must conform
to IRB Regulation 22 as a requirement,
not only of the IRB Law of the game but

also of the RFU and a number of
insurance companies. Within Regulation
22, it clearly states that maintenance is a
necessity, and that proof of maintenance
must be demonstrated to an appropriate
Test Institute at repeated intervals.
Artificial rugby pitches must be analysed
by Test Institutes on a regular basis to
ensure that they continue to meet the
performance requirements of English
rugby’s governing body.
In conjunction with the FA and the
Football Foundation, the RFU has also
developed a Framework Agreement for
the Provision of Artificial Grass Pitches.
Within this, particular focus is given to
the need for pitches installed under this
scheme to satisfy certain performance
criteria, to ensure a high standard of
playing surface is provided to end users.
From a maintenance perspective, the
pitch manufacturers are required to
identify the individual maintenance
needs of each artificial surface, based on
determining factors including pitch size
and projected usage levels. The
Framework Agreement further stipulates
that the programme of maintenance
must be reviewed regularly, and should
be revised to reflect any changes in usage
levels or pitch performance. In line with
an overall emphasis on quality control, a
suitable maintenance programme is
considered a prerequisite to ensuring a
pitch’s compliance with the
manufacturer’s warranty.
So, what measures can be put in place
to reduce the risk of injury on an
artificial sports pitch, thereby minimising
the likelihood of a compensation claim?
As mentioned previously, some
preventative actions can be put in place
by the owners and operators of artificial
pitches, such as taking out suitable
insurance cover and familiarisation with
the conditions of the warranty. However,
the majority of the work involved in
ensuring a pitch is ‘fit for purpose’ will
fall within the remit of the grounds team,
and, whilst accidents will always happen,
they can often be prevented by ensuring
that those charged with the day-to-day
running of an artificial pitch are fully
equipped with the necessary knowledge
and resources to implement best
practice, in accordance with industry
guidelines.
In my experience, the basis of any
good maintenance regime for a grounds
team is preparation and forward
planning. Establish a routine of daily, inhouse
inspections to familiarise yourself
with your artificial pitch and help you
identify and address any minor issues
before they become major problems.
Torn or ripped carpet poses a
potential trip hazard to users of the
facility; a lifted seam can be re-stuck for
much less than it will cost to replace a
full seam, and with less hassle, too.
Regular drag brushing forms the
backbone of any maintenance
programme, and can be completed by
pulling a suitable brush, rake or mat over
the surface using a tractor. This helps to
redistribute any infill which has become
displaced through general play, whilst
also helping to lift the carpet fibres. The
Artificial Surfaces
“For an artificial pitch to conform to
BS 7044, it must successfully pass a
series of tests, including ball roll
and rebound, traction, abrasion
resistance and tensile strength”
industry standard is for this process to be
carried out, as a minimum, on a weekly
basis.
Alongside these everyday tasks, it is
important to utilise the services of a
maintenance company to complete the
more specialist works on your artificial
sports pitch. It is worthwhile choosing
the right company to work with, as the
quality of both the service provided and
the works completed can, in the right
hands, give you greater assurance that
your facility will remain in the best
possible condition. A range of criteria
can help you to determine the suitability
of a maintenance provider, including
their method statements and risk
assessments for all the services they offer,
their health and safety policy, financial
stability, quality management systems
certification, and any industry
memberships and accreditations.
Cost is also an important
consideration, particularly in the current
climate, but as with all things in life, you
get what you pay for, and it is well worth
investing in the long-term maintenance
of your artificial pitch, as the rewards
that you reap will be that much greater,
whilst the risk of damage and injury will
lessen accordingly.
The basis of a regular contract with
your specialist maintenance provider
should focus on the regular removal of
the accrued dirt, debris and
contamination that can bed in amongst
the granular infill. A hardened or
compacted infill can impact greatly on
ball roll and bounce, as well as the feel of
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 55

Artificial Surfaces
“There is a
growing need for
those in charge of
artificial sports
pitches to record
total weekly and
monthly hours
of usage, as well
as logging all
maintenance
activities, to
ensure warranty
compliance”
56 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
the surface underfoot and, if overlooked
in the long term, could be considered a
contributory factor in players sustaining
injury.
Drag brushing alone does not address
this, so it is important that the artificial
pitch is swept using a rotary brush with
filtration systems, which lift and clean
the top layer of infill before returning it
to the carpet. This service should ideally
be carried out on a monthly basis to
complement the weekly in-house drag
brushing of the pitch. A more intense
clean should also be completed either
annually or, as a minimum, every second
year. Such processes are designed to get
much deeper into the carpet pile,
removing any dust, debris and brokendown
carpet fibres that have migrated
lower into the infill. Moss and weed
growth can also cause a potential slip
hazard for players, and must be treated
and removed on a regular basis.
When legal action is brought following
an accident on an artificial pitch,
documentation is often required to
demonstrate proof that repairs have been
completed, or else to show that the
■ Regular Sweeping ■ 3G Decompactions ■ Infill Top-Ups
■ Vegetation Treatments ■ Machinery & Equipment
■ Demonstrations & Training ■ Specialist Deep-Cleaning
■ Infill Extraction & Replacement ■ Line Marking ■ Repairs
“When legal action is brought following
an accident on an artificial pitch,
documentation is often required to
demonstrate proof that repairs have
been completed”
health & safety status of the facility has
been assessed regularly by a competent
third party. Detailed evaluations should
be conducted annually by an artificial
pitch maintenance specialist, to monitor
the factors affecting player performance
and pitch endurance, such as carpet pile
wear, infill levels and distribution, and
drainage capabilities.
It is also important to remember that
the safety status of an artificial pitch
extends beyond the playing surface itself,
to include any playing equipment,
perimeter fencing, surrounds and access.
For instance, goals should conform to the
relevant British standards, and it is the
responsibility of the facility operators to
ensure they are in good condition at all
times. A comprehensive assessment of
your facility should, therefore, include
advice on suitable anchorage for securing
goals in place, to prevent goalposts from
collapsing or toppling forwards and
causing serious injuries or even fatalities.
There is also a growing need for those
in charge of artificial sports pitches to
record total weekly and monthly hours of
usage, as well as logging all maintenance

“Artificial rugby pitches must be
analysed by Test Institutes on a regular
basis to ensure that they continue to
meet the performance requirements of
English rugby’s governing body”
activities, to ensure warranty compliance.
To reflect this, advancements have been
made by some maintenance companies
within the industry to introduce
interactive web-based systems, such as
O.T.I.S, the Online Technical
Information System from Technical
Surfaces, that encourage pitch owners to
record weekly usage levels and, should
they wish, to input data on any revenue
generated from pitch bookings. They can
also access and retrieve all reports
produced on the condition of their pitch,
with corresponding maintenance
recommendations, supporting literature
and health and safety documentation as
required. Online access to a full service
history is extremely beneficial, as it
allows customers to view and update the
historical routine and specialist
maintenance carried out both in-house
and by the maintenance specialist, whilst
future works can be scheduled at suitable
intervals to ensure continuity and
consistency.
We are often asked the question, is our
artificial pitch safe to play on?
Unfortunately, a definitive answer is
difficult to provide, as third parties, such
as your original pitch
installer/manufacturer, a pitch
maintenance specialist, even your
insurance provider, cannot guarantee a
set of circumstances in which a pitch is or
isn’t playable.
A specialist maintenance company
should be able to adequately assess the
current condition of your pitch and its
surrounds and, based on their findings,
they might recommend the pitch is not
used until appropriate remedial works
have been completed, but the ultimate
responsibility for the artificial pitch lies
with the owner or operator, and
judgement calls as to its playability must
be made accordingly. Having the
necessary knowledge and education to
understand the workings of an artificial
sports pitch can help you to make such
decisions, and training courses are
available to facilitate learning about
these types of facility.
Essentially, implementing a
programme of routine and specialist
maintenance throughout the life of an
artificial pitch can help to ensure its
If you are having problems with
rain, frost or snow, your artificial
surface may need a Rejeneration ®
or Winter RevivalTM Call us now for more
information on our range of
Winter Maintenance Services
Artificial Surfaces
longevity and safety, as well as preserve
its aesthetics and performance levels.
Not only that, it can also assist in the
protection of the pitch’s warranty and,
crucially, provide peace of mind that, in
the unlikely event of an accident, all
appropriate measures have been taken to
safeguard you against liability legal cases.
Technical Surfaces may be contacted on
08702 400 700.
“It is also important
to check that you
have sufficient
cover within your
insurance policy
should an accident
take place on your
artificial pitch”
tel: 08702 400 700
email: info@technicalsurfaces.co.uk
www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 57

Winter Sports
In July 2012, the National Football
Centre St.George’s Park will finally
open its doors to become the home
for all the England national teams
under The FA’s banner, as well as
supporting an extensive coach
education programme and intense
local grassroots football
programme.
The centre will also host
professional teams preparing to
play in the area, as well as a new
national sports science and
medicine research centre.
Located right in the middle of the
country, at Burton in Staffordshire,
and surrounded by some of the
most magnificent natural woodland
of the National Forest, St.George’s
Park is set to offer the elite of the
English game one of the most
inspirational training venues to
prepare at.
Newly appointed Head
Groundsman, Alan Ferguson,
explains all
The St.George’s Park site from the air
BUILDING
for the
future of
ENGLISH
FOOTBALL

Rootzone top-up
The concept for a National Football
Centre was first put together over
fifteen years ago, before having to
be mothballed due to budget
constraints during the
reconstruction of Wembley Stadium.
During that time, other centres around
the world were put together by some of
the leading football playing nations in
the world game, giving them a superb
platform for success.
Leading European soccer nations, such
as France, Italy, Holland, Germany and
Spain had stolen a march and were
starting to reap the benefit from having a
proper base from which to prepare for
Euro Championships and World Cups.
They say that the proof of the pudding is
in the eating and, when you look at the
success over that time that each of these
countries has had on the world stage,
you see that it has worked. The hope for
English football is that St.George’s Park
will have the same effect.
With budgets in place and all necessary
planning permissions obtained, the
National Football Centre finally broke
ground just over a year ago.
The National Football Centre, when
completed, will boast facilities that can
be compared to only a handful of similar
centres worldwide. The preparation and
research has been meticulous to ensure
that the wait has been worthwhile. As the
framework for the 228 bedroom Hilton
and Hampton by Hilton hotels, as well as
other facilities on the site, such as the
sports science centre and indoor soccer
hall, began to take shape, thoughts
turned to resurrecting the pitches which
had been in situ for over ten years. In
that time only a handful of the ten
pitches had actually been used, the
majority never having had a ball kicked
on them in anger.
In the build up to the works actually
getting underway, I had the opportunity
to visit the centre in 2009. Then, you
could see that thatch levels had built up
to a stage where producing an elite
surface was not going to happen without
major renovation. You could also see the
enormous potential that the site had to
offer. I was delighted to be appointed to
role of Head Groundsman in August
2011 and, although seen by many as an
automatic choice, I was never the only
candidate for the role. Indeed, the
interview process was particularly
rigorous and one of the toughest I have
gone through.
Once on site, my first job was to review
the pitch strategy and come up with an
operational plan. Six months in, I can
safely say this is the biggest project I
have ever undertaken but, equally, the
“Although seen by many as an
automatic choice, I was never
the only candidate for the role”
Winter Sports
most exciting and, come opening day in
late summer 2012, probably the most
rewarding.
Part of the main contract with
construction firm Bowmer & Kirkland
was to create a construction similar to the
main Wembley Stadium pitch. The
decision to change the stadium pitch to
Desso GrassMaster was a bold one, but
one that has worked for the stadium
business plan. Mallinsons of Ormskirk,
who successfully oversaw the changeover,
were hired to install a GrassMaster at the
centre. The works to strip the other
pitches back to a clean rootzone were
tendered, and eventually awarded to
Mallinsons. I was happy with this, having
worked through two previous projects at
Ibrox and Portman Road with them.
Mallinsons, in my view, are unique in our
industry.
Back in the early ’90s, when we
reconstructed the stadium pitch at Ibrox,
I worked with, then, some of the best
people in the construction side of the
industry. Now, over twenty years on and
embarking on my third major project
with them, I not only cannot believe that
the same guys are still there operating
drots and hi macs but, in many cases,
they are teaching their sons to deliver
the same quality. John Mallinson is one
of the most professional people I have
Alan Ferguson, Head Groundsman, St George’s Park
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 59

Winter Sports
Growing in
“The decision
to change the
Wembley
Stadium pitch
to Desso
GrassMaster
was a bold one,
but one that
has worked for
the stadium
business plan”
First cut
60 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
ever met and worked with, and having
someone like John in your corner on
such a big project is a comfort.
St.George’s Park is unique in that it
offers four different pitch profiles on one
centre. As well as the Desso GrassMaster,
the centre will boast four fibresand, five
natural and two 3G synthetics. It offers
England teams the ideal base from which
to prepare, as the pitch profiles on the
centre are the main ones currently being
used throughout the world game.
All the natural pitches have now been
constructed or renovated, and have just
come through the first phase of the grow
in. The mild autumn was a huge boost to
the project, as it has allowed us to go into
the winter period with much stronger
swards than we had dared hope for.
Although the winter has been mild to
date, we do not see ideal conditions
returning until late March when we will
start the final push towards opening
through the second phase of the grow in.
As well as turning the pitches around,
the last six months has been as much
about building up the rest of the grounds
department. Remember, this is a project
that has restarted from a blank sheet of
paper. Key partner companies have been
identified to support the grounds team
across all of their business. Being in the
National Forest, the mowing operation
will run beyond the pitches to verges and
meadow land - in total eleven different
mowers will be required.
The majority of the mowing equipment
has been supplied by Ransomes
Jacobsen, whose wide product portfolio
makes them ideal to supply the majority
of the mowers. Tractors and renovation
equipment has been supplied by Campey
Turf Care. Campey are now recognised as
one of the market leaders in the supply
of such equipment and, given the
diversity of the maintenance required,
makes them the ideal partner in this key
area, especially with the majority of the
renovation works being done in-house.
Although the project has decent
budgets to work with, in all key areas of
the programme they are still very tight,
and the biggest challenge, away from the
construction and renovation of the
pitches, has been to put together the
consumables programme. After much
deliberation, Rigby Taylor have been
selected as the key consumables partner.
The grounds team will be able to draw
on the technical resources offered by the
company, as well as having the benefit of
additional support from PSD.
The grounds team will also work with
leading nematode authorities, such as
Kate Entwhistle, to monitor closely
nematode populations in the various
sand dominated rootzones. With five of
the pitches fitted with undersoil heating
and requiring to be watered before play
and training, all those connected with the
project are conscious of the ideal
environments being created for
nematodes. With this in mind, it is very
much a case of prevention being better
than cure.
There is much still to be done. One of
the key tasks will be to complete the
grounds team, which will start with a crew
of eight on the pitches supported by two
gardeners. These numbers may be
viewed as light, initially, but will be
reviewed as the centre goes through its
first year.
Like many of the
superb mature trees
that surround the site,
the St.George’s Park
project will take time to
grow and mature but
will, hopefully, be
around for many years
to come.

Winter Sports
With Southampton flying
high in the Championship,
their free flowing, passing
game requires a good
surface. Charged with
providing that is Grounds
Manager, Andy Gray, and
his team of four
It’s not all been plain
sailing as our editor
discovers
Southampton Football Club have
been at their ‘new’ home, the St
Mary’s Stadium, for just over ten
years. The name reflects the
club’s history; they were formed
in 1885 when at team from St. Mary’s
Young Men’s Association played their
first match on the ‘backfield’ of
Hampshire County Cricket Club.
After over one hundred years at their
former home, the rather quirky ‘The
Dell’, with its odd, almost wedge shaped
stand behind one of the goals, the club’s
move to St. Mary’s saw a dip in their
fortunes as they slid down the leagues.
Now, currently riding high in the
Championship, a return to the top flight
looks on the cards, and the quality of
the playing surface is a contributing
factor.
Some well known names have graced
the surface at Southampton, amongst
them Mick Shannon, Kevin Keegan,
Peter Shilton, Alan Shearer, Alan Ball
and Matthew Le Tissier. Tottenham’s
current star, Gareth Bale, played in his
When the
SAINTS...
formative years for the Saints.
Managing the surface is Andy Gray,
one of the youngest Grounds Managers
in the country. He was promoted to the
role one year ago after a spell as joint
head groundsman after Dave Roberts
had left the club for Charterhouse
School. Dave and Andy had not been
involved too much with the original
laying of the pitch as they were still
working at The Dell.
By modern standards, it is a relatively
basic design, built over a gravel
raft/carpet with primary drains running
at 3m centres, a 50mm binding layer of
grit sits on top, which was originally
covered with a 200mm depth of 80/20
rootzone. The rootzone was, at the time,
95% sand, 2% silt and 3% clay, and laid
totally flat, i.e. with no crown.
This original pitch specification
brought with it some serious drainage
problems that Dave and Andy had to try
and overcome. It took them a couple of
years to find out the exact cause and
begin remedial work. The problem was
that, after heavy rain, the pitch did not
drain effectively, water was being held
in the shallow (200mm) sand profile by
capillary tension. In scientific terms, the
hydraulic drive was not enough to push
the water through the shallow profile - a
shallow, perched water table was
preventing any free draining.
Most modern pitch profiles have at
least 300mm depth of rootzone
materials, thereby giving the necessary
hydraulic drive to push water through
into the primary drainage system. The
300mm depth enables the pitch to build
up enough weight of water to help push
it into the drainage layer, thereby
allowing the pitch to meet its specified
drainage rates, often designed to cope
with 25mm of rain per hour.
The ideal solution would have been to
reconstruct the pitch. However, for
various reasons, that option was not
taken. So, the only other option was to
carry on with appropriate aeration
works and then, over time, begin to
increase the depth of rootzone during

Winter Sports
“The only option was to carry on
with appropriate aeration works and
then, over time, begin to increase
the depth of rootzone during end of
season renovations”
end of season renovations.
With no crown on the pitch, surface
water was an additional problem, so the
team, now without Dave Roberts, had to
create one. Both issues were resolved
by removing 10mm of vegetation, using
a Koro, after weedkilling the pitch,
power harrowing and topdressing with
350-400 tonnes of sand, carefully
adding a crown, and returfing with
40mm thick, big-roll turf.
By 2008, Andy had achieved much of
the desired results, and ongoing
renovation has given him a profile of
around 290mm, which is now draining
very well. Following the returfing, the
pitch has since been reseeded after
renovations.
Like most stadium pitches, the time
to complete end of season renovations
seems to be getting shorter. Last year,
Andy had less than seven weeks to get
the pitch back up and running, due to
the club hosting an England U21 match
on the 5th June.
Andy fraise mowed the pitch,
topdressed with 90 tonnes of sand and
then hired a linear aerator from Kestrel
to aerate the pitch at 50mm depth,
before overseeding with sixteen bags of
DLF Pro 81. He then applied twelve
bags of 8:12:8 granular fertiliser.
The pitch was then earthquaked at
200mm centres to help restore levels.
The first cut was on the 23rd June
using pedestrian rotary mowers. The
pitch has an integral, automated
irrigation system allowing efficient
watering of the pitch any time of the
day or night.
The first cut with the Dennis G760s
was carried out on the 7th July, with the
first set of matches - a triangular
tournament - scheduled to take place
on the 23rd July. Feeding and mowing
was increased to maximise grass
growth.
PrimoMaxx was applied, at 1.2 litres
per hectare, to help increase sward
density and root mass whilst, at the
same time, helping to reduce the
amount of clippings taken during each
Drew Duffy
cut. The pitch is maintained at 25mm
all year round.
The pitch is cut regularly using the
Dennis mowers, and is also brushed
and verticut to help stand the sward up
and help clear any surface debris.
A range of liquid feeds are applied to
ensure the grass plant remains healthy,
vigorous and retains a good colour.
On match days, three full time staff
are on duty and seven regular
volunteers come and help repair the
pitch after the game has finished. Andy
has a team of four full time groundstaff
to help him. Graeme Mills is his
assistant, along with Danny Silvestri,
Peter Hall and Ian Lucas.
It is important to replace the divots
and heal over any scars. Depending on
the time of the year, and when the next
fixture is scheduled, usually dictates
what other jobs need doing.
The club has recently invested in
three SGL MU360 lighting rigs to help
promote grass growth during the winter
months. They only arrived in

Winter Sports
Professional lights supplied by SGL
December, but have already made a big
difference. There is only enough power
available for one half of the pitch, so
Andy is still experimenting with their
use. Currently, they are set to run for
forty-eight hours before moving to the
next position.
The club have been aware of the
benefits of having lighting rigs for a
number of years, as Dave Roberts
actually made his own - a single two
lamp rig - many years ago to help
stimulate growth in the goalmouths. This
led to another larger, self-build rig by Ian
Lucas, at a cost of £2,500; both are still
in use.
For a number of years now, Andy has
64 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Ian Lucas’s self-build lighting system
topdressed the stadium pitch during the
winter months with a tonne of 80/20 kiln
dried sand and Zeolite on a monthly
basis. This helps maintain air porosity
and aids the retention of any applied
fertilisers. This practice has helped to
prevent the build up of black layer and
algae.
Andy also tries to keep any heavy
machinery off the pitch during the
winter months. He does like using the
pedestrian rear roller type rotary mowers
for cutting and ‘hoovering’ the pitch
after matches; it may take much longer,
but he is very pleased with the results.
For the time of the year (January), the
pitch looked in excellent condition. Andy
is also a stickler for removing the dew off
the pitch, it is done religiously on a
daily basis.
Leading up to match days, the pitch
will be mown in different directions to
maintain a good definition. The day
before the game, the pitch will be mown
twice in the same direction, crossways,
and the pitch surrounds edged up. On
the morning of the match, the pitch will
be mown length ways, marked out and
watered just prior to the game starting.
Andy relies on Mark Atkins from Soil
Harmony and Derek Cunliffe from Rigby
Taylor to help produce his recommended
feeding programme, using a combination
of granular/ liquid and bio feeds to

St Mary’s surrounds looking tidy
maintain a healthy balanced sward.
Wetting agents are applied to help keep
the pitch functioning and allowing
deeper, consistent penetration of feeds
and water. A preventative fungicide
programme is used to combat leafspot
and fusarium.
Andy also oversees all the work at the
training ground, some eight miles away.
This provides three full size pitches, one
three quarter size pitch, two mini pitches
and goalkeeping areas, plus a 60 metre x
40 metre indoor 3G artificial. All of the
pitches at the training ground are soil
based with primary drainage systems at 5
metre centres.
End of season renovations are
60
The Ultimate Winter
Sports Mixture
THE ULTIMATE GRASS SEED
MIXTURE FOR WINTER SPORTS
• Headstart ® treated for fast germination and establishment
• Produces a dense hard wearing playing surface
• Excellent winter colour and high disease resistance
relatively straightforward. All the pitches
are either scarified, using an Amazone
flail, or fraise mown to clean out debris,
then vertidrained and topdressed with
450 tonnes of sand, before overseeding
with a ryegrass seed mixture.
Andy is doing a fantastic job. Like so
many of his peers, he is dedicated to
producing the best playing surface for
his club using the resources he has
available. He has a good
team and, between them,
they are confident the
playing surface they
produce is equal, if not
better, than any on the
south coast
All MM mixtures are
Headstart ® treated
Winter Sports
St Mary’s bowl style stadium suffers the usual shade problems -
Dave Roberts’ goalmouth lighting system can be seen in use
“Like so many of
his peers, Andy is
dedicated to
producing the best
playing surface for
his club using the
resources he has
available”
Rothwell, Market Rasen,
Lincolnshire LN7 6DT
Tel: 01472 371471
amenity@limagrain.co.uk
www.limagrain.co.uk/mm
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 65

Winter Sports
“Our most worrying
time is at the end of
the football season,
when we have less
than seven weeks
until the next home
fixture”
Phil Collinson, Head Groundsman, Rochdale FC
DALE’S
Diary
Coping with dual sports is never easy
but, with a new pitch, new equipment
and ‘new’ assistant, Phil Collinson,
Head Groundsman at Rochdale’s
Spotland Stadium is winning the battle
to retain grass coverage.
Laurence Gale MSc reports
Like many a lower league football club, Rochdale
have had a checkered history. Officially launched in
1907, their first ever Football League opposition
came in the shape of Accrington Stanley on 27th
August 1921, with the game finishing 6-3 in favour
of Rochdale. During the twenties, the club flirted with
promotion on a number of occasions, without success,
and it wasn’t until 1969 that they ventured up one
division, under the management of Bob Stokoe, only to
fall back in 1974. Indeed, it was only a couple of reelections
that saved them from dropping out of the
Football League during the seventies, and they remain
one of a handful of league sides that have never actually
won any kind of trophy! However, they do have the
distinction of playing in the final of the League Cup in
1962; the only bottom division team to have done so.
The Dale, as they are affectionately nicknamed, were
thrown into turmoil in the eighties when Tommy Cannon
- he of Cannon & Ball fame - was portrayed as the
saviour of the club, only to appoint a new look board of
directors that made a series of decisions deemed not to
be in the club’s best interests. Cannon eventually
resigned in 1988 after an Extraordinary General Meeting
was called by shareholders but, behind him, he left a
whole string of debts.
After much financial wrangling, the previous board
were reinstalled and embarked on a crusade to get the
good ship Dale back to financial security. They were
helped considerably by Rochdale Hornets Rugby League
Football Club, who bought a 45% share in their Spotland
ground for an investment of £400,000. The Hornets had
sold their Athletics Ground stadium to Morrisons
supermarkets, and their move to the other side of the
town ultimately saved the football club from extinction.
Since the early 1980s, the Spotland Stadium has been
home to both clubs.
The Dale finished the 2009-10 campaign in third place
in League Two, winning promotion to League One,
establishing themselves in the division the following
season by finishing 9th.
Head Groundsman is Phil Collinson, who is assisted by
Drew Duffy, a name that will be familiar to readers of the
Pitchcare message board, for he was the first turfcare
professional to benefit from our ‘Find Me A Job’ campaign.
Indeed, it was Drew’s honest appraisal of his then work
situation that prompted the campaign.
The then seventeen-year-old Drew had been working

as a volunteer at Rochdale, whilst
completing his school studies and trying
to earn a place at Myerscough College.
Whilst Phil was delighted to have the
help, and was mightily impressed with
Drew’s dedication and commitment, the
club weren’t in a position to employ him
full or even part-time.
Drew eloquently presented his
frustrations and desire to work in the
industry to the Pitchcare members via
the message board and, eventually,
through ‘Find Me A Job’, was offered a
position at the Wigan Athletic training
ground by their Head Groundsman, Ian
Forshaw.
Drew was, understandably, delighted to
get a foothold in the industry, but Phil
soon realised what a valuable asset he
had lost and set about persuading his
club on the value of having an assistant.
After agreeing the relevant funding,
Drew was invited back to Rochdale as a
‘paid’ assistant. However, he remains
eternally grateful to Wigan Athletic for
giving him the initial opportunity.
Phil has been the Dale’s head
groundsman for nine years, initially
inheriting a heavy soil based pitch, with
limited drainage, that had changed little
over the years. However, with the
demands of dual use, often with back-toback
football and rugby, and just a five
week germination window in May and
June, Phil was struggling to maintain
grass cover.
After the particularly bad winter of
2006-7, when eight matches were
postponed due to poor drainage, the
club, based on Phil’s advice, agreed to
install new primary and secondary
Phil and Drew with the new Hayter Harriers
drainage systems. Souters Sports carried
out the work, installing a primary system
at five metre centres and a secondary,
sand banding system at one metre
centres. Further improvements were
undertaken in 2009 when a Mansfield
FibreSand pitch was installed. This also
meant that a new, fully automated pop
up watering system was required.
With the pitch surface now performing
much better, Phil was able to convince
the club to invest in new machinery,
purchasing a new Dennis G860 cassette
mower, a road legal 40hp New Holland
1920 tractor, Hardi sprayer, two
pedestrian Hayter Harrier rotary
mowers, linemarkers, a Trimax Procut
210 rotary for use on the training pitches
and a Charterhouse Verti-drain 7316.
The combination of having a surface
that can cope with high rainfall, and the
equipment to get on and do a good job,
has been the catalyst for producing a
better pitch. Even so, coping with two
different sports on the same pitch has it
challenges. “It is a lot easier, going from
football to rugby,” explains Phil. “We’ve
got it down to a fine art, greening out
lines, changing posts and re-marking
almost immediately after a game has
finished.”
“Our most worrying time is at the end
of the football season, when we have less
than seven weeks until the next home
fixture. That’s when we undertake our
renovation work, and the weather plays a
crucial role. Good weather, i.e. lots of
sunshine and warm temperatures helps
to stimulate fast germination and
establishment, which can be crucial. Last
year we employed the services of
Drew Duffy
Winter Sports
“Having a
fibresand pitch
certainly helps;
divot damage is
greatly reduced
compared to
the soil based
pitch”

Winter Sports
68 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
No ‘off pitch’ space for warm-ups
“The weather during
the renovation
period was quite
wet and cold”
Bancroft Amenity to
undertake the renovation
work, which also saw the
installation of some new sand
bands, at half metre centres,
to help reconnect to the
existing primary/ secondary
drainage system.”
Work started on the 26th
May. The pitch was fraise
mown, removing all
vegetation, and 300 tonnes of
new sand and fibresand
materials were integrated into
the top 150mm. The pitch
was then oversown with
twenty bags of R14 perennial
ryegrass and fed with a 6:9:6
granular fertiliser. Three
weeks later, an 11:5:5 feed
was applied. “The weather
during the renovation period
was quite wet and cold,”
remembers Phil, “and I was
concerned that the grass was
not responding very well, with
Frost covers hardly used so far this season
some of the fertiliser being
leached out by the rain. So, I
applied another 12:9:6 feed,
along with six additional bags
of seed. This was followed up
with a dose of 12:0:9 and
some liquid iron. It did the
trick.”
“Initially, the new sward was
mown with the Hayter
rotaries. We then began
firming up and increasing the
cutting frequency using the
new Dennis G860 and our
old Ransomes Mastiff. Once
the season gets underway, a
seaweed solution is applied
every four to six weeks.”
“To give you some idea of
what we have to contend with,
our first match of this season
was a Rugby League game on
3rd July, just five weeks after
sowing. This was followed by
another rugby match on the
10th July and then the first

Very little goalmouth wear Spot on Spotland in January 2012
football friendly against Leeds United on
the 19th July. It’s a demanding schedule
on new growth,” admits Phil. “A lot of
hard work is required to get the pitches
up and running, and I was doing this all
on my own at this time!”
Phil’s skills were again tested in August
when he had five games in just ten days;
two back-to-back football matches,
followed by one rugby, one football and,
finally, another rugby match. “Having a
fibresand pitch certainly helps; divot
damage is greatly reduced compared to
the soil based pitch. It is all about
attention to detail. We get on when the
weather is favourable, apply fertilisers,
fungicides, water and wetting agents as
and when the pitch needs it, whilst being
thorough and precise when undertaking
pre and post match maintenance
regimes.”
“One of my biggest bugbears during
the playing season is the damage done
by warms ups and warm downs,” says
Phil. “With little or no spare space off
the pitch, all of the warm up drills are
TXE
The world’s favourite spray marker
carried out on the playing surface. Fast
feet drills are the worst,” bemoans Phil.
“It’s not so bad when coaches rotate the
drills, but some teams are adamant about
conducting repetitive drills in one spot. I
try to ‘educate’ the coaches to
understand the problem, so that they can
at least try to help reduce the damage.
Our lot are pretty good, but some
visiting teams ...!”
Verticutting and regular brushing helps
keep the pitch in good order. Mowing
heights are kept between 28-30mm. Phil
has a set of frost sheets to cover the pitch
during icy conditions, using the heavier,
thicker sheets in the shaded areas. “They
have only been required a couple of
times so far this season, in complete
contrast to last winter.”
Aeration is undertaken every three to
four weeks using their Vertidrain 7316.
“The operation takes up to five hours to
complete the whole pitch,” explains Phil,
“and I generally combine it with a feed.”
The club have recently acquired the
use of a new training venue, moving to
Manor Farm, a twenty-four acre site, with
a view of securing a long term lease in
the coming year. The site boasts four full
size pitches and accommodation for
players, together with full office, kitchen
and rest and relaxation areas.
In the past, the club had ties with
Rochdale Cricket Club, using two of their
lacrosse pitches for training. “The Manor
Farm site will give us greater control over
the appearance and playability of our
training pitches,” says Phil, “and, in
time, we hope to emulate the surface of
the stadium pitch.”
On a mild January day in Greater
Manchester, Rochdale’s pitch looks a
picture, with little goalmouth wear and
good grass coverage; a perfect scenario
for the start of the new Rugby League
season. That, of course, will test the skills
of Phil and Drew but, judging
by comments from visiting
coaches from both sports,
they have one of the best
playing surfaces in the
north-west.
Perfect line marking solutions
From Premiership venues to village pitches, Supaturf marking machines
and liquids deliver your lines perfectly.
Briteliner Arrow
The latest transfer wheel marker
Supaturf Line Marking Liquids
The right lines for any venue
Winter Sports
“To give you some idea of what we have to
contend with, our first match of this season
was a Rugby League game on 3rd July, just
five weeks after sowing”
Call 01530 510060 or visit www.supaturf.co.uk
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 69

Winter Sports
ViewPoint
Our anonymous football league head groundsman,
Mr AKA Grasscutter, offers some advice to
youngsters wishing to get into the industry GRASSCUTTER
“The issue is identifying those who
are genuinely interested in finding
out more about our industry, and not
just at the club to be around football
players”
Since writing these articles for
Pitchcare, I have been most
pleased by the generally positive
response from readers and the
powers that be at the magazine. I
hope I do not come across too negative
about all things groundcare-wise, I tend
to tell it as I see it.
A work colleague thought that, after
reading one of my articles, it was enough
to put any young person off joining our
industry. He was commenting very much
tongue in cheek, but I take his point.
Attracting quality, committed young
people to groundsmanship is, I would
say, not a problem. Judging by the letters
we get at our club asking for work
experience places there would appear to
be a lot of genuine interest in the job.
The problems start when you get the
young people on site and what they can
do. Due to Health & Safety regulations,
operating any sort of machinery is totally
out of the question, so they finish up
painting goal posts or sweeping up, not
ideal as an insight into groundsmanship.
Another issue is identifying those who
are genuinely interested in finding out
more about our industry, and not just at
the club to be around football players.
We have had a few of those; one lad
openly admitted it, saying he wanted to
go into catering when leaving school and
viewed his two weeks with us as a chance
of some fresh air away from the
classroom.
At the other end of the scale, a young
man once contacted me asking if he
70 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
could come to the club once a week on a
volunteer basis to help out. He was at the
local college doing a horticulture course,
but had decided he wanted to get into
football groundsmanship. It quickly
became apparent, after a couple of days
helping out, that not only did he have a
hunger to learn, but was very skilful.
The club were very accommodating and
took him on for thirty hours a week
whilst he did his groundsman’s NVQs.
He passed with flying colours but,
unfortunately, the club were not
prepared to employ him full time, not
because of who he was, but the fact they
could not afford to take another
groundsman on. This did not deter him
as he continued to work the thirty hours
a week at our club on a minimum wage,
whilst applying for jobs at football clubs
around the country. He aimed high and
was selected, out of over fifty applicants,
for an interview at one of the top
Premiership clubs. He was unsuccessful,
but did not give up and, three months
later, secured a position with a very good
Championship side at their training
ground.
The moral in that story is, without doubt,
if at first you don’t succeed try again. If
you have confidence in your ability, and
show good practical skills, there will
always be an opportunity within the
industry. Do not get put off by one or
two setbacks when applying for positions.
Always ask at your local club if there is
work available on a volunteer basis, we
have three or four lads who come in on a
matchday to help, mainly with divoting.
There may be a chance to help out in the
week here and there, but do not get
upset if it’s not marking out the stadium
pitch for a big game; groundsmen are
very protective, and most will start you
off at the far end of the training ground
on some grids to see how you go.
Whilst working as a volunteer may not
appeal to some, it does have its positives.
If you are lucky enough to volunteer and
get accepted at the club you support, it
does mean you get to see games for free.
Also, on a serious note, volunteer work
always looks good on your CV, I feel it
shows a willingness to get stuck in
regardless.
Working outside in the cold and wet is
my biggest dislike of the job, but in
reality there are not that many days of
the year when this occurs and is easily
negated by nice warm dry days when
acres of grass need cutting.
All in all, I would not swap my job for
anything and, in that respect, I am lucky.
I would encourage any young person
thinking of going into groundsmanship
to do so. You need to be thick-skinned if
you enter into the football side of things.
The banter and general mickey taking is
of the highest order, right from the
manager, coaches and players down to
the grumpy head groundsman but, all in
all, everyone is pulling in the same
direction.
Keep the faith; and keep cutting the
grass, after all that's all you do.

Fibrelastic ®
the natural choice for professional players
Things are hard enough in football right now without adding to it by specifying
an artificially hard unfriendly pitch for your professional players.
Completely natural, Fibrelastic® turf pitches look like any other premier playing
surface - but with added elastic fibres mixed into the rootzone. They have been
proven to be more player-friendly with less jarring of limbs and fewer cumulative
stress related injuries.
Developed after successful independent trials, Fibrelastic® is now a well proven
surface and set to be the stadium and training pitch of choice for professional
teams looking to maximise their performance.
Fibrelastic® - the future of natural grass professional pitches
- call Mark Robinson on 01623 622441 or visit our website to find out more.
Softer surface Greater resilience Player-friendly
Mansfield Sand Company Limited, Sandhurst Avenue, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. NG18 4BE.
Tel: 01623 622441 Fax: 01623 420904 Email: mark.robinson@mansfield-sand.co.uk Website: www.fibrelasticturf.co.uk

Summer Sports - Bowls
Expectations are running
high that the 2014
Commonwealth Games
will mark the rebirth of
lawn bowls in Scotland.
All the signs are
favourable that it will,
reports Tom James
The five-year build-up to London
2012 has ensured that the
Olympic Park, and the venues
within it, are ready and waiting for
the Games to commence. Not so
surprising, then, to be looking ahead to
2014 and another spectacle of elite sport
- the Commonwealth Games.
Even as we anticipate the afterglow of
Team GB’s medal success, planning for
the second biggest athletics event in the
world has already sprung out of the
starting blocks, as Glasgow prepares for
the show to hit town, some twenty-six
years after Scotland last played host in
1986.
The Olympics may be the career high
for elite competitors but, for those
involved in fine turf sports, the
Commonwealth Games offers a showcase
for a clutch of pursuits that Britain often
excels at, away from track and field.
Bowls is one such sport. Often
72 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
READY to take
on the WORLD
dominated by the British nations, it is in
crisis at grassroots level. Falling member
numbers, a generation of youth
disinterested in its seemingly low
adrenalin profile, and dearth of
investment, all contribute to what the
game’s administrators admit is a deeply
worrying state of affairs.
Glasgow offers the perfect opportunity
for bowls to assume centre stage before a
global audience, and the game’s
governing body will be well into its fiveyear
strategy for transforming the
fortunes of a sport that Scotland expects
its national players to deliver when it
matters.
Still more than two years away from
the big event, nothing less than a total
reconstruction of the focus for the
bowling competition is already complete
and prepared for practice play.
The setting is stunning. Kelvingrove
and its six lawn bowls greens lie in the
Artists impression of the
Commonwealth 2014 event
lee of some of Glasgow’s grandest and
most beautiful buildings. This is no ultra
chic architectural statement for 21st
century sporting provision, but an
example of sustainability many perhaps
intended, in that the planners have
preserved the very best of what was there
- and improved on it for the modern
game.
It’s a strategy that looks set for success.
Glasgow City Council’s decision to
redevelop the existing Kelvingrove Lawn
Bowls Centre, and invest in making it
truly world class, has already drawn
praise from World Bowls, the sport’s
governing body, when they visited the
centre last autumn.
The development comes at a time
when Bowls Scotland is setting out new
long-term goals to move the sport on
and to help bolster member numbers
nationally. The opportunity to stage the
Commonwealth Games offers the newly

unified governing body the perfect
platform to build on its strategy, and
revive passion for a sport that has played
such a key role in Scottish communities
for generations.
A multi-agency approach had been
adopted to deliver the standards
required to host the international event,
led by Glasgow City Council, which
brought in the skills and guidance of the
likes of World Bowls, leading agronomists
and experienced contractors Fairways
Sportsgrounds, which won the tender to
meet the council’s remit.
Fairways completed the initial phase of
reconstructing five of the six bowling
greens at Kelvingrove late last summer.
The project, delivered on behalf of
Glasgow City Council, is billed as a
‘signature site’ of the 2014 Games.
The contractor is playing on home
ground as it was company chairman,
Alistair Rae, who constructed the bowls
greens for the 1986 Commonwealth
Games, held in Edinburgh.
That said, Fairways could expect no
preferential treatment, stresses contracts
director Dave Gibson, who explains that
the company had to prove, like other
suppliers, that they were up to the task at
hand.
“The tendering process was a tough
one,” he says. “The council set very high
standards for what they wanted to
achieve from the build, so were looking
for a contractor that commanded
extensive experience in bowls
construction.”
Fairways passed the council’s prequalification
questionnaire and were
subsequently chosen from a shortlist of
three others.
“Few bowls greens are being built
today, so it was a really exciting project to
be a part of,” Dave continues, “even
more so as the company had been
involved the last time the
Commonwealth Games came to
Scotland. It’s great to be part of another
world sporting event here.”
“We’ve completed many bowls
reconstruction projects in the UK, and a
number of full builds, but this was the
biggest project of its kind for a number
of years.”
Five of the six bowling greens have
been upgraded to international standard
for use during the Commonwealth
Games. Works included the complete
reconstruction of greens and ditches,
incorporating new drainage and
automated irrigation scheme - a much
needed addition for a part of the country
where wet weather is all too
commonplace for bowlers’ liking -
together with the resurfacing of the
footpath network throughout the venue.
For the event itself, temporary seating
for some 2,500 spectators will be
installed, a mark of Glasgow’s confidence
that the sport will deliver the mass
appeal to draw in the crowds.
The green reconstruction project has
now been successfully handed over to
Glasgow City Council, Dave confirms,
with Fairways’ specialist greenkeeper,
Neil Plenderleith, remaining on site to
daily tend the newly laid turf up to and
during the Games.
The venue’s West End location is
expected to prove one of the highlights
of the event, given Kelvingrove’s
magnificent backdrop, beside the
terracotta faced Kelvingrove Art Gallery
and Museum, and close to the University
of Glasgow. Once the centre is fully
complete, it will be one of the finest of its
kind in Scotland.
Summer Sports - Bowls
“We needed better-draining foundations, so had
to rip out the clinker base, put in a new site-wide
drainage system, then lay new greens on top. It
was pretty much a complete overhaul”
“Advance planning is a crucial element
to staging a successful lawn bowls
competition at any level,” said Kenny
Clark, World Bowls technical delegate for
Glasgow 2014, “and, therefore, it’s
incredibly important for us to see the
progress at Kelvingrove in regards to the
organising committee and its planning
for the Commonwealth Games.”
Sentiments echoed by chief executive
Gary Smith: “Bowls is a truly
international sport, and World Bowls is
based here in this country at Edinburgh.
Seeing how advanced Glasgow 2014 is in
their planning and preparation, we are
confident it will stage the best lawn bowls
competition the Commonwealth has ever
seen.”
A glowing vote of confidence, yet for
Gibson the real test will be in the
reaction during and after the Games,
when his work will come under greatest
scrutiny. No pressure then!
“The existing site was very much an
old-style bowls facility, built on a clinker
and ash base. We needed better-draining
foundations, so had to rip out the clinker
base, put in a new site-wide drainage
system, then lay new greens on top. It
was pretty much a complete overhaul,”
says Dave.
“First, we removed the topsoil and
recycled it, supplying several local golf
courses in the city. We had to regrade the
sub-base before putting in the new
drainage, which was installed at 100mm
laterals laid at 6.5m centres - a standard
bowls set-up.”
A 150mm thick gravel raft was then
installed, overlaid with a 200mm layer of
rootzone, before inserting concrete ditch
channelling units, which would allow
water to drain to an external location.
Next went in a fully automated
Easy and even spreading
The all-new high quality spreaders from Supaturf make feeding and treating turf easier than ever.
Comprehensive range with capacities
from 25 to 56 kg.
Quality built for efficiency and long life
Call 01530 510060 or visit www.supaturf.co.uk
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 73

Summer Sports - Bowls
Rainbird irrigation system, with eight
sprinklers per green - four at each corner
and one in the middle. “We added
retaining wall features to tie the whole
thing together and allow good public
access around the greens,” Dave adds.
The bulk of the construction work
drew to a close last summer, with the
individually selected turf chosen to
complete the job. Fine turf consultancy,
Professional Sportsturf Design Scotland,
were brought on board to select the most
appropriate grass varieties for the task. A
fescue bent mix was grown at the Sports
Turf Research Institute in Bingley and
specifically selected to meet the
requirement of the city location.
The remaining green allowed play to
continue whilst the other five were being
£1,845 +VAT*
PROTEA 510G
Greensmower
Keep your greens in top condition all season long with the
PROTEA Groomer and Greensmower combination
Combining the superb cut of our 12-blade Greensmower
with the thorough but gentle action of our Groomer will
help produce a healthy, fast and consistent green. Don’t
just take our word for it - read our testimonials. Our
customers love them, so will you.
74 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
rebuilt, Dave explains, and will not be
fully renovated, but left as it is after the
Games close.
Dave and his team are responsible for
all the continuing maintenance of the
greens up to and including 2014, after
which, the work will be handed over to
Glasgow City Council.
“For now, it’s a matter of keeping it
ticking over until the Games get
underway,” adds Dave, “with the council
hoping to stage some play at the backend
of the 2012 season, and the first trial
matches likely to commence in 2013, a
year before the first match of the
Commonwealth Games.”
Positive news stories have not been in
abundance for bowls of late, with more
focus being on the decline of the sport
PROTEA
PERFECT PARTNERS
INSTALMENT
FINANCE
NOW AVAILABLE
20” 12-BLADE
GREENSMOWERS
FROM £10 PER WEEK
(+ VAT & subject to status)
and the ever-falling number of functional
greens available in the UK. The next
year or two could see the beginnings of a
rebirth for bowls as Bowls Scotland’s fiveyear
strategy matures, reinforced by the
Kelvingrove redevelopment and the
world focus that will shine on it during
the Games.
With a little over thirty months until
Glasgow 2014, the backbone of the work
is done and a prolonged mild period has
helped Fairways’ cause. “We’ve had little
to do over the winter and, with so little
growth on the greens, not much in the
way of cutting has been needed.
”As temperatures rise, we’ll begin to
cut more frequently than our current sixweekly
intervals. But, the schedule might
yet be subject to further change if we
£1,650 +VAT*
PROTEA 510
Groomer/Dethatcher
All Protea machines come with a comprehensive parts and
labour warranty and low-cost parts are available next day if
required.
For information on Protea Mowers, Groomers and
Scarifiers, call Rivendell Projects on 01949 851420 or visit
our website - www.Rivendell-Projects.co.uk
*machines pictured are also available in 630mm (25”) width
Telephone: 01949-851420 www.Rivendell-Projects.co.uk

suffer the cold snap expected through
February.”
The only challenge facing the team
over the winter was clearing debris from
storm damage that hit the city at the back
end of last year.
Although the construction phases ran
largely problem free, the only issues of
note that arose were the site’s space
constraints and the logistics of laying the
turf, Dave recalls.
“The fact that we had to work in a very
tight space meant that all materials and
turf had to come in from the one narrow
entrance. This meant we had to use the
unturfed greens as a storage area while
we were working.”
“This wasn’t ideal, as you cannot leave
large amounts of turf lying around for
lengthy periods in dry conditions, so we
had to work quickly, and the irrigation
system was pretty much running non stop
through the summer months.”
But, as the air of expectation among
Scotland’s bowlers and its governing body
mounts, the hope is that 2014, will do for
bowls what the Beijing Olympics did for
swimming.
A tidy medal haul will highlight
Britain’s eminence in
bowls, and could inject
enthusiasm into a new
generation of players, as
world-class competition
is played out in a
location that surely
cannot fail to inspire all
who witness it.
For an excellent range of high quality fertilisers and seeds designed
to meet the specific needs of the amenity industry, simply buy direct
from the specialists at www.bshamenity.com
Summer Sports - Bowls
“The fact that we
had to work in a
very tight space
meant that all
materials, and
turf had to come
in from the one
narrow entrance”
Quality BSH fertilisers.
Spread the word.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 75

Summer Sports - Bowls
When it comes to ‘The
Green’, Crown Green
Bowlers are a notoriously
difficult group to please -
ask one hundred bowlers
for an opinion and you
will almost certainly
receive one hundred
different responses. So,
how does the bowls
greenkeeper attempt to
meet the expectations of
the club membership? In
fact, how does he even
know what those
expectations are?
Mark Allen, of Amenity
Land Solutions, seeks out
the answers from two of
the best bowls
greenkeepers in the
Birmingham area
My first position of responsibility
within turfcare came in the
early 1990s. As a keen Crown
Green bowler with a leading
Birmingham club, my long
summer university vacation provided the
seasonal free time to help out as an
unpaid ‘grass cutter’.
Despite a thirst for knowledge, it was
difficult to find any information at all on
bowls greenkeeping P.I. (pre-internet). My
education was derived from golf-based
literature, the odd friendly salesman (yes,
odd and friendly in that order!) and some
rather questionable bowls green folk-law.
Notwithstanding the clubs position at the
pinnacle of the Midlands bowls scene, a
clutch of County players within the ranks
and a regular venue for cup finals and
inter-county matches, the maintenance of
the green was entrusted to a nineteen year
old novice - a ‘willing soldier’, but lacking
anything resembling ‘experience’. I now
realise that a willing soldier is usually the
best that most bowls clubs can hope to
attract - anything resembling experience
is a bonus.
At that time, when it came to the
bowling green, the mentality of the
membership was very much one of ‘shave
it short and make it fly’ - which was okay,
up to a point. However, that point was
reached in the drought year of 1995,
when we shaved it short and watched it
die!
So followed a couple of years of hard
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
work, mixed in with a fair amount of luck
(how we all need that) but, most
importantly, a genuine interest in the
subject. Eventually, a surface was
produced that we could all be proud of,
given the minimal kit and meagre budget
... and we were one of the better-off clubs!
My overriding memory of that era was
trying to convince the membership that
the green didn’t need to turn yellow to be
a ‘good home green’.
The situation today is much better -
certainly the majority of top flight clubs in
the Warwickshire and Worcestershire
County Bowling Association (Greater
Birmingham’s largest bowls league) have
excellent playing surfaces, and the ‘cut it
short’ mentality has been replaced with a
far more enlightened approach.
Knowing many of the bowls guys well, I
recently took the opportunity to catch up
with a couple of them, to get their views
on managing not only their greens but
also the expectations of their
membership.
My first call was to the much-admired
George Bowling Club at Warley.
Straddling on the Birmingham /Black
country border, ‘The G-men’ have been
the Midlands team to beat for at least the
last twenty years. The man charged with
giving them a surface to match their
reputation, Eric Winstone, cuts a
formidable figure around the club. A
former Warwick & Worcester County
player, Eric has strong views on
Perfection - and the
better it is, the better!

greenkeeeping, and certainly ‘does it his
way’ as far as decision-making is
concerned.
I asked Eric, what the members of ‘The
George’ expect from their home green?
“Pace,” he replied, “Our lads want quick
pace downhill and a significant weight
difference going back the other way.”
To briefly explain the rudiments of a
‘crown green’, in contrast to a ‘level
green’, its contours can take any form.
Whilst a ‘true’ crown green would have a
convex crown in the centre, and equally
graded sloping sides to each edge, the
reality is that a ‘true’ crown green almost
certainly does not exist. What do exist are
many hundreds of greens all completely
different in shape, size and topography.
You will understand, in this context, that
‘home advantage’ is everything, as the
‘home-ster’ will know where to ‘attack’ the
jack (uphill) and where to play for ‘run’
(downhill).
“It’s the weight differences that win us
games,” continues Eric. “Often the weight
difference can be four yards slower going
up the hill - that’s what catches the
visitors out.”
So, that means that all home bowlers
like the green to be very quick, I
presume? “No, not at all,” Eric explains.
“If the green is too quick, too freakish
playing down the slopes, then we lose the
advantage that a pronounced weight
difference provides.”
Not too quick, but not too slow! So,
‘consistency’ is what the top players at the
top club expect? “ Yes, and whilst
achieving consistency is a difficult part of
the greenkeeper’s art, it is more
achievable these days with an improved
standard of equipment at our disposal.
The evolution of our store shed inside ten
years has seen us go from owning just an
old mower and a cyclone spreader, to now
running a full irrigation system, a
maintenance programme built around the
Dennis F510 cassette machine and end of
season renovations that, in the last few
years, have involved golf course standard
equipment, such as the Verti-drain and
the Graden machines.”
Eric’s policy of never cutting below
5mm, a fortnightly rotational regime of
verticutting, pencil tining through the
playing season and the ability to apply
water evenly and to a decent depth,
means that ‘The George’ are now
achieving a surface that even many a golf
club would be proud of.
Summer Sports - Bowls
“I now realise that a willing
soldier is usually the best that
most bowls clubs can hope to
attract - anything resembling
experience is a bonus”
Whilst an end of season Masters
competition delays the timing of Eric’s
autumn renovations, both he and the
membership acknowledge that the income
is vital in order to keep the club solvent.
The competition attracts bowlers from all
over the country, so the pressure is on to
make their ‘road trip’ an enjoyable one.
Interestingly, the expectations of the
visiting bowler are usually quite different
from that of the home members.
“Competition bowlers just want a true
surface, a fair green and good facilities
when they arrive. Pace is not such an issue
and, certainly, it is almost unheard of for
a losing player to blame his defeat on the
speed of the bowling green.”
This gives a revealing insight into the
whole subject of ‘bowlers expectations’. In
my experience, winning players rarely
complain that the green was not to their
liking on the day of a victory. Losing
players on the other hand ... now that’s
anther story.
Perhaps, bowlers need to be more
honest about their own performance or,
perhaps, more realistic about their own
ability, as it’s easy to blame outside
influences on poor results. I’m aware that
we are now straying into areas marked
‘human nature’ and, as I’m no Sigmund
Freud, I’ll leave it there!
Having known Eric for a long time, I’m
always impressed by his interest in turf
culture, and his willingness to explore new
technologies. Last season, for example, he
trialled the growth regulator
‘PrimoMaxx’ with fantastic results.
“In terms of thickening the sward and
reducing the sheer volume of grass
clippings, PrimoMaxx worked very well -
I’d say reducing the amount of grass
removed per cut from two boxes to
around half a box. The affordability of a
product like this means that we can
achieve results today that we could only
dream about back in the 1970s, when I
first became interested in bowling
greens.”
Along with PrimoMaxx, regular
applications of wetting agent are another
relatively new development in ‘crown
green land’. Eric likes to mix and match
the best of these new technologies with
the overriding basic principles of soil
science that have stood the test of time.
“Ultimately, without the green, there is
no club. We’ve lost too many greens over
the last few years to be complacent, so my
view is let’s give this thing every help we
Mark Allen, Amenity Land Solutions
can.”
I leave Eric (well he throws me out
because he’s got work to do - “can’t stand
here chatting to you all day”), and head a
few miles down the road to West
Bromwich to catch up with another star of
the Crown green maintenance fraternity,
Alan Bentley.
Well known to bowlers nationally -
largely for his organisation of the annual
‘West Bromwich Football Supporters
Bowling Club Open’ - Alan wears several
of the ‘important hats’ within his club
and, to many people, he is ‘Mr West
Brom’.
As a bowler, Alan is up there with the
best of them (several Warwick & Worcester
County caps bear testament to this) and,
latterly as a greenkeeper, Alan’s attention
to detail and perfectionist nature is
proving a big hit with the membership.
Whilst Eric at ‘The George’ has an end
of season tournament to contend with,
Alan has the opposite situation - a preseason
event. Since 1978, ‘The West
Brom’ Open has attracted entrants from
far and wide and, whilst most
greenkeepers are still dusting off their
mowers and beginning to think about the
new season, Alan is in ‘full-on’
maintenance mode by the end of
February.
Each weekend throughout March, West
Brom play host to sixty-four players, each
competing in up to three qualifying
games to reach a grand finals day. That’s
a lot of foot traffic at a difficult time of
year for the turf, yet Alan’s green never
fails to meet bowler’s expectations. So,
just how does he do it?
“We’ve got a good sub-structure,” says
Alan, “even though the green is
approaching one hundred years old. The
soil is quite light and free draining, so
moving moisture through the profile is
rarely a problem. Given that a dry soil
warms up quicker than a wet one, the
make up of the green tends to ensure that
the grass copes well with whatever the
winter has thrown at it.”
When asked why greens have improved
so much in the last decade, Alan is quick
to cite affordability of good equipment as
the overriding factor. “Installing irrigation
was an ‘overnight improvement’ to the
way the green could be managed. Take
away the potential nightmare of severe
drought stress and, suddenly, we knew the
green would only ever continue to
improve from then on. Prior to this, lots
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 77

Summer Sports - Bowls
“Consistency is a difficult part
of the greenkeeper’s art - it’s
more achievable these days
with an improved standard of
equipment at our disposal”
of hard work could be easily wiped out in
a hot spell.”
With Alan’s tenacity, money was
obtained to fund the irrigation system
from charitable sources. This meant that
the club could also use any remaining
cash to finance other capital purchases,
such as a Protea 510 Groomer/Dethatcher.
“It’s a been a brilliant machine for us -
the most useful in the shed, except for the
mower, obviously - and very much within
the price range of many small clubs like
ours. I like to use the verticut at least once
a fortnight during the playing season.”
On the subject of ‘expectation’, I ask
Alan exactly what his members are
anticipating when they step onto his
green? “Perfection,” he replies, without
hesitation “and the better it is, the better
they expect it!”
See us at
BTME
stand
B41
78 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Eric Winstone, George Bowling Club
No pressure there then! So, how do you
attempt to meet that expectation? “I liaise
with the team captain, taking the view
that the members have elected him so, if I
can work with that captain, hopefully the
members will understand what we are all
trying to achieve.”
“To a degree, expectation from home
players increases the more regularly they
are playing competitive matches on there.
Often, our bowlers will play an away
match on a green in less than perfect
condition, and not make much of a fuss
about it. However, if their home green is
not playing just exactly as they think it
should the following week, they can be
quite quick to voice their displeasure!
Maybe it’s a case of familiarity breeding
contempt.”
Regarding his end of season work, Alan
Leading
innovation
sees it as doubly important to “start early
and do it well”, given the timing and
profile of the open competition so early at
the start of the following year.
September 2011 saw the club solid tine,
Graden, overseed, topdress and feed.
Alan is keen to acknowledge his small
team of helpers. “It’s not all just me!” he
emphasises. “I get good help, not only in
the autumn but year round, with daily
winter dragbrushing and mowing through
the growing season.”
That last point is one worth
emphasising, as successful bowls green
maintenance needs to be viewed as a year
round occupation. The better greens are
the ones that receive as much attention on
December 1st as they do on April 1st -
and Alan and Eric’s greens fit very much
into this category.
New Coremaster Xtreme
Call: +44 (0)1260 224568
email: info@campeyturfcare.com
web: www.campeyturfcare.com
Campey Turf Care Systems – Specialist suppliers of groundcare equipment

“The days of putting the mower to bed
in September and getting it out in March
are now a distant memory,” smiles Alan.
We close our conversation with a nod to
the past as Alan suggests, “we criticise our
predecessors for cutting greens too short
and giving very little thought to matters
such as aeration yet, in truth, it was
‘Hobson’s choice’ back then. The only way
to achieve a semblance of consistency was
to shave a green on a regular basis.
Hampered by a lack of money, equipment
and education, greenkeepers probably did
as much as they could, and bowlers got
what they got. I’m sure expectation back
then was much less of an issue.”
Looking to the future of his own green,
Alan is keen to continue upgrading both
the quality and quantity of the clubs
equipment. “We’ve just managed to
obtain a decent second-hand aerator,
which is really the last piece in the jigsaw.
That said, give me a blank cheque book
and I’d happily add a new mower and a
dedicated scarifier to the inventory!”
As I conclude my quest to throw some
light on bowler’s expectations, it’s clear
that, despite whatever expectation might
be, reality dictates, “you get what you pay
for”. Maybe the expectations of the
average bowling club membership should
extend no further than the budget. As a
bowler myself, I’ve always been curious
why members are so reluctant to put their
hands in their pockets, in comparison to,
say, golf. Bowls has always been a sport
supplied on the cheap with greens to
prove it! Probably the greatest skill that
guys like Alan and Eric possess is to turn a
‘Vauxhall’ budget into a ‘Rolls Royce’
Summer Sports - Bowls
“We criticise our predecessors
for cutting greens too short
and giving very little thought to
matters such as aeration, yet it
was ‘Hobson’s choice’ then”
Alan Bentley, West Bromwich Football Supporters Bowling Club
engineered for perfection
surface.
Ultimately, the whole question of a
bowler’s expectation relates very little to
anything tangible, and very much to the
human psyche. Expectation is really just
another word for opinion and, like
backsides, everybody has got one!
Whilst bowlers might say they want
‘consistency’ from greens, I’ve a hunch
that removing the element of the everchanging
green - influenced primarily by
the weather and secondly by the
greenkeeper - would remove the very
essence of the game. The heart and soul
of our sport is playing outdoors and
adapting to a constantly changing
situation. Now, who wouldn’t want to be
involved in a game like that? Err, indoor
bowlers I guess!
A first class finish
…. every time
For more information on our full
range of bowling green maintenance
equipment call 01332 824777
PROUDLY BRITISH
www.dennisuk.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 79

Summer Sports - Cricket
“No, I’ve never done it before
Another year entered
with thoughts on a
blisteringly hot summer
heavy on the mind. Then
you pinch yourself back
to reality and know you
will settle for no rain on
a Friday, but for some
nice heavy rain about
8.30 on a Sunday
evening. That’s not too
much to ask for is it?
Barry Glynn muses on the
cricket groundsman’s lot
Barry Glynn
80 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
THOUGHTS
for the
WINTER...
My thoughts have drifted recently
onto just how important club
cricket is to the game at the
very top. Without club cricket, I
doubt if the game would exist
at all in a professional capacity, and it was
really always thus. But, although club
cricket is basically an amateur sport, the
modern demands placed upon it at the
upper echelon are virtually professional in
what is required on and off the field of
play in terms of organisation and
commitment by groundstaff and
committees. I would like to point out that
the following musings are my personal
ones and do not represent the club I am
involved with.
As with anything these days, costs are
escalating far too quickly for anyone’s
good. I’ve been involved with running
cricket clubs for forty years now and, in
my time, have held just about every
position on and off the field. Having just
managed to find another mug, er, I mean
volunteer, to take over the position of
Fixture Secretary after twelve years, my
involvement is now down to being a
groundsman.
What I have observed is that, whilst it
was never easy running a cricket club, it is
now probably even harder on all fronts.
Financially, the need to raise funds has
taken on even more importance. No
longer can clubs get by on subscriptions,
profit on a few beers in the summer and
squeezing a profit out of a couple of social
functions. One could argue that
subscription levels are too low, and
obviously these vary geographically, but
probably are relative in terms of what
percentage of the running costs they
actually make up.
Of course, there are degrees of demand
depending on what level the club is
playing at. My club is in a very expensive
part of the country to live, and there are
many clubs competing with each other for
general members, good players and colts
within a crowded area. The club plays at a
good level which, again, brings about
many demands. But, whatever standard a
club is playing at, normally the desire is to
strive to improve playing conditions and
standards, social events etc. None of these
come without some extra cost and
certainly not without more work on
someone’s part.
So, let’s look at the financial
requirements of ground maintenance first.
Any club trying to provide decent surfaces
has to face basic costs that are not
negotiable. Loam, seed and fertiliser has
to be bought and, as we all know, that, like
everything else, has risen quite sharply in
the last three years or so.
Some of you may be very lucky and
have the services of an excellent volunteer
groundsman who is also handy with
machinery. If you do have such a person,
then the club should look after him. But,

• Ideal for bowls and golf clubs, contractors and other
turf professionals
• Choose from 510mm (20in), 610mm (24in) and
864mm (34in) working widths
• Start off with just one cartridge head and add others
as needed or when budget permits
C-Range professional mowing
and turf maintenance system
Uses quickly-interchangeable, precision cartridge heads,
enabling one machine to cut grass (with or without grooming)
and to scarify, verticut, slit, brush or lightly spike fine turf.
Phone 01889 271503 or email sales@allett.co.uk for
more information and a no-obligation demonstration.
www.allett.co.uk
Summer Sports - Cricket
... but how hard can it be?”
he won’t be there forever, and then what?
There are contractors out there who are
very good, but it’s what they do for a
living, not for charity. Many a decent
square and ground has been ruined in
one season because someone who took it
over from old George said, “No, I’ve
never done it before, but how hard can it
be?” We all know there are many expert
groundsmen in the bar or on the square
before the start of a game.
Then, there’s machinery. I know some
guys are handy with a set of spanners and
can do an oil change without any trouble,
but cylinders and bottom blades will need
to be sharpened, machines will break
down in the middle of the season and you
will need to get them fixed. Provision
needs to be made for this, or at least the
powers that be need to be made aware of
it.
So, at the risk of much derision and
critique, here is what I have forecasted to
be the budget requirements for materials
and machinery servicing costs to our
committee for the coming year. I do this
because these requirements are not a wish
list; they are essential basics for the level
we are playing at, and to help provide a
decent surface to play cricket on. But, I
seriously encourage all groundsmen,
volunteer or otherwise, to keep the
committees fully up to speed with
essential costs. It’s all part of the
continuing education process to make
people aware of what’s involved in
producing decent cricket surfaces.
The more information you feed to your
committees, the less likelihood there is of
you being referred to as “the bloke who
cuts the grass”. I’ve recently added a
“Groundsman’s Corner” link to our
website where I’ve started it off explaining
what end of season renovation entails.
Materials
Loam (200 bags) = £1,200 (this includes
all the loam for the end of season
renovation and enough loam to see me
through the coming summer for pitch
repairs etc.)
Seed (4 bags) = £300
Fertiliser (7 bags) = £200 (I am
embarking on an increased fertiliser
programme over the year to further help
prevent moss, weeds invading the square
and to generally improve the surface
Liquid Spraying for worm control (2
sprayings) = £220 ( By the way, first year
I’ve had it done and money very well
spent)
Spraying of outfield = £300
Line marker (15 litres) = £50
Diesel for triple (200 litres) = £230 ( this
is red diesel that I buy in a 200 litre drum
to save a bit)
Petrol - for roller, mowers, strimmer,
blower etc. = £300
Miscellaneous = £100
Total = £2,620
Machinery Hire
Scarifier and loam spreader - for end of
season renovations = £400
Spiker = £220 (this is only for two
spikings, should really be done at least
three times in the winter depending on
weather)
Total = £620
Servicing of Machinery
Servicing of Outfield Triple and two
pitch mowers = £2,100 labour
Parts for above = Approx. £300/£400
(this is an estimation - could be more
because the triple has a hydraulic leak)
I have negotiated a 25% discount on
labour and 15% discount on parts to get it
down to these figures. I booked this in for
the third week in January. We will be
invoiced about the middle of February
and have thirty days to pay.
Total = £2,520
Grand Total = £6,020 (also you could put
on that an additional cost of a few
hundred pounds to replace the ageing
netting for the two artificial nets)
Those figures could increase because
the triple does need some serious tlc. This
servicing will be done by a very
professional company and they are not
the cheapest, but I know they do a good
job. My committee knows this is essential
and that the costs will not be less. I have
to say that they are fairly easy to deal
with, but constant communication is vital.
This is what I consider to be the barest
essential costs for the coming year. On top
of that there is a wish list. Firstly, and
fairly essential in my book, is some
6-blade cylinder 10-blade with groomer 10-blade cylinder Brush Scarifier Slitter Sorrell Roller Verticutter
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 81

Summer Sports - Cricket
trimming of five tall popular trees on one
side of our ground. These trees need to
be halved in height, as they are causing a
severe lack of sunlight which is helping to
produce some serious moss. As we know,
grass doesn’t grow in the shade but moss
does. I’ve obtained a good competitive
quote for this. This part of the outfield
needs some money spent on it in the form
of scarifying and reseeding, but there is
no point doing that until we do
something about the trees which, of
course, also make the leaves situation
much worse in autumn and winter.
Also heavy on my wish list is some
machinery which I do without, but is
really quite important. One is a sarrel
roller. I had a spiker reel on my old
Autorake but the reel has fallen apart.
Secondly, a pedestrian sprayer, I would
like to use more liquid fertilisers. So that’s
probably over a grand for the two. I’ll
probably have to keep wishing.
In the long term, I could do with a sit
NEED IMPROVED DRAINAGE
ON YOUR TURF?
DRILL N FILL IS THE SOLUTION
Drills to 310mm, extracts and backfi lls in one action
Ends puddling after downpours
Minimises winter closures
Percolation ducts connect to
deeper drainage layer
Ecosolve Ltd, Armyn Cross,
Malmesbury, Wilts SN16 9RJ
Tel: 01666 861250
email: info@ecosolve.co.uk
www.ecosolve.co.uk
82 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
on rotary with collector. Collecting leaves
up over two hectares with a 15 inch
Hayter does get a tad tiresome - a bit like
painting the Forth Bridge with a
toothbrush - and cutting the outfield in
the winter with a triple is virtually
impossible, because of the dampness and
worm casts.
I’m sure other clubs get by with less,
and some more, but that’s about where
I’m at for what I consider basic costs to
produce surfaces that meet the demands
of an ECB premier league.
This brings me on to the thorny issue of
funding.
Our first team currently play in division
one in the ECB Surrey Championship,
just below the Premier Division. Clubs in
the Premier Division get, I believe, £1,000
from the ECB. In Division One, we are
subjected to the same scrutiny and
requirements that are put on the Premier
Division by the ECB, but we receive no
such aforementioned financial help. It’s
Call today for contract work,
machine sales or advice
01666 861250
just a thought that higher demands are
placed on facilities if you play in the top
two divisions, so it doesn’t seem
unreasonable that you should receive the
same funding. £1,000 doesn’t go that far,
but it would help a bit.
The ECB has control of how we play
our weekend cricket. The argument made
is that we need a structured progression
throughout our leagues towards the aim
of producing county players through to
English Test players. However, county
cricket is littered with Kolpak and
overseas players; it’s not as bad as
professional football, but it’s getting that
way, and now club cricket is going the
same way.
How many players, for example,
playing ECB premier division cricket
actually pay a club subscription and or
match fee? Maybe it’s worse down south,
because not many down here do.
Thankfully, in my opinion, our club does
not go down that route. We couldn’t
TOPDRESS WITH CONFIDENCE
Bourne Amenity’s Topdressings are produced to
BRTMA standards. You can rely on us to provide the
very best for your sports facility.
For free soil sampling, advice and pricing, call one of
our specialists on 01797 252299 or email:
enquiries@bourneamenity.co.uk
To download your copy of A Complete Guide to Topdressing,
visit our website
www.bourneamenity.co.uk
Bourne Amenity Ltd,
The Wharf, Rye Road, Newenden, Kent, TN18 5QG
Tel: 01797 252299 Fax: 01797 253115

afford to anyway.
Funding for equipment is very hard to
obtain. In the past two years, I have
managed to obtain two grants through the
small grants section of Sport England,
which have enabled the purchase of a new
roller, mobile covers and some colts
training equipment. I had heard a
rumour that they were cutting such
funding for cricket clubs, but fortunately it
seems those rumours were untrue.
But, obtaining grants for machinery,
other than rollers or mobiles, seems
impossible. In fact, obtaining grants from
anywhere for machinery is very difficult. I
know I have my groundsman’s hat on
here, but what is the most important
thing for a cricket club? It has to be the
surface we play on, doesn’t it?
To have the chance to obtain a grant
from Sport England, you need to be a
Clubmarked club. This, in itself, costs
clubs money to obtain. For example, to
obtain the prerequisite number of coaches
as laid down by the ECB means, first of
all, finding people prepared to do the
courses and then the money to pay for
them to go on the courses. I think the
guidelines for the number of coaches are
one coach per eight kids. That means,
with 250 colts, a club needs around 25/30
coaches. Cost of a coaching course is
about £170. I know the ECB can’t fund
every club in the country, but is there any
way they could make these courses
cheaper by increasing their funding of the
courses, making them cheaper for the
clubs? That way, every club that puts
someone on a course would benefit. Or
perhaps the local county club could dip
their hands in their pockets, especially if
they are the recipient of Test match
income. The cost and degree of
subsidising of the County trailers for
example, seems to vary somewhat over
the country.
As I said at the beginning of this little
diatribe, club cricket is vital to the success
Cricket Cages
Cricket Netting
Cricket Matting
Freestanding Cages
Summer Sports - Cricket
of the professional game, right up to the
very top echelons. With even less cricket
being played in state schools than ever
(we have successive Governments of all
persuasions to thank for that), club cricket
has to work hard to ensure that, in the
years to come, there are still some players
playing for England that were actually
born here!
As groundsmen, we have a crucial role
to play in this, not just in preparing the
best surfaces we can, but also to slowly but
surely educate and inform our committees
and club members of what is involved in
producing our pitches and outfields. It is
no good just moaning about the lack of
respect and understanding our industry
seems to suffer from, we have to try and
do as much as possible to change this,
and each and every groundsperson, from
the village club to the Test arena, needs to
be proactive in this objective.
MARK HARROD 2012
CRICKET
EQUIPMENT
Mark Harrod offers a
wide selection of cricket
products suitable for
schools, colleges and
sports clubs.
Sight Screens
Scoreboards
Stumps
Balls & Accessories
Goals make games. We make goals.
Call Mark on 01502 710039 or visit markharrod.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 83

Summer Sports - Cricket
SMITH family
are ROLLING on ...
“I’ll just get
myself together
and I’ll make
something”
84 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Eric Smith, Swillington Rollers
After a lifetime spent collecting,
servicing, repairing and renovating,
there’s not much that Eric Smith doesn’t
know about cricket rollers. Now, this
enthusiastic ‘Fred Dibner’ of heavy
machinery and champion of cricket club
groundsmen has finally produced his
own, radical model.
Report by Carol Dutton
By rights, Eric and
Marlene Smith, the
husband and wife
team behind
Swillington Rollers,
should be happily installed in
a ‘winter sun’ resort, putting
their feet up and generally
enjoying a well earned
retirement. Instead, here
they are, on a cold day in
January, showing me around
their workshop on the
outskirts of Leeds, a building
that could almost double as a
museum to cricket wicket
rollers.
Eric possesses an almost
stereotypical Yorkshire accent
and, in conversation, will
intersperse his words with
‘lass’ or ‘lad’ as the situation
demands. “Here’s a 4AR
Auto-Roller. We put in new
hydraulic equipment,
renovate them and sell them
on,” Eric tells this lass, before
whisking me on to the next
machine, built by Stothert
and Pitt Ltd. in the 1960s.
His pride and joy is a Fowell
roller, which had served the
grass tennis courts of
Wimbledon for forty years.
“It was going to go in a
skip,” he says, in horror. A
magnificent Barford and
Perkins 3A Motor Roller
from the 1930s was saved
from a similar fate when Eric
rescued it from a scrap yard
ten years ago. Having
restored it to its former glory,
he donated it to the Shildon
Locomotion Museum, near
Consett in Co. Durham.
Ten minutes, a mug of
coffee and two chocolate
biscuits after my arrival, I’m
sitting on Eric’s new machine
testing its manoeuvrability.
“Go on, it’s easy lass,” he
urges, and he’s right.
Weighing half a tonne (the
weight increases to one tonne
according to the flatbed load
and thickness of the steel
used for the rollers), the
‘Supreme’ Swillington Roller
glides forward, back and
around with the lightest
touch of the lever.
A combined roller and
flatbed in one, the new
vehicle is the result of one of
those simple ideas, which
seem so obvious you’re
amazed that nobody’s
thought of it before. “Some
cricket grounds cover six to
eight acres and, in a lot of
cases, especially in the
smaller clubs, one
groundsman will be doing
everything,” Eric explains.
“With this machine, he can
put everything he needs on
the back - loam, line marking
equipment, water, even a
small mower.”
In appearance, it bears no
resemblance to any other
cricket roller currently
available in the UK, apart
from the traditional green
paint job. It is, basically, a
flatbed with a seat and an
engine, atop two small
diameter rollers. And it looks
bullet proof! As if to show the
sturdiness of his new
machine, the restored Fowell
roller is sat on the back of
one of the new models.

Old and new - Wimbledon’s old Fowell roller
on the back of the new Supreme
Customers can choose rollers of varying
thickness according to their anticipated
flatbed loads, which will affect the overall
weight on the ground. Eric’s customer on
the Isle of Man has ordered the lightest
rollers with steel 8mm thick, as he is
intending to use the flatbed facility to the
full. Headingley and Dulwich College,
who already have a ‘Supreme’ machine,
chose the standard steel rollers at 10mm.
With a 9hp Honda engine, full hydraulics
and a top speed of three miles per hour,
the new machine is light enough for preseason
rolling, but the weight can be
increased by loading the flatbed as the
season goes on.
“Groundsmen are the heroes of our
sports fields, especially when it comes to
cricket,” Eric maintains. “Often, I’ve said
to the smaller clubs, ‘just pay for delivery
and give me the rest when you get your
grant’, but, nowadays, there isn’t the
grant money available.”
However warm and generous an
individual might be (and, having met
Eric and Marlene, I can personally vouch
for the fact that the couple are both), fate
is indiscriminate in its dealings as, in
2007, Marlene was diagnosed with breast
cancer. Having been married for over
forty years and raised two sons during
good times and bad, Marlene is definitely
the ‘power behind the throne.’ She
reacted to the news in a matter of fact
fashion, opting to have a mastectomy.
“After the biopsy results, I was told that
lumps are graded from one to five, and
my lump was a grade four,” she
remembers. “I had the choice of having a
A restored Greens roller
A restored Aveling Barford roller
mastectomy or not, and I told the
specialist to ‘take it all off.’ It’s my life
and my body.”
Having dealt with the crisis single
handed up until this point, once home
and undergoing chemotherapy, Marlene
needed the support of Eric and her sons
who, she confides, had both been in
denial. “My GP told Eric that I couldn’t
fight the disease on my own,” Marlene
says and, after that moment, they tackled
her illness together. Three years ago the
couple downsized to a bungalow, and the
move has proved a resounding success.
Marlene’s health gradually improved
and she began fundraising for Macmillan
Nurses. Last year she helped raise
£11,000; £2,000 coming from roller spare
parts sold by Eric. He is immensely proud
of his wife, and they are both looking
forward to the day, hopefully this June,
when Marlene will be given the all clear.
A year after the move, Eric, with the
help of his eldest son Simon, began work
on his new roller. “I thought, I’ll just get
myself together and I’ll make
something,” he recalls.
Engineering is in Eric’s blood. His
father worked at Fowlers in the days when
this whole area of Leeds was dedicated to
engine manufacture, housing not only
Fowlers, but Greens, McLaren’s and
Hunslets. “Dad was a part of it,” says
Eric. Once the war started, Mr. Smith
senior became part of the effort to keep
up moral. “I grew up on the fairgrounds
of Lancashire and Liverpool. Most of
them had shut down, and it was
important to keep the ones that were left
An illustration of the Barford & Perkins 3A
donated to Consett Locomotion Museum
Summer Sports - Cricket
running. Dad was their resident
engineer,” Eric explains. “I went to any
number of different schools.”
The new roller gets its name from a
Mrs Deacon who ordered a showman’s
traction engine from Fowlers during the
time that Eric’s dad worked there. It was
one of the first to be built with a chrome
spiral trim. Mrs Deacon insisted that the
trim was the wrong height and had to be
trimmed down. Only when this had been
accomplished would she accept her new
machine. “It’s the ‘Supreme’ engine,” she
said, little knowing that the name would
be resurrected in 2011.
Gone are the days of huge hand rollers.
“Times have changed and standards have
gone up,” Eric says. “I’ve watched old
men struggle on cricket pitches for years.
I remember one guy (he’s ninety years
old and retired now), at Sherburn cricket
club, using the front roller from a steam
engine. Another club actually used a15
tonne machine up and down the wicket!”
Eric’s ‘Supreme’ roller is the result of
years of experience and a sound
knowledge of the needs of cricket club
groundsmen. Now that he has produced
his own design, do the couple have any
thoughts on retirement? “Eric will never
retire” says Marlene, and perhaps that’s
just as well. Judging by the reaction to
this first new roller to come out of Leeds
for over forty years - Headingley’s Head
Groundsman, Andy Fogarty, has been
quoted as saying, “It’s a good, compact
machine” and “it’s like two rollers in one”
- the Smith family are going to be too
busy.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 85

Schools & Colleges
After thirty years service to
Bromsgrove School, Head
Groundsman, Eric Burford, aims
to retire later this year.
Here, he talks about his time at
the school and the improvements
he has made during his tenure.
Eric Burford
86 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Report by Laurence Gale MSc
ERIC’s not
been idle!
There’s a revolution going on
at Bromsgrove School. No,
the pupils aren’t revolting -
well, not in the
warmongering sense - rather,
a new, some might say, trendy
Headmaster with a vision to make
the school one of the best
independents in the country.
The Headmaster in question is
Chris Edwards MA (note, Chris, not
Christopher), who has been
overseeing a build programme of
titanic proportions.
Hard on the heels of eighteen
new science laboratories (opened in
2011), come two new residential
buildings for senior girls (all ensuite),
a new Prep School boarding
house for pupils aged 7-13, an
immense sports arena, a fitness
suite, dance studios, a spectacular
hospitality suite with dining
facilities, a cafe for parents and
pupils, a refurbished swimming
pool and a brand new, landscaped
entrance to the Senior School. All
are due to be completed this
summer.
After more than 450 years of
being a successful, but relatively
small school, Bromsgrove has, in
the last few years, become one of
Britain’s largest independents, with
1,600 day and boarding pupils
aged two to eighteen. That growth
in pupil numbers has now been
wedded to the build programme.
There will be no further increase
in pupil numbers; these spectacular
new developments are for the
current role. The state of the art
sports venues will also be used by
the local and wider community
(indeed, national teams have
already booked in to train), whilst
the new residential accommodation
gives weekly boarding options for
local pupils aged 7 to 18.
The ongoing work, and the
school’s successes, are the subject of
a regular ‘Headmaster’s Blog’ on
the website. Humorously written (a
read is recommended), Mr
Edwards’ character and passion
shine through the words in, what
appears to be, a considered attempt
to take the ‘stuffiness’ out of
reporting independent school life.
OFSTED continues to rate the
Prep and Senior School
“Outstanding”, and The Good
Schools Guide says Bromsgrove
“inhabits the academic
stratosphere”. But it also says
Bromsgrove pupils are
“refreshingly free from false
sophistication”.
Notable alumni include actors
Ian Carmichael and Trevor Eve,
rugby players Andy Goode, Ben
Foden and Matt Mullan, Dire
Straits John Illsley, and the author
of the Horse Whisperer, Nicholas
Evans.
Bromsgrove School is set in 100
acres of tree-lined grounds, and has
extensive sports facilities, including
two floodlit artificial pitches,
floodlit netball/tennis courts,
swimming pool, two sports halls,
one with seating for 500 spectators,
all-weather athletics track and
numerous grass pitches.
The grass pitches are dedicated
to rugby, hockey and football, with
a number of the pitches becoming
outfields for cricket in the summer
term.
There are six rugby pitches at the
main school and four at the Prep
school site, three of these are
converted to football during the
spring term. The school has a
number of cricket squares dotted
around the campus. The main
square, served by the picturesque
Victorian pavilion, provides twentyone
Boughton Loam strips. The
remainder provide between three
to seven strips catering for all age
groups.
The school offers a wide range of
sports and activities, giving
opportunities to participate at a
competitive level in rugby, hockey,
netball, athletics, badminton,
basketball, clay pigeon shooting,
cricket, cross-country, fencing, golf,
rounders, football, squash,
swimming and tennis.
The grounds are regularly used
by visiting teams for training,
including Worcester Warriors RFC,
England Netball and local hockey
teams.
Eric Burford is Head
Groundsman who, this year, after
completing thirty years service, will
take retirement. Interestingly, his
predecessor, George Harris, also
completed thirty years service, as
did the head groundsman before
him, ‘Gibby’ Gibson. So, the new
boy better be prepared for the long
haul!

Back in the early eighties, conditions
for the groundstaff were, to say the least,
primitive compared to today. “When I
started here in 1981, the groundstaff had
one shed to house the machinery, tools
and equipment, which was pretty basic,”
says Eric. “We had a set of Lloyds gang
mowers, a Leyland tractor with no cab, a
few hand tools and a old crank start
diesel roller for rolling the cricket
pitches.”
“There were no dedicated budgets; it
was a case of going cap in hand to the
Bursar and asking. Now, we have an
annual budget which I manage,
allocating specific amounts to different
facility needs and areas. For example, I
sets aside a separate budget for the
sports pitches, gardens, contractors and
materials. I also attends regular meetings
with school heads of department, the
bursar and the headmaster. Things have
changed a lot in thirty years.”
Over the years, Eric has overseen the
building of many new sports facilities.
“In 1989, a new sand filled Astroturf
pitch was put in that was officially
opened in 1991. This work gave us the
opportunity to relay two new rugby
pitches on the newly formed plateau,
now known has Middle Charford. These
pitches have served the school well,
however, in 2007 they needed further
work to enhance the drainage, with a
local contractor employed to install new
secondary drainage slits, recultivated to
address surface levels and overseeded.”
Since then, the school has invested in a
second sand-dressed pitch, installed by
Rugby based Bernhard’s Sports Surfaces
in 2006. This one has a full under-pitch
drainage system, geotextile membrane,
300mm stone foundation, and two layers
of macadam. In 2010, the school had the
original artificial resurfaced. Both pitches
are available for use by the local
community.
“One of our more recent projects has
Schools & Colleges
L-r: Simon Macualay, Tim Stephens, Paul Minett, Scott Devereux, Matt Stoneystreet
“Of course, people are more important than buildings,
and brilliant teachers should be able to run a good
school in a pig sty, but mercifully it’s a point we don’t
have to prove at Bromsgrove”
Chris Edwards MA, Headmaster, Bromsgrove School
been the refurbishment of an area of the
1st team cricket outfield, to provide a
winter games grass hockey pitch,”
explains Eric. “In the past, this area of
the outfield was regularly used for rugby
matches. However, with the demand for
hockey at an all time high, I needed to
introduce another pitch. We often had
problems going from rugby to cricket, as
the playing of rugby often cut up the
surface. The opportunity to use it as a
dedicated grass hockey pitch meant that
I could improve the outfield, as the wear
and damage is much less severe.”
“Obviously, hockey requires almost
perfect levels so, last July, we put down
60 tonnes of topdressing to restore levels,
and we then overseeded with a finer
grass seed mix. The results have been
very good.”
Eric has eight staff under him to
maintain the extensive grounds, five
groundsmen and three gardeners. Paul
Minett looks after the larger areas, gang
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 87

Schools & Colleges
One of Chris Edwards’
recent blogs ...
I DOUBT the Head of Eton received “Holy
Cow! It’s The Wurzles Christmas Album” as
a seasonal gift from one of the parental
body. You will recall that “The Wurzles”
was deemed second best answer to a
recent quiz held on the blog, and the
runner up is clearly trying to persuade me
that the artistic output of these cider
drenched warblers is superior to that of
the winning answer - the Hallé Orchestra.
I’ve played the album and I think it fair to
say I’ll never be the same again. That
men can make such music such as this is
indeed remarkable. Thank you.
• Just before Christmas there was a quiet
celebration in a dark hut. Me and a
crowd of hunky dudes. We raised our
plastic cups and sipped the warm fizz with
some satisfaction. The builders were
handing over four of the five new
buildings to the School. Now because of
the landscaping works (and I’m not
talking a few daisies here .. think Great
Wall of China), the South end of the
campus still looks like the set of War of
the Worlds, but amidst the mud and din
we have a useable Mary Windsor and
Sports Arena. My thanks to the Scary
Ladies for ensuring the builders remained
cowed and frightened throughout the
process.
• Oxbridge results are still coming in but
already I’ve had some dreadful news. For
many years I have successfully avoided
sending a pupil to my old Oxford college
on the grounds that if they went and
found out what I’d been up to, I’d have
to resign and live on top of a pillar for
the rest of my life. Well, one of our pupils
sneaked under the radar and has gone
and got themselves a place there. A
quarter of a century has passed since I
left. Is it enough I wonder? Anyway, I’ve
packed a trunk and a false moustache
just in case.
• Ignore Robert Peston. The recession is
over. How do I know? Well, when I
arrived at Bromsgrove I got a fair few
letters (usually from people whose
children had been refused entry) that
began “If I ran my business like you run
your School” and proceeded to make
clear that Bromsgrove and I were as
dysfunctional as News International.
Since 2008 I haven’t received much in the
way of swaggering contempt as I suspect
even the Shining Ones have been
subdued by recent economic woes.
Imagine my delight, then, when on
opening the New Year mail I find a letter
beginning “If I ran my business like you
run your School....”. Good times can’t be
far away. Happy New Year.
88 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Main cricket square
mowing and tractor work, including
maintaining the artificial pitches. Simon
Macaulay looks after all seven cricket
squares. Roger Anslow is based at the
Prep-School grounds, Scott Devereux
and Matt Stoneystreet carry out general
grounds duties, assisting with cricket
during the summer, and undertaking
most of the linemarking duties using
laser guided spray jet marking machines.
Tim Stephens is the dedicated
mechanic, but also helps out on the
grounds when required. All other duties
are shared around. During term time
each groundsman will work a Saturday
rota. “During the summer term we need
two groundsmen in on the weekend, due
to the amount of cricket being played,”
says Eric. “We also ask our staff not to
take their holidays during the summer
term time. It’s not ideal, I know, but at
such a busy time, losing one member for
two weeks has a huge impact.
Importantly, the team accept the
situation.”
Roger Anslow
Ashley Cooke, Trevor Sayers and
Trevor Graham are the school’s
gardeners, looking after all the formal
landscape beds and borders and the
extensive lawned areas.
Specialist work is contracted out; tree
and hedge works, and sports pitch work
such as vertidraining, topdressing,
overseeding etc. Eric also hires in
specialist equipment as required. For
example, rather than having their own
cricket rollers, he hires in two every year
for the cricket season.
“Over the years, I have invested in new
and secondhand machinery to help make
us more efficient as a team. Our list of
equipment includes a Ransomes 305
5-gang fairway mower, a Ransomes
Parkway triple mower, five Kubota G21
ride-on rotary mowers, a Hayter Harrier
pedestrian rotary mower, a Groundsman
aerator, Amazone flail mower, Agar
rotary mower, three Massey Ferguson 550
tractors, a Kubota RTV utility vehicle and
a spring tined harrow. We’ve also got a V
brush for use on the astro pitches, and
dedicated cricket mowers - a Lloyds
Paladin 18”, Ransomes Super Bowl 21”,
Ransomes Mastiff 36” ride-on mower -
along with a Sisis AutoRake. It’s a far cry
from 1981, and the improvements are
there for all to see,” says Eric.
“We cut the winter sports pitches on a
weekly basis and keep them between 50-
70mm. The cricket outfields are also cut
weekly but, on occasions, can be cut twice
depending on growth. We keep the
outfields at around 30mm. We tend to
use the Ransomes models for cricket and
hockey and the Kubota G21 ride-on
rotaries for the winter sports pitches.”
The school year is divided into three
terms, Lent (January- March) - when the
grass pitches are set up for rugby and
football; Summer (April - July) - when
the school focuses on cricket, tennis,
athletics and rounders; and Michaelmas
(September - December) - which is
predominantly set up for rugby.
Between Michaelmas and Lent a quick
turnaround of pitches is required so, over
the Christmas ‘break’, Eric and his staff
were changing some of the rugby pitches
across to football.
Cricket provides Eric with his biggest
challenge though, with over seventy
fixtures to accommodate. As you might
imagine, he is already planning his
fixture programme.

Amazone at work on the main cricket outfield
In July and August of
2010, eight cricket pitches
were relaid with Boughton
County loam. The work was
carried out by Total Turf
Solutions. Over 110 tonnes
of loam was used. Each pitch
was dug out to a depth of
110mm and infilled with the
new loam material,
consolidated, levelled and
oversown with a 100%
ryegrass seed mixture. Whilst
on site, Eric and TTS took
the opportunity to renovate a
number of the other squares
using the same loam. “They
all performed pretty well last
summer,” says Eric, “and I’m
keen to see what
improvement there is this
year.”
“The condition of the
grounds, and how well they
are looked after, set the first
impressions for visitors to the
school. This is always a
paramount concern, and I’m
fortunate that the team here
share that ethos.”
“In the thirty years I have
been here, we have made
huge progress in the way the
grounds are maintained and
presented, and in the
working conditions for the
groundstaff. The support of
the Bursar and Headmaster
has been critical in achieving
this,” says Eric.
One of two artificial pitches
I ask Eric what changes
have most impacted on him
during his time at
Bromsgrove School. “I was
very ‘hands-on’ with the
groundstaff back in 1981. I
used to write everything
down in a diary at the end of
the day. Then, along came
the computer, emailing and
mobile phones, but the
biggest change was to have
my own grounds budget for
materials, contractors and
gardens. No more beg, steal
or borrow. Also, having a
brand new office with up to
date IT equipment has been
a huge bonus. This allows me
to plan the work much better
than before!”
“The impact of Health &
Safety on the job has been
quite noticeable, especially in
the last ten years. The school
now has a full time Health &
Safety officer (John Brookes)
who has a major impact on
how we deal with things. It
has meant a lot more
paperwork and, for example,
no more putting up or taking
down our own sets of rugby
posts; contractors have to
come in. I have to provide
risk assessments for all
activities. In the long term,
the effect on the school
should be that more people
will be aware of what is
Schools & Colleges
Multi-use Trailer
Three way discharge:
Rear: To a spinner for topdressing
Front: Trench filling in view of
the driver
Side: Filling of trenches, filling other
machines, placing sand into
bunkers, etc.
TRENCHERS
01787 311811
info@trenchers.co.uk
www.trenchers.co.uk
AFT45 for compact
tractors from 20hp
With chain or slitting wheel, augers or
conveyor to quickly install drainage
systems, pipes or cables as and when
needed. Ideal for sports turf,
agricultural, domestic and industrial
markets.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 89

Schools & Colleges
Ransomes 305 a godsend Victorian pavilion overlooks the main cricket square
required to keep pupils and members of
the public safe when entering the
campus.”
“All the groundstaff now attend yearly
Health & Safety training sessions, but I
still say to them, ‘just use your common
sense, if you think it’s wrong, then don’t
do it!’”
And what about advances in machinery
and equipment? “There’s been loads,”
says Eric. “The Ransomes 305 has been a
godsend, for example, but if I had to
choose one, then it would be the laser
line marker, with its tank of ready-mixed
paint. When I look back and recollect
unloading eighty bags of whiting powder,
mixing it up in a wheelbarrow or drum,
and pushing it around the campus,
today’s staff ask me “was that for real?!”
I ask Eric what he intends to do when
he retires. “I haven’t a clue at the
TWENTYQuestions
Eric Burford - his romantic night out could lead to a
lengthy spell in the Tower of London!
Who are you? Eric Burford - Head
Groundsman at Bromsgrove School.
Family status? Married with three children
-two sons (37, 36), a daughter (34), six
grandchildren (18, 16,11, 8, 5 and 3).
Who’s your hero and why? Ian Botham -
always had a will to win.
What is your dream holiday? To lie on a
Spanish beach watching the grandchildren
enjoying themselves.
What annoys you the most? Queue
jumpers!
What would you change about yourself?
To be six foot five instead of five foot five!
Who wouldn’t you like to be? A referee -
to have abuse constantly must surely affect
your home life!
Favourite record, and why? Bridge Over
Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel. I
loved the sound of the sixties. Music today is
okay, but I can’t understand some of the
songs that are written today - I must be
getting old!
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? I need to think
about this - the wife might read this article!
Kate Middleton, she’s so natural.
moment, I'm still to talk to the school
about it. Whether I can do part time, or
even if they want me to stay on. With
pensions losing money all the time, I
might be forced to stay on!”
I had to have three operations in
2008/9/10 and I was advised not to do
any major manual work. So the school
kindly asked if I would only do office
work and delegate more, which I was
extremely grateful for. I do go around
the local football and cricket clubs and
advise on certain aspects of their
grounds. But, when I tell them how
much the work is going to cost, they look
at me a bit non-plussed!
Chris Edwards is happy to quote the
recent successes of the school; “Of
course, people are more important than
buildings, and brilliant teachers should
be able to run a good school in a pig sty,
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Make sure my three
children’s mortgages were paid off.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? I’m not into music - Asked
someone, “do you know anything about
music?“, “why?” he replied - “well the leg of
my piano’s fell off!”
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Always have the ability to see
the obvious, and, if you’re honest, you’ll
always be poor!
What's your favourite smell? Lavender.
What do you do in your spare time? Go
to watch my grandchildren play football, and
I’m also partial to horseracing.
What’s the daftest work related question
you have ever been asked? When
Complete Weed Control had sprayed all the
grounds, I was asked what are the white bits
of foam on the fields. I said the weed man
had been in. She replied; well he hasn't
pulled many weeds up!
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Must
be the Ransomes 305, a godsend in the
summer.
but mercifully it’s a point we don’t have
to prove at Bromsgrove.”
“Knock all these wonderful buildings
down and the essence remains: we are
committed to nurturing moral young
people who make a difference for the
better. Also, as the constituency’s largest
employer, we have a duty to community.
We never forget that. Unashamedly, we
expect all staff and pupils to set sky high
aspirations in and out of the classroom.”
Eric Burford and his team
certainly help foster those
aspirations.
Pitchcare would like to
wish Eric all the best for the
future.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Funny, but serious.
What talent would you like to have? To
have been good enough to be a professional
footballer or cricketer.
What makes you angry? - People who
moan about our National Health Service.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? To change old peoples
care home bills, not to take it out of their
savings, homes etc. To find some way that
they could live the rest of their lives with
dignity and not have to worry about where
next month’s monies come from!

You don’t have to go to these
lengths to join the Green Evolution!
Breeding. Production. Sales.
Grass Seed Mixtures direct from the breeder
www.eurograss.com
Mixtures for a wide range
of amenity applications
Euro Grass B.V., Simon Taylor, Tel. 01522 868946, Mob. 07824 601471, simon.taylor@eurograss.com

Schools & Colleges
Neville Johnson heads
to the University of
Kent’s Canterbury
campus to meet Paul
Griffiths, the man
whose job it is to see
that the grounds always
get a First
AWelshman through and through
and, not surprisingly, a passionate
rugby man, Paul Griffiths has,
these past twelve years, become a
Man of Kent, in outdoor spirit and
by definition, because he lives and works
on the east side of the county’s River
Medway.
He became Grounds Maintenance
Manager at the University of Kent’s
Canterbury campus a year ago, taking
over from Mick Woods, who had been
looking after the grounds since 1975. Paul
says these were big boots to fill. He had
previously been the Senior
Groundsperson, looking after the
university sports pitches - grassed and
artificial - but this was a big mantle of
responsibility and one that would
necessarily take him away from daily
hands-on pitch care and into the realms
of overall management - groundcare and
men.
Paul’s early move into groundsmanship
was, he admits, vague and without any
specific aim in view. In 1992, after leaving
school, he embarked on a City and Guilds
NVQ in General Horticulture at
The Canterbury campus in summer with the Park Wood pitches
- natural and artificial - in the foreground and the Cathedral
City a mile or so in the other direction
A matter of
DEGREES!
Riseholme College in his home city of
Lincoln, and was pretty much coerced
into it by his parents. He liked it and a
further 2-year National Diploma course
followed. His initial venture into turfcare
meant moving south, and it was a job on
the grounds at Oaklands College in St
Albans that set him on his way. It was
being appointed head groundsman at
Dover Athletic in 2000 that really sealed
his career though and got him putting
down Kentish roots, he says. He settled at
Ramsgate, where he and his wife started a
family, but was at the Dover club’s Crabble
ground for just a year when he became
the victim of stringent budget cuts. He
retains a fondness for the club, referring
to them still as the mighty, mighty whites.
East Kent is renowned for its golf clubs
and Paul sought to get his career back on
track by a move into greenkeeping. He
sent his CV to the host of private clubs in
the county’s easternmost Thanet area in
particular, and was soon rewarded with an
invitation to take up a greenkeeping
position at Westgate and Birchington Golf
Club, a cliff-top course not far from
Margate, where he learned much about
fine turf care - and Kent’s weather
extremes.
It was in 2006 that Paul applied for a
place at the university. He was successful
and engaged by the Estates Department
as a senior groundsman. At that time the
grounds extended over nine hectares but,
because the university has continued to
expand, with more teaching blocks and
student accommodation, this has been
reduced to 6.5 hectares. The
responsibilities are no less challenging
however and, if anything, the demand for
yet higher standards for outdoor sports
and amenity facilities keep on growing.
The site is surrounded by farmland,
principally arable and orchards, and the
grounds maintenance department itself,
where machinery is kept and maintained,
is a series of former farm buildings,
including a listed barn.
The Grounds Department has eight
full-time staff and is an integral part of
the University’s Estates Department.
Paul’s head groundsman, Chris Wright,
who was promoted to the role he held a
year ago, is kept pretty busy and his
results are impressive enough for him to

e nominated for Non-League Groundsman of the
Year. Paul says he tries these days not to get out on
the pitches as much, not wishing to intrude in the
day-to-day work carried out by Chris. The Estates
Department wanted someone who would play an
active part in policy meetings and the like, so his
job has changed significantly from what it was a
year ago. His main role now is to oversee the whole
picture.
Chris has the support of Dave Crowe, who started
working at the university as an apprentice assistant
two years ago after completing groundsmanship
studies at Hadlow College, Kent’s principal
horticultural study centre. Dave is the fifth
apprentice to have worked on the university pitches
since the scheme was introduced four years ago. It’s
a feeder source for talent, you might say. Two other
members of the team are in charge of all amenity
grass surrounding the university buildings and
student blocks. Regular cutting by triples takes
place over nine months of the year.
The pitches - grass and artificial - are all on what
is known as the Park Wood part of the campus. The
grassed area comprises three football pitches, two
grass rugby pitches, and an 11-strip cricket square -
all of it heavily used, week in week out.
The underlying soil is heavy, claggy clay, so
drainage is an ongoing problem and drains
installed some years ago are only at ten metre
centres. Before Paul’s time, they used to have a
contractor carry out vertidraining, but now they use
their own - both Wiedenmann and Sisis Mega-slit -
and pretty much keep on top of it. If waterlogging
ever occurs, Chris does not hesitate to put a halt to
keep players off, though this is rare. Paul
sympathises with the problems he himself had until
a year ago, and backs Chris to the hilt with such
decisions.
Student football is played to a pretty decent
standard, with the first team playing in the East
Kent League. All told there are three men’s teams
and a ladies team, with season-long mid-week and
weekend fixtures. Mini pitches are also made
available to Canterbury Youth Football and the
Under-16 Academy at Kent’s only Football League
club, Gillingham.
There is slightly less pressure on the rugby
pitches, with fixtures confined to mid-week during
term time only. American Football had also been
popular with students in recent years and a
dedicated pitch set aside for it. This waned and, at
the request of those still wanting to pursue it for a
handful of games, the hard-hat sport shares one of
the rugby pitches.
“The biggest problem with American Football is
pitch marking,” said Paul. “We had to have number
templates made up by staff carpenters. I’m very
much a believer in sport for all, but we’re not
heartbroken that the game is now off the students’
agenda. One game on the rugby surface virtually
obliterated it, so we had to put a stop to it.
“Rugby is a running game,” he said, with an
engrained empathy. “Its affect on a pitch is more
evenly spread. The American game gives a pitch a
very central, unforgiving pounding. As turf carers,
we’re not sorry to see the back of it.”
Paul is also responsible for maintaining the
extensive amenity areas around all of the university
teaching blocks and student accommodation.
Completing the department team and working for
him in these areas are a senior tractor driver who
handles all of the flail cutting and hedge work, plus
a tree man and a gardener for the bedding. All told
his responsibility spans the university’s whole 300acre
site. His work will also include keeping the
campus roadways and car parks clear and
serviceable. Last winter, this was a massive task and,
mercifully, twelve months on, with milder conditions
predominating, he and his team are able to
concentrate on groundswork duties. The pitches are
all the better for it, he says.
Schools & Colleges
“Rugby is a running
game. Its affect on a
pitch is more evenly
spread. The American
game gives a pitch a
very central, unforgiving
pounding. As turf carers,
we’re not sorry to see
the back of it”
Paul Griffiths, Grounds Maintenance Manager, University of Kent

Schools & Colleges
Head Groundsman Chris Wright
marking one of the rugby pitches
What’s in the shed?
New Holland 5040 tractor
New Holland 4020 tractor
2 x Ransomes 2130 Highway ride-on
triplex
2 x John Deere Gators
2 x John Deere 740 lawn tractors
1.6m Wiedenmann Terra Spike XF
SISIS Mega Slit
2 x Dennis cricket pitch mowers
Auto-Roller
Bomford Flail
3 x Fleet Kombi Line markers
Ferris 5000 zero-turn rotary mower
Pedestrian Ferris for bank mowing
Trimax Stealth 2 tractor-mounted rotary
mower
4 x Sthil hedge cutters
Selection of back-pack and hand-held
blowers
Selection of strimmers and brushcutters
3 x chainsaws
Who are you? Paul Griffiths, Grounds
Maintenance Manager at the University of
Kent.
Family status? Married with two children.
Who’s your hero and why? JPR Williams -
possibly the best full-back ever. Also Paul
Turner - small town boy made good. Shame
he only got three caps for Wales.
What is your dream holiday? Anything
away from work, but Australia and New
Zealand would be nice.
What annoys you the most? People not
owning up to a mistake or an accident.
What would you change about yourself?
I’d like to have the ability to switch off from
work.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? Anyone
else!
Favourite record, and why? A Design for
Life by the Manic Street Preachers - just hit a
chord with me when it first came out (I was
still at college).
Who would you choose to spend a
The Park Wood artificials have been in
place since September 2005, installation
being conducted by specialist contractors
McArdles. There are two pitches: a sanddressed
Astro for hockey and a 3G rubbercrumb
pitch for football. Paul and his
team handle the maintenance in-house.
The 3G is used for inter-college
tournaments, which means that wear and
tear is relieved from the grass pitches, and
a machine bought from Artificial Grass
Maintenance - a 224cm working width
Double Renew2 brush and rake behind a
John Deere 740 - sees that brushing,
decompacting and crumb redistribution is
effectively conducted in a single pass. This
is done at least once a week.
The university has about 18,000
students - 5,500 of them living on its
Canterbury Campus - and it’s one of the
country’s burgeoning centres of learning.
Business is decidedly good. A report
published in January highlighted the £0.6
billion it contributes to the economy of
TWENTYQuestions
Paul Griffiths - a passionate, energetic and enthusiastic
Welshman living off coffee and living in Kent.
romantic evening with? The wife -
obviously!
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Boring stuff, but pay
off the mortgage, and go on that holiday
down under.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you be
and why? Probably a drum kit - I can be
very loud!
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Work hard and you’ll get the
rewards.
What’s your favourite smell? Fresh coffee.
What do you do in your spare time?
Cycling, spending time with the family.
Supporting Newbridge RFC.
What’s the daftest work related question
you have ever been asked? “Is that plant
dead - there’s no leaves on it?” It was winter
time!
What’s your favourite piece of kit? The
Wiedenmann Terra Spike - easy to adjust,
operate and very versatile.
Aerating one of the Park Wood football pitches.
Apprentice Dave Crowe is at the wheel
the South East, and this has a doubled
over the past five years.
Paul says there is a very healthy
relationship between student and grounds
team.
“The university’s Conservation Society,
with a new Environment Coordinator in
place, has done much in recent times to
foster student involvement in things
‘green’, and there is noticeably a lot more
respect these days for their work.
“There is one big difference between a
university and a school at grounds level,
which I believes is very largely responsible
for this. Sport is not part of the
curriculum. Those that take part do so
simply because they want to - just for
recreation. That gives them a vested
interest in how good the pitches are.”
Universities have to be businesses as
well as centres of learning, and funding
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Passionate, energetic,
enthusiast.
What talent would you like to have? To
play a musical instrument.
What makes you angry? Wilful damage to
trees and plants. Poor reinstatement after
contractors have been on site.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? Don’t over legislate.

The 3G in use under lights
for groundcare is tightly controlled. Paul
says, however, that his department is very
lucky and, if a case can be made for new
equipment, he gets a very fair hearing with
first the maintenance manager then
business manager and accountant, the final
decision resting with the estates director.
In the past there had been a tendency to
hang on to old equipment as long as they
did a reasonable job.
“When I first came to the university, we
had a triple that must have been at least
fifteen years old. It was hanging on by a
thread,” said Paul. “We’re trying to get
away from that these days, making sure we
keep our machines up-to-date, and our
business manager is now looking at lease
purchase as the way forward. We have no
affiliation with any particular manufacturer
and always try to be entirely pragmatic
about every single acquisition.”
“The only area where we import help is
what I call weed and worm spraying of the
sportsfields. We get a contractor in twice a
year, in April and October, to handle this
for us. With only six hectares it is not worth
investing in specialist kit.”
Summer schools on the campus ensure
that grounds work at Canterbury is very
much around the calendar. An added
pressure this summer will be the presence
of the Nepalese Olympic and Paralympic
squads, though Paul is uncertain yet what
their pitch demands will be.
“University life is just great,” says Paul. It
certainly seems so
because, if time allows, he
intends to embark soon
on a part-time degree in
animal conservation.
MAJOR Roller Mowers
Schools & Colleges
The view across to Canterbury Cathedral from the campus
“We have no
affiliation with
any particular
manufacturer
and always try to
be entirely
pragmatic about
every single
acquisition”
Major
Machinery
Major Equipment Ltd, Heysham, Lancs, LA3 3JJ Tel: 01524 850501
W W W . M A J O R - E Q U I P M E N T . C O M
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 95

Schools & Colleges
Joe Cooper’s life at Milton Abbey School has evolved
into much more than being a groundsman, and it’s a
position he treasures. It’s not hard to see why, when
you can work in beautiful surroundings in the
peaceful Dorset countryside
Report by Laurence Gale MSc
Joe Cooper and Brian Pitman
FARMER JOE -
happy as a
pig in ...
Milton Abbey School occupies
one of the most picturesque
sites in Dorset, if not England.
As the school’s name suggests,
the grounds are dominated by
an impressive abbey, and the later added
gothic style house.
It is fortunate, for pupils and visitors
alike, that the abbey escaped the fate of
many monasteries during the time of
their dissolution in 1536. It is perhaps
even more fortunate that Capability
Brown was later commissioned to sculpt
the land, as it is a truly stunning setting.
The Headmaster is Gareth Doodes, the
school’s seventh since its foundation in
the 1950s, who took up the post in
August 2010. He is currently overseeing
new building works for when the school
96 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
becomes fully co-educational later this
year.
Milton Abbey is a ‘small’ school in
terms of the number of pupils - just
under 300 - but has a big heart and big
ambitions, all concentrated around the
Abbey. Manned by a full time Anglican
Chaplain, the school meets three times a
week for chapel. There is a daily
Eucharist, Compline on Wednesdays, and
evening pray regularly through the week.
The Abbey choir sing on major school
occasions.
Whilst history records that the original
church was founded in the 10th century
by King Athelstan of Wessex, that three
Monarchs have visited the site, and that
various Lords, Ladies and Barons have
occupied the house, this lowly serf is here
to meet up with the school’s Head
Groundsman, Philip (Joe) Cooper.
Joe has been at the school ‘man and
boy’. During his twenty-two years service,
he has been instrumental in developing
the sports grounds to the excellent
condition they are in today.
He has a team of five to assist him.
Brian Pitman is the Deputy Head
Groundsman. Lee Mitchell, Chris Prior,
Chris Oram (gardener) and Nigel
Everetts make up the rest of the team.
The grounds accommodate one senior
football and rugby pitch, two grass
hockey pitches, one lacrosse pitch and
one floodlit, all weather pitch for multisports.
In the summer, the school
provides three cricket squares and a 400
metre grass athletics track for summer

sports day.
The sports pitches and outfields are
soil based, having a 300mm depth of
natural soil overlying Dorset limestone
bedrock, so they tend to drain very well.
The sports pitches are mown weekly
between 25-30mm, depending on time of
year, using a Toro triple cylinder mower.
Every year, Joe renovates the winter
sports pitches, usually scarifying,
vertidraining, topdressing and
overseeding them. He is governed by a
tight budget, so not all the pitches get
the amount of topdressings he would
like; he often has to prioritise which ones
get topdressed. Sixty tonnes per pitch is
the norm.
The staff take pride in the presentation
of their pitches and currently use a spray
jet linemarker for best results, marking
on a weekly and/or fixture basis. String
lines are used at all times.
In addition, there is a nine hole golf
course, designed by Peter Aliss in 1972,
that wraps itself cozily around the abbey.
It is here that the best views of the
building can be had, along with some
magnificent old cedar trees, all of which
appear to watch every shot played!
Brian is in charge of maintaining and
presenting the course. It is available to
150 local members all year round, who
have access every day from 8.00am until
12.30pm, and at weekends. Afternoons
and evenings are reserved for the pupils.
Greens are mown daily in the summer
months and kept at around 5mm. Tees
are mown twice or three times a week to
Schools & Colleges
The golf course wraps itself around the abbey
12mm, and fairways are cut at 15mm
once a week. The rough is also cut
weekly. The school have invested in a
Toro 5500 fairway mower and Toro 3100
Triple cylinder mower to maintain the
course.
Joe, Lee and Chris Prior look after the
cricket facilities. The main square has
seven wickets, of which four where relaid
two years ago, digging out to a depth of
100mm and replacing with new Ongar
loam. Joe and his staff carried out the
work themselves and have been very
pleased with the results, which has led to
Dorset U17s now regularly playing on
the square. Dorset U10-U18 also use the
cricket facilities three time a week during
the summer.
The setting for the sports pitches is
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 97

Schools & Colleges
Look through any window ...
breathtaking. Not only are they very
well presented and have good playing
surfaces, the combination of the golf
course marrying into the winter sports
pitches and general landscape areas
must make it one of the most idyllic
sports facilities I have visited.
Due to its rural location, the school is
able to offer pursuits that others may
not. These include horse riding, clay
pigeon shooting and its own pheasant
shoot.
With a traditional approach firmly
rooted in the countryside, the school
has recently developed its own farm
project, keeping pigs and sheep, rearing
pheasants for its shooting days and
growing produce. The vegetable plots
provide a learning resource for the
students to have a go at growing, with
the successful crop being used by the
Joe Cooper The Milton Abbey grounds team
98 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
school kitchens. The entire school sits
down to a formal meal twice a year with
food that is solely produced from its
own grounds.
Over the years, Joe has acquired a lot
of skills developing and increasing the
diversity of the school grounds. He has
always been interested in animal
welfare, so the recent move into farming
makes the job, for him, even more
interesting, even though it is a lot of
additional work, as the animals need
attention every day, come rain, shine,
Easter or Christmas! Joe and the team
have already had success breeding pigs
and sheep.
The school also runs a stableyard for
pupils who want to keep their own
horses.
During the summer months, the
abbey is also a popular venue for

Stunning views from the top of the abbey Down on the farm
weddings, so the gardens and grounds
must always look their best. Chris Oram,
the school’s gardener, is responsible for
maintaining all the shrub and flower
beds. Every year he designs new bedding
schemes, buying in plugs and growing
them on in their own polytunnel.
Joe continually looks at ways to
improve the grounds and has a good
working relationship with both the
bursar and headmaster. Between them
they ensure the school remains one of
the best environments for those who
attend the school. As with any
independent school, the presentation of
the grounds, the quality of the playing
surfaces, along with the ambience of the
site, play an important role in its identity
and success.
Towards the end of my visit, Joe took
me to the top of the abbey; over 300
tortuous steps up a stone spiral staircase,
to where the views were simply
breathtaking. He also showed me around
the school and inside the abbey, which
was equally impressive, with some very
fine sculptures, stained glass windows
and architecture. We even went into the
Kings Room where large portraits of past
British monarchs were on display.
Joe must have one of the most diverse
jobs in our industry. It
really has become a way of
life for him and his family;
they also live on site and
feel very much part of the
school. In fact, you could
say he was as happy as a
pig in ...
Schools & Colleges
What’s in the shed?
New Holland TC40 Tractor
Agriport Topper finishing mower
John Deere 855 tractor (in need of
replacing)
John Deere Pro Gator with topdresser
attachment
Toro 5500 fairway mower
Toro 3100 triple cylinder mower
Ransomes Mastiff 36” cylinder mower
2 x Lloyds Paladin pedestrian cylinder
mowers
Ransomes Super Certes pedestrian
cylinder mower
Honda Pro Rotary pedestrian mower
Hayter 56 mower
Various Stihl blowers, strimmers and
chainsaws
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 99

Equestrian
Craig Williamson
“This winter we have had
growth everywhere. It has
been unbelievable - we
were mowing until
December and started
again at the end of January!”
Groundsmen at dual purpose race tracks often have to work
hard to provide the ideal going for flat and national hunt
meetings within the same season but, at Sandown, Estate
Manager Craig Williamson and his team achieve this feat on
the same day.
Jane Carley heads to Esher in Surrey to find out how it is done
Craig Williamson, Estate Manager, Sandown Park
SANDOWN PARK -
ready for anything!

Sandown Park is a true all purpose
track, with its flagship Bet365
Gold Cup Festival in April
hosting flat and jump races on
the same card, and all courses
converging onto one hardworking home
straight.
Therefore, presenting optimum going
for both flat and national hunt horses is
a major challenge for Estate Manager,
Craig Williamson, and his eleven-man
team.
“The course is quite narrow, especially
in the back straight, so it takes quite a lot
of planning to accommodate chase,
hurdle and flat races,” Craig explains.
“Watering is especially complex to meet
the different going requirements. In
2011, the dry spring meant that we had
to water the flat track for the Gold Cup
Festival, where it is usually only the
jumps tracks.”
The running rail is moved for every
meeting, and even between race days at a
two-day fixture to give fresh ground and
avoid poaching. “This means that, in
February, we are racing on ground last
used in November, so it is level and there
may even be some grass growth,
although this winter we have had growth
everywhere. It has been unbelievable - we
were mowing until December and started
again at the end of January!”
When Craig moved to Sandown Park
from Worcester in 2000, a drainage
programme was about to get underway.
“It was much needed - we lost the first
five meetings after I started! Sandown
Park used to be renowned for being wet,”
he comments.
The installation took four years to
complete, but has proved worthwhile,
with waterlogging no longer an issue.
However, Craig suggests that drainage
schemes need careful monitoring and
maintenance.
“The home straight drains to an
ancient spring fed pond which has been
Equestrian
here since the site was a monastery, and
the outlet needs regular cleaning to
avoid silting up.”
With a high proportion of sand,
especially on the back straight, watering
is an important task, with the irrigation
system updated in 2008 to utilise three
Briggs boom irrigators.
“This gives us peace of mind that we
can get the water on, with just one
operator and myself - as I live on site, I
do a lot of the out of hours watering,”
Craig comments. “We do still use tow
line irrigation on the bends as they are
too tight for the Briggs, but it is a much
more accurate system altogether.”
Water is sourced from the mains,
although a small borehole was dug when
drought threatened supplies a few years
ago, and provides an additional source.
Mowing takes place three times a week,
and Sandown Park has recently
purchased a Toro R3240T ride-on,
backed up for areas such as the grass car

Equestrian
The home straight from the grandstand
parks by the Hayter it has replaced.
“The Toro gives a much improved cut
with a more upright sward and is very
productive - it cuts almost half as much
again as tractor mounted mowers,” Craig
comments. “We have used gangs and
tractors with outfront decks, but this is
much tidier and gives more flexibility to
cut the different areas.”
With ongoing grass growth through
the winter months, the light footprint of
a ride-on also means that the team can
keep on top of it without risking damage.
“We had 14mm of rain in the last week
of January, but were still able to get on
and mow.”
For the mixed national hunt and flat
Bet365 Gold Cup Festival in April, Craig
aims to get a ‘happy medium’ from cut
heights. Maintaining a height of 11.5cm
(4.5in) through the winter keeps a good
ground cover, and it goes down to 10cm
(4in) for the spring meeting, before
dropping to a recognised flat racing
height for the summer flat season.
Craig comments that the team ‘throw
everything’ at preparation for the April
feature meeting, with a seven week
renovation period after the last jumps
fixture in March.
“We have been lucky this year that we
could decompact in January as it was so
dry, and take advantage of the grass
cover. We normally do it in March, and
there is always the risk of doing more
damage than good.”
Three quarters of the track remains to
be overseeded in March, other areas
have been treated over the winter as they
were ‘put to bed’ - and this is done with a
102 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Charterhouse drill seeder, as well as
manually.
A new deal with Barenbrug gives Craig
access to Bar 50 SOS, a ryegrass blend
formulated to germinate in low
temperatures and give fast recovery from
damage, and this is used to green up for
the February meeting, before a return to
the straight rye Promaster 79 supplied
under a Jockey Club Racecourses group
agreement.
“We haven’t put a lot of seed on this
winter as we have had only minimal
damage,” he comments. “And, although
the Bar 50 SOS is useful for areas that
need a rapid solution, most treated seed
is equally good now and gives rapid
germination.”
Craig also uses germination sheets to
get the seeds off to a good start,
especially on take-offs and landings,
although he cautions that they need
careful monitoring to avoid yellowing
and maintain consistent growth and
colour across the course.
Divot mix is a Mansfield Sand 50/50,
with lighter, sandier mixes avoided due
to the risk of kickback. “But we use very
little, just six loads in 2011,” Craig points
out. “The aeration work and rail
movements that we do means that
damage is easier to repair - there is little
‘punching’ and more flaps of turf that
can be replaced.”
Multigreen 15:0:8 controlled release
prills is used over the winter, achieving
sustained colour and growth.
“The release is temperature rather
than moisture related, so there is no risk
of a flush in wet weather, and the results
have been very good,” comments Craig.
“We will use a spring Multigreen for
April and May to give a long lasting
effect, and then move to an NPK 15:5:20
before the Eclipse meeting in July, which
is the highlight of our flat season.”
Levelling is achieved with a light
Cambridge roller, and works hand in
hand with aeration and slitting to get the
desired finish. “The Wiedenmann
aerator suits our track and our workload
well, as we would not have time to get
the water on that would be needed if we
open it up too much,” Craig explains.
Since a restructure, Craig’s team of
eleven groundsmen work as one unit
rather than being dedicated to estate,
gardening or track which, he says, is
much more efficient. “Many of the team
are very experienced - one has been here
for forty years, and we work well
together,” he explains.
Raceday casuals are essential, however.
“They do a tremendous amount of work
on racedays - I don’t know how courses
managed when you could never be sure if
they would turn up or not! ‘Treaders’ keep
the ground in good condition between the
races, which is expected by the trainers
these days, and also make the repair work
easier by preserving the grass.”
Craig was just twenty-four when he
came to the course, and the role of estate
manager at one of the largest and busiest
racecourses in the country is
undoubtedly a challenge, but one which
he also clearly relishes.
Machinery deals
Under the ownership of Jockey Club
Briggs Irrigator Toro R3240T in action Volksworld - three days remedial work

Many of the Sandown Park groundstaff live in accommodation
provided by the racecourse, and their pets often get involved with
proceedings. Groundsman Stuart Menzies’ kitten Poppy was keen
on being in the photos!
Racecourses, Sandown Park
takes advantage of an
exclusive supplier agreement
with John Deere for tractors,
and a preferred supplier
agreement for other
equipment, including the
‘invaluable’ Gators. The Toro
mower is an exception,
purchased at a keen price as
an ex-demo machine.
“It was a bit of a culture
shock when the Deeres came
in, as we had used Massey
tractors before,” admits
Craig, “But we are very
fortunate - every groundsman
would want a John Deere
tractor once he has used
them.”
Sandown Park is also in a
unique position as far as
maintenance and servicing is
concerned - agricultural
engineers, A&P Services, has
its base on site and looks
after all the equipment. Very
useful for peace of mind
when a large item of kit, such
as an irrigator, goes down!
Concerts and other events
Sandown Park has been
amongst the pioneers of postracing
music concerts, which
encourage racegoers to enjoy
the facilities once the
meeting has finished and
bring new fans to the sport.
Fortunately for Craig, they
It’s not unusual to have concerts
have little impact on the turf
areas as the stage is set up on
the Grandstand apron with
the audience on the front car
park. Parts of the chase
course form an overflow area
for picnics and catering
concessions. “There were a
few problems with waste from
the catering vans in the first
year, but it has improved a
lot!” he says.
Recent concerts have
included Tom Jones and the
Scissor Sisters, with toy
collectors fairs, antiques fairs
and classic car auctions
adding to a busy events
calendar. As an example, the
VW exhibition, Volksworld,
requires three days to get the
site back to normal during
the busy March renovation
period, and a Christian
festival, which places a
marquee over the paddock
for two weeks, all add to the
challenge, but Craig says:
“Events and exhibitions form
an important part of
Sandown Park’s income, so it
is our job to keep the estate
looking good for these
customers too. Presentation
of the
paddock and
floral displays
are also part
of the job.”
Fornells 10100
Running Rail
Fornells 10108
Running Rail
Crowd Barrier
& Gates
Www.fornells.com
Equestrian
UK Distributers of Fornells Products
01748822666 / 07966529666
www.wattfences.com
billwattfences@aol.com
Boost the efficiency of your turf drainage
systems with Sports Rubber Crumb from
rubber banding pioneers, Gartell & Son
Used as a backfill within slit and band drainage systems, our rubber
crumb positively resists compaction to maintain the free downward
movement of water.
The result?
• Drainage systems better able to handle heavy or prolonged rain
• Surfaces remain open for longer and return more quickly to play
• Less disruption and downtime benefiting clubs and players alike
Produced from recycled tyres, our rubber crumb also makes a great top
dressing, promoting a freer-draining turf surface – with reduced wear
and tear on players and mowers!
Delivered to your site in one tonne sacks, our Sports Rubber Crumb will
make a noticeable difference to your turf’s performance.
We know. We use it ourselves.
For more information and prices,
please phone Gartell & Son
on 01963 370752 or
email enquiries@gartell.co.uk
www.gartelluk.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 103

Technical
Seed germination is one of the most fundamental processes
of nature. It is a source of immense debate on how to achieve
optimum establishment when sowing grass seed mixtures. You
only need to look at the thread of comments and observations
on the Pitchcare message board to see that it is something
that concerns many turf managers who experience variable
results.
By Simon Taylor UK Sales & Marketing Manager and Bjarne
Frølund European Turf Product Manager, Euro Grass BV
Germination
Summed Up
Euro Grass Seed Testing Laboratories
“Locked inside every seed is the
blueprint to producing a quality
turf, but only if given the correct
conditions to fulfil that potential”
104 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
There are no real mysteries about
germination, although some
would have you believe that all
kinds of potions are required for
grass seed to germinate. It’s a
process that’s been taking place for
millions of years without our
intervention. By understanding a seed’s
basic requirements, we can then utilise or
adapt environmental conditions that
support germination and seedling
development.
Seed Structure and Germination
That dry husky thing, that arrives every
year as your seed mixture, holds far more
than its appearance would convey.
Locked inside every seed is the blueprint
to producing a quality turf, but only if
given the correct conditions to fulfil that
potential. Without the combination of
adequate oxygen, temperature and water,
the process cannot take place. This may
sound fairly obvious, but it is usually one
of these key factors that are missing if
you’re having trouble in getting your
seed to germinate
During seed
germination the
seed has to absorb
water, which swells
the seed to break
the outer husk
and trigger the
embryo into
producing the
hormone
gibberellin (GA).
This growth
regulating
hormone activates
the aleurone layer
which, in turn,
secretes amylase
for the hydrolysis
of starch and
proteins into the
endosperm. The
breakdown of the
starchy endosperm
then supplies
sugars, which are
consumed by the
emerging radicle
extension from the
seed and feed
early roots and
first leaf
development.
It is at this
point, when the
seedling has
exhausted the
food reserves
within the seed,
that germination
ends and establishment starts. This is a
critical phase in the life of the grass plant
when they are most vulnerable to
mechanical damage, water stress and
disease. The seed has now done its job
and no longer has any influence on
further development. It is then external
environmental conditions which
determine how successful establishment
is.

Fig 1: Composition of a Single Seed
Soil Temperature and Germination
So, with these basic requirements in
mind, let’s look at some points for
consideration for your pending
renovation programmes.
No matter the weather conditions, a
lot of grass seed is going to be sown out
this coming spring but, at this time of
year, it makes sense to focus on soil
temperature in relation to germination.
Obviously, the goal is to achieve the very
best results, whether renovating or
establishing new sports surfaces.
The first step for the seed in its
germination process is the absorption of
water. In early spring, there will be
plenty of water/moisture available for the
seed, but later on, especially if the seed
bed preparation is done without regard
to the capillary water, water shortage can
be fatal.
Germination is strongly related to soil
temperature. The higher the soil
temperature is in spring the quicker
germination will be. Seeds sown in
conditions below the basic (minimum)
temperature for germination (this value
varies from species to species), will not
start their germination processes.
If a seed needs to wait for suitable
ground temperatures, there is an
increased risk of reduced seed viability
through either rotting or the food source
within the seed becoming depleted as
the seed falls in and out of the
germination process.
Danish research has shown that the
respective grass species require certain
accumulated soil temperatures before
they will achieve suitable germination
Fig 3: Temperature Sum Influence on Germination Rate
levels. A seeds germination rate can be
calculated based on the temperature
sum. The temperature sum is defined by
the daily temperature the seed is
exposed to minus the basic temperature
for germination.
The table below shows the basic
temperatures that different grass species
need in order to initiate the germination
Table 1: Basic Temperatures
Poa pratensis 3 O C
Lolium perenne 2 O C
Festuca arundinacea 4 O C
Poa annua 2 O C
process. For example Poa pratensis has a
basic temperature of 3 O C. Once sown,
the soil temperature will begin to
influence the seed germination process.
Therefore, one day at 10 O C will add 7 O C
to the temperature sum (average
temperature minus the basic temperature
equals the temperature sum).
Furthermore, a weekly average
temperature of 11 O C will give a
temperature sum of 56 O C and so on. The
temperature sum is a vital component in
the prediction of the rate of seed
germination.
Temperature sums can be translated
backwards into days. In figure 3, the
number of days required for seeds to
reach 50% germination can be seen for
four different grass species at three
Days from seeding to 50% Germination
Fig 2: Seed Development: Germination to Establishment
Technical
different average temperatures.
As you can see with all four species,
increased average temperature improves
germination rates dramatically. In reality,
average temperatures as low as 5 O C are
not ideal to kick start the germination
process. These values highlight the
importance of temperature as a key
factor in this complex process.
Only a small increase in daily averages
results in a large change in the
temperature sum which, in turn, leads to
a very visible reduction in germination
time. Equally, higher soil temperatures
will result in faster seedling growth and
overall establishment. Lolium perenne is,
naturally, a rapid germinator, but
unfortunately so is Poa annua!
Germination test is one of the most
important parts of the certification
regulations. In the laboratory, Lolium
perenne must germinate eighty percent
as a minimum, but in lab practice well
over ninety is often achieved. The
pictures show Lolium perenne seven days
after test start, which equals the first
counting in Lolium perenne. The shoots
are now already approximately seven
centimetres high due to optimal
conditions (30 O C day temperature for 8
hours + light for 8 hours and 20 O C night
temperature for 16 hours), which cannot
be reached in the field, even though it is
worth a try. The second count, after
fourteen days, will normally only add
zero or a few percent to the germination.
In the field, we also want fast
germination in order to maximise
germination rates.
This, therefore, highlights the
significance of the forthcoming
months and the weather they
may bring. Will there be the
prolonged winters of previous
years, or will warm south
westerly winds bring an early
spring?
Predicting the climate we will
experience can be left to the
weatherman, but judging when
best to sow your mixtures lies
in your hands in making use of
your facilities equipment and
local weather conditions.
Forcing seed to germinate into
conditions which will not
sustain good growth thereafter
is not good practice!
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 105

Technical
Trees represent an
important resource for the
environment. They provide
carbon sequestration,
replenish oxygen, provide
habitat for vertebrates and
invertebrates and, when
trees die, they can be
utilised for various
products. In the early
days, golf balls were made
from the Gutta-percha
trees (Eucommia
ulmoides), which was used
to make the ‘guttie’ golf
ball.
By Joe McConville,
Arboricultural Association,
Irish Branch
As with all resources, trees need to
be managed. Young trees need to
be tended and protected from
pests. Trees have a natural life
span, and some species live
longer than others, oaks will live well
over 300 years, whilst cherries may only
live seventy years. As trees get older they
are more prone to disease. Different
species will be attacked by different
pathogens. The disease pathogens are
often latent in the environment and, as
the tree ages and loses its ability to
defend itself, it becomes more prone to
infection.
Some pathogens are more aggressive
and will attack vigorous trees and
generally result in wide spread damage
to the tree stock. A classic example of
such a disease was Dutch Elm Disease
which did so much damage in the 1970s
and 1980s. The current cause for
concern is Phytophthora ramorum,
described in the USA as sudden oak
death syndrome. This fungus is infecting
Japanese larch, but has been found on
other species growing in close proximity
to infected larch.
Trees can play a very import role on
SAFETY
Management
of TREES
the golf course; they can be planted to
create pleasing surroundings for the
course; planted strategically to define
fairways; they can be used as markers;
they can be planted to divide fairways
which are vulnerable to attack from
others holes.
Golf courses that are built in existing
parkland settings will also utilise existing
mature trees as obstacles to define the
golf course layout, and define the
character of the course.
Tree management
Good tree management should be
proactive; the financial requirements
should be evaluated and integrated into
annual operational budgets. In order to
evaluate the financial implications, the
golf course should prepare a tree
strategy. This is a document which sets
out how the overall tree resource is to be
managed. It provides the means for
moving away from reactive crisis
management to a more proactive
approach. A tree strategy provides a
clear rationale for ensuring that
adequate resources are allocated on an
ongoing basis.
Sinking branch

Inonothius dryadeus - fungal bracket Honey fungus on a stem
An important element to any strategy
is having a risk management programme
whereby trees will be subject to regular
inspection, especially older trees.
In order to prepare a meaningful
strategy it is important to have a
comprehensive inventory of tree
resource.
When managing trees on a golf course
for risk, certain criteria need to be
considered. The landowner has a duty of
care under the occupier’s liability act to
ensure that anyone entering onto the
land is not at risk of injury. Therefore, it
is important that trees, or parts of trees
that are potential hazards, have been
identified and appropriate action is
taken.
In the event of an incident, in order to
avoid being held legally responsible for
that incident, a landowner must be able
to prove due diligence and show that all
possible and reasonable precautions have
been taken, and that proper checks and
records were made.
When undertaking a hazard risk
assessment, an important consideration
is the potential target. Where a tree with
defects is located in an area, which is
rarely, or occasionally used by golfers or
staff, it may be acceptable to retain such
a tree which, if it were in an area of
frequent use, would warrant immediate
felling.
When assessing trees, an
understanding of the trees biology and
growth habit are important, together
with a knowledge of the diseases and
defects that are likely to affect them.
There are three areas of a tree, which
need to be reviewed:
1.The roots, root buttresses and lower
stem
2.The stem and branch structure
3.The foliage
Each area will have specific issues that
may need attention.
As trees age, they are more likely to be
affected by root and butt rots. These are
decay fungi, which are part of the natural
environment, which can weaken the
structure of the timber in the tree and
render it prone to failure. The fungi are
often tree species specific. Different fungi
have different pathology and, whilst the
presence of some fungi can mean the
risk of immediate failure, others are very
slow degenerating fungi and their
presence may not require immediate
action. For example, the presence of
Ustulinia on beech is usually very
serious, whilst Beefsteak fungus on oak is
a manageable pathogen.
Decay fungi produce brackets, fruiting
bodies (mushrooms). These can be
annual, and annual brackets are seasonal.
Dryads saddle appears in May/June, and
Giant Polypore appears in the autumn,
late August-October. The brackets can
also be perennial, that is they remain on
the tree and often increase in size every
year.
Being able to recognise each fungal
bracket is important, and appreciating its
significance is critical. Field guides such
as the Arboricultural Associations
publication An Arborists’ Field Guide -
Fungi on Trees, is a very useful booklet to
identify the various common fungi that
cause problems for trees.
It is important to examine the base of
Technical
trees for basal cavities, wounds on root
buttress and movement or cracks in the
soil, which can be an indication of root
problems even in the absence of fungal
brackets.
Problems with trees can also manifest
themselves on the tree’s stem. Loose
bark can be an indication of stem decay.
Excessive peeling bark on sycamore can
be an indication of Sooty bark disease,
however, this observation should be
cautioned with the normal bark peeling
of a similar species, plane trees.
Bleeding cankers, both bacterial and
fungal, will produce tarry exudates from
the bark, which can be terminal for some
species, such as Horse chestnut infected
with Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi.
Structural defects may also show up on
the stem, such as spiral cracks, increment
strips, and buckling and loose bark. Bark
creases and cracks are often an
indication of internal weakness in the
stem.
The presence of ribs on the stem, these
are protrusions on the stem, which are
indicative of an internal crack. Pointynosed
ribs are often more dangerous
than snub-nosed ribs. Non-uniform
swellings in the stem can be an
indication of internal defects and
possible failure points.
The crown of the tree can also pose
problems, especially in mature trees such
as unions, which are points of potential
breakage. These are most problematic in
maples and beech.
Trees which have been previously
pruned and that have produced
regrowth, which is often multi-stemmed,
can be at risk of breakage due to top-
“A tree strategy provides a clear
rationale for ensuring that adequate
resources are allocated on an
ongoing basis”
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 107

Technical
Giant Polypore
heaviness or end loading. Remedial
solutions may include restorative pruning
or, in extreme cases, felling.
Trees with a dense branch structure
can have rubbing/crossing branches
which are weakened and at risk of
breakage.
As trees age, branches start to sink, this
can be observed as gaps appear in the
canopy. Sinking branches can be at risk
of failure. Options for remedial action
can include branch reduction or cable
supports.
The foliage in the canopy of trees can
often be an early indication of serious
problems. Reduced leaf size, or leaf
density, can be indicative of root and
systemic problems. Trees will often suffer
from aesthetic foliage problems such as
Guignardia leaf blotch of Horse chestnut,
Tar spot on sycamore or a more
debilitating foliar disease, such as
blossom wilt of cherry.
As mature trees decline they start to
retrench, that is, the distal parts of the
canopy are shut down. This manifests
itself as crown die back. This can be a
very obvious early indication of tree
decline, especially during the summer
months.
Split stem at weak union
108 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Trees can also go into decline as a
result of non-pathogens. Trees struck by
lightning will have bark cracks and
localised area of crown die back.
Chemical damage from herbicide spray
will cause foliage die back.
Insect damage is not generally a
serious problem, especially when there
are cold winters. However, during mild
winters, insect populations can build up
in sufficient numbers to cause foliage
problems; conifers are more at risk, for
obvious reasons. In the past, problems
with cypress and spruce aphids have
been significant.
Solutions
Once potential serious defects are
identified, a management solution needs
to be considered. One option is to move
the target. This may involve restricting
the public from the area or closing part
of the course during periods of extreme
weather.
Remedial tree works should be
considered; this may include branch
removal, crown reduction and lateral
branch reduction, and supporting weak
branches with cables or braces. Trees,
which have suffered root compaction, can
Ganoderma resinaceum - fungal bracket
have the ground decompacted with an
air spade, and then mulched, which can
help restore root vigour and reverse
decline. All remedial tree works should
be carried out in accordance with
BS3998: 2010.
Trees which are in decline or may, in
fact, be dead or dying, have a very
important part to play in the
environment. Where possible, deadwood
should be left in trees for invertebrates,
and, where possible, dead standing trees
should be maintained. These can be cut
back to ‘hat stands’ or poles as
appropriate, as they provide habitat for
invertebrates, bats, birds and potential
feeding and nesting habitats. Not to
forget hunting and plucking perches for
birds of prey.
Before embarking on a dramatic
solution, which may include felling,
specialist advice should be obtained from
a suitably qualified and competent
arboricultural consultant.
More information at www.trees.org.uk
This article first appeared in
Greenside magazine, the
official publication of the
GCSAI. www. gcsai.org
“Trees which have
been previously
pruned and that have
produced regrowth,
which is often multistemmed,
can be at
risk of breakage due
to top-heaviness or
end loading”

THE REMARKABLE
LANDSCAPE BLADE
FROM MARUYAMA
Precision quality cutting edge
Self sharpening, scissor action blades for efficient cutting
No flying debris - clippings stay where they’re cut
Water proof housing - can be used underwater
Fits any Maruyama Multi-Cutter Power head
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 01902 440278
EMAIL YOUR ORDER TO SALES@AMENITY.CO.UK
THE POWER
IN OUTDOOR POWER
®

Technical
Normally carried out
under the cover of
darkness, away from
prying eyes, revetting pot
bunkers has been a
closely guarded secret
passed down through
generations of
greenkeepers.
Iain Wakeman, Links
Superintendent at Rosslare
Golf Links in Ireland, has
risked his life by telling us
the mystery surrounding
this art and by revealing
the skills involved,
stage by stage
There are many steps involved in the
construction process before any work
takes place. When constructing a pot
bunker, the site must be visited, and
all the work that needs to be carried
out should be considered, i.e. design, any
contour work to enable the bunker to fit
into the landscape, the bunker’s size and
shape, the severity of the angle of the wall,
the depth of the bunker, irrigation and
associated works - pipes, cables, zones and
decoders - construction, including time,
materials and labour and, most importantly,
if it is a member club, the members’ wishes.
All these factors have to be looked into
before any sitework proceeds.
Bunkers are usually rebuilt in the same
shape and style as before, in keeping with
the aesthetics of the course. These bunkers
usually last between five to eight years,
depending on aspect and the amount of
play the bunker receives. Photo 1 shows how
a pot bunker can deteriorate over the year,s
with photo 2 showing the damage caused by
the accumulation of sand splash out.
Selection of turf is important for building,
as it should not have a high amount of
thatch in it or long grass growth, as this will
Revetting pot bunkers -
UNDER THE
COVER OF
DARKNESS!
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4
allow for excessive sinkage. Usually, the
shape of the turf should be between 1” to 2”
thick (photo 3), 12” wide and between 18”
to 24” long.
There are two schools of thought with the
layered sod, grass side up or grass side
down. It is felt by some that if the grass side
is up, you will have a better chance of a
grass face bunker, with less chance of
erosion of the face. However, during the
summer months, this will incur a lot more
maintenance, as the faces will have to be
brushed and trimmed. Grass side down will
create a black face bunker. It may need
some application of herbicide, but will need
little or no maintenance thereafter.
However, the black face bunker is more
susceptible to erosion, and will have to be
rebuilt sooner.
Sand selection and depth, including
consistency or texture, is also very
important with pot bunkers. A ‘happy’
medium must be found between members’
expectations of playability, and the
suitability of sand to the course. Ideally, the
sand should be local, native and indigenous.
However, not all courses have this luxury. It
is possible that over 200 tonnes of sand
would be required just to fill 75 bunkers to a
2” depth. This does not include
replenishment from well played bunkers,
sand splash and wind erosion. Bought in
sand must satisfy the golfer (a very difficult
task, as it is a personal thing for each
individual). In Ireland, lime and salt levels
in sand are a major consideration. Sand
particle distribution, shape and size are also
high on the list for consideration.
To start the actual building, you will need
some powerful lights to undertake the work,
under the cover of darkness (a highly
secretive thing!)
Remove approximately a metre of turf
from the edge of the bunker (photo 4). Use
a 12” sod cutter, and keep any good sod to
use as building turf. This will reveal the full
extent of the work to be completed. If there
are associated contours, it is best to remove
the sod from these areas too at this point.
The extent of the removal of top turf
depends on whether it is a rebuild or a new
bunker.
Gather all playing bunker sand into the
centre of the bunker, this is used as backfill.
The turf that formed the old side walls can
now be removed. You will find the old
Photo 8 Photo 9 Photo 10 Photo 11
110 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

Iain Wakeman
Photo 5
original base, which by this time is a firm
black layer of old turf from which the shape
was determined (photo 5). On a new
bunker, the first ring determines the shape,
and an optional layer of sod can be used to
form a base. Once the old foundations have
been established, then the building of the
side walls can start.
The first ring determines the shape and
size of the bunker, and time must be spent
on this to get it right (photo 6). The
foundation must be compacted and level. A
poorly formed or unlevel first ring will be
seen in subsequent levels all the way up the
face of the bunker. Each layer of sod must
be compacted, and the backfill behind this
sod must be compacted and levelled. From
this point, it is just a case of repeating this
ring on each level. This is repeated until the
desired levels have been reached, all the
time maintaining level layers, including
from front to back of the turf. Cutting slits
from behind makes it easier to bend the turf
around (photo 7).
The art of building a bunker starts to
come into play as you build up. Each level
should be stepped back by the same
amount. A thumb width is a good guide, but
Photo 6 Photo 7
it may require a little more, or a little less,
depending on the steepness of the face and
the severity of the angle required (photo 8).
The centre and top, or highest point of the
bunker, should point towards the centre of
the green. At the end of each step, around
the sides, a triangular piece of turf is used
to blend each level (photo 9). Any
remaining back fill sand can be used to level
off the surrounding capping area (photo
10).
As the top layer has been shaped, a
straight edge bar can help as a guide to
blend the top of the bunker into the
existing sward (photo 11). The turf can now
be replaced around the top of the bunker
(photo 12). Start at the lowest point when
re-capping the bunker, and start the
sodding from the bunker edge and work
out, this ensures the turf will stay firm and
locked into place (photo 13)
A turf floor, if not already present, should
be laid down with the grass side down
(photo 14). This ensures the grass dies, and
stops stones coming up from the sand
below, and also allows the raker to maintain
the desired level of sand in the bunker. In
Rosslare, this is as close to 2” as possible.
Photo 12 Photo 13 Photo 14
Technical
At this point, we can trim the bunker
edge, and place in the newly chosen bunker
playing sand. The sand can be placed in
level with the floor, or a small amount
added at the base of the wall to create a
dish shape. It is important to compact this
as a ball can plug in it. The dish shape
attempts to give the golfer a better chance,
as the ball will roll away from the bottom of
the wall.
In general, it will take a couple of staff
three to four days to complete an average
size pot bunker. It does depend, again, on
the amount of contour work to be
completed outside the bunker, and the size
of the bunker (main photo above).
It is unfortunate, with the advent of
televised golf and expectancy of golfers,
that players should have a perfect lie and an
easy shot from the bunker. History has been
long forgotten, a pot bunker was once
formed by grazing sheep scraping out the
ground to find shelter, and became an
exposed area of sand and, ultimately, a
hazard to be avoided.
This article first appeared in Greenside
magazine, the official publication of the
GCSAI. www. gcsai.org
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 111

Technical
Choosing the right sand can
be a huge decision. Graeme
King, Managing Director of
leading sports sands supplier
Hugh King & Co, reveals
some of the key factors to
consider.
Sand can play a defining role
in the creation of high
performance sports turf. It
can encourage fine grasses,
which are generally more
desirable. It can improve
shoot density, which enhances
the quality of the sward, and
it can dilute organic content
in the surface layer, helping
to firm up the green.
Applying the right sand can mean
the difference between building
up a surface resembling a
patchwork of colours and
textures, and one that is
consistently firm and smooth. It can
mean pitches, greens and bunkers drain
in wet weather rather than becoming
clogged and choked. Choosing the right
sand can be one of the most important
decisions you make.
The first step to choosing the right
sand is to identify the composition of the
existing, indigenous sand. This will
provide the basis on which your sand
selection will be made. To properly
identify the characteristics of this sand, a
sample needs to be analysed and the
different particle sizes contained within
the sample categorised. This is achieved
by passing the sand through a series of
sieves.
Quality suppliers will have their own
laboratory facilitie. This resource means
they can test their products for
consistency and composition, and help
clients to identify the features of their
own sand.
Understandably, very few sporting
venues have their own on-site
laboratories and many will call on the
services of a reputable soil testing
establishment for quality and
performance testing. The in-depth data
and analysis that is provided confirms
different performance characteristics
and can underpin ongoing and future
maintenance programmes.
For sand, this information manifests
itself in three forms, with the most
important being particle size
distribution. This essentially shows the
range of particle sizes (in percentages)
found within a given sample and,
therefore, determines the sand’s
classification - coarse, medium or fine.
This data is key, because the amount of
particles in relation to the size of the
SAND - making the
right DECISION

particle will determine how the sand
performs in different situations.
The second information source relates
to percolation rates, i.e. how fast water
drains through the sand. This is done by
first saturating the sample - the amount
of water that enters the sand during a
predetermined period (usually an hour)
is called the infiltration rate. Different
sand types will have different infiltration
rates, which are determined by their
texture and structure. This, in turn, will
affect how quickly water percolates
through the sand, which is measured in
inches or millimetres per hour.
Since dry materials absorb water more
quickly than wet ones, the infiltration
rate is measured after the soil has been
saturated. The percolation rate for a
sandy soil is approximately 30mm per
hour.
The third crucial test is assessing the
relative pH value of the sand. This is a
measure of acidity and alkalinity using a
scale from one to fourteen; where seven
is neutral; less than seven is acidic, and
greater than seven is alkaline. It is
worthwhile pointing out that pH is a
logarithmic scale, so the difference
between a pH of 7 and a pH of 6 is 10
times the acidity, between 7 and 5 is a
100 times the acidity and, between 7 and
4, is a 1,000 times the acidity. This
clearly has an influence on how grasses
will grow and, as such, is a key indicator
to consider.
Armed with a proper assessment of
your own sand, it is now time to source a
non-native sand that will complement
and/or improve the conditioning of your
turf. As ever, this may not be as
straightforward as it first sounds.
There are many different types of sand
available, each with different
characteristics, and each performing a
different function. But, as we have found
out, the science of sand is carried out at
an almost microscopic level, where the
geography of individual particles
determines the qualities of the products.
With this in mind, there are three main
areas for consideration - particle size,
particle shape and particle colour.
Let us begin with particle size. In the
world of sand, particle size has a huge
impact on the draining characteristics of
your turf. The larger the particle size,
the more free draining the sand will be.
In many circumstances, the apparent
choice would be to opt for a sand with
the largest particle size but, sadly, this
could be a costly mistake. Firstly, particles
that are over 1mm in diameter can be an
aesthetic nuisance showing up on the
surface of a green. More concerning is
the fact that particles at this size can also
cause damage to mowers during cutting,
which leads to the prospect of kit being
out of use and the likelihood of hefty
repair bills.
Going large is perhaps not the best
option. Unfortunately, going small can
be equally devastating. If we take a
typical concrete sand, we will find a
medium containing plenty of coarse
particles, but also a fair proportion of
Technical
fine particles at the silt/clay level. These
finer particles can often bond together
causing a capping affect which prevents
water draining properly.
This problem is prevalent in golf
courses when clubs use their own sand
excavated from an on-site quarry. Whilst
the particle size may be perfectly
suitable, the natural silty/clay fraction can
affect drainage. An example of this
would be a bunker that has drained
perfectly well for a number of years, then
suddenly starts to puddle. Worse still if
this happens on the fairways or greens.
An ideal compromise is a single-sized
sand, with virtually nothing in the very
fine category. This will allow the sand to
drain consistently and is an ideal
candidate for sites where drainage is an
issue, for instance, inland golf courses.
But, of course, it doesn’t all come
down to size. The shape of the sand
particles can also play a part in drainage.
Brown sand, for instance, is wind blown
from the sea or riverbeds and, as a result,
has a rounded particle shape. This
profile means there is always route ways
between the particles, no matter how
tightly they are squeezed together
(imagine a large basket full of footballs).
These canals make brown sand ideal for
applications where drainage is
important.
Whilst brown sand benefits from a
secure network of arteries, white sand
particles are angular in shape and
naturally bed together like a stack of
triangles. Closer knit, the pointed shape
of these particles means white sand does
not drain as freely as a round-grained
sand. Moreover, because white sand is
formed by crushing sandstone rock,
which is soft in nature, the particles are
often held together with clay, which
needs to be removed through a series of
intense washing cycles.
The material differences between
brown and white sand have an obvious
influence over drainage, but the physical
inconsistencies don’t stop there. More
obvious than discrepancies in particle
shape is the clear mismatch in colour,
“Armed with a proper
assessment of your own
sand, it is now time to
source a non-native sand
that will complement
and/or improve the
conditioning of your turf”
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 113

Technical
which is determined by the level of iron
oxide in the sand - brown sand has
approximately 1.5-2.5% iron whilst white
has less than 0.3%.
That said, colour is really only
important from the aesthetic point of
view. Most golf courses, for example,
look to blend sand into the landscape, so
often choose the light-brown option
because of its natural appearance.
Although inland courses find white or
brown agreeable, with the former giving
them a pleasant contrast, white sand has
developed something of a reputation,
which some find disconcerting.
This disrepute is founded on the idea
that white sand reflects sunlight and can,
therefore, burn the grass. Its angular
shape is also charged with nipping at the
grass. The truth is, white sand has a
number of admirable qualities,
particularly in bunkers, where the larger
particles and clusters of particles keep
the sand in the bunker rather than
blowing across the course.
Despite these virtues, there are some
who would find it difficult to tolerate
white sand, particularly on links courses.
The tradition of maintaining a natural
look often precludes the use of white
sand, despite its characteristics being well
suited for the extreme weather
conditions found on these courses. It
would appear that brown is the only
option.
Happily, this isn’t the case. Combining
brown and white sand in a special blend
offers the best of both worlds - the
drainage capabilities and natural look of
brown sand, joined by the ‘stayability’ of
white. This apparent match made in
heaven satisfies a number of
requirements and would seem to be the
perfect solution, if it wasn’t for a small
caveat.
Whilst the two sands possess different
qualities separately, and an alluring mix
when combined, the method of uniting
the sands will dictate the potency of the
blend. For instance, combining two
114 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
“Going large is
perhaps not
the best
option.
Unfortunately,
going small
can be equally
devastating”
stockpiles of sand using a loading shovel
will only create a segregated mixture that
is inconsistent and unpredictable. Once
applied to a green, for instance, these
irregularities will promote variances in
drainage. Areas with too much white
sand will retain water, whilst areas
dominated by brown will drain more
quickly. Instead of a uniform playing
surface, you will have a patchwork quilt
of growth and decline.
Reassuringly, sand blends produced at
industrial sites are created using
production processes that begin with
white rock being crushed and brown
sand being added via a separate feed
hopper. The two sands are washed
together and slowly become one as they
pass through a series of processes
designed to produce a consistent end
result.
Whether you opt for a brown sand, a
white sand, or a combination of the two,
it is important to recognise the
significance of this decision. After all,
sand is the lifeblood of sports turfs. It
can encourage fine grasses, improve the
quality of the sward and dilute organic
content. The apparently simple act of
applying it can do so much.
But, selecting the right sand is an
involved process. It rests upon properly
identifying the composition of your own
sand, and then matching it to an
appropriate sand product. Size, shape
and colour all have their part to play, as
does the condition of the turf and your
ambitions for it.
Sand can play a central role in
producing high-quality turf, so choose
wisely.
Based in Ayrshire, Hugh King & Co has
been supplying sand for over 150 years. The
family owned company is run by Graeme
King and supplies over 100 golf courses
with high-quality sand for topdressing,
bunkers and soil amelioration. It also
supplies sand to a variety of winter sports
pitches. For more information, please visit
www.golf.hughking.co.uk

WHAT have you been doing in
order to keep your winter playing
surface in tiptop condition, to see
you through to the end of the
season?
We have had a dry and mild
autumn, allowing many of you to
carry out aeration using the many
types of machinery available, from
aerators with adjustable heave,
rotary decompactors, linear
aerators, to the tried and tested
tractor mounted spikers.
Groundsmen, greenkeepers and
turf professionals have a vast
arsenal of equipment at their
disposal. When conditions are
suitable you cannot overdo the
amount of aeration, and you
should be aiming to wear out at least one
set of tines a year in your machine.
Regular brushing is another basic operation
that is often overlooked on all playing
surfaces, whether it is with a hand pulled
6ft dragbrush or tractor mounted brushes
from 6 to 20ft wide.
This stands the grass plant up, allows the
plant to breathe, helps to keep a dry
surface free from disease and hence reduces
the reliance on chemicals for disease
control.
If, for some reason, you have suffered from
damage to your playing surface, as I
witnessed recently at a well-known football
club’s training pitch when one of the
reserve team managers decided to carry out
intensive training in four or five areas,
decimating the surface, then pick a dry day,
resort to the old hand fork, and try and
repair as much as you can.
It may be necessary to topdress the pitch
with around twenty tonnes of appropriate
sports turf sand.
Technical
What have you
been doing? TURF
Richard Campey offers some advice for getting your pitch through to
the end of the season and beyond, and then gets all dewy eyed about
the type of equipment he was using ‘back in his day’!
TIP
Gone are the days when this had
to be done with a wheelbarrow
and shovel. Now, we have spinner
topdressers that can spread
material evenly up to 30ft wide
with minimal surface footprint.
In fact, over the last thirty years,
the industry has welcomed a vast
amount of new and innovative
machinery that should enable
everyone to maintain their
playing areas in tiptop condition.
It is also important, at this time of
year, to plan ahead for your end
of season winter pitch
renovations.
Liaise with your machinery
suppliers if you are intending to
purchase new machines, it is no
use leaving it to the last minute in placing
an order and expecting machines to be
delivered the next week.
Order your materials in good time, as well
as book your contractor for the dates and
time you will require him, to ensure a
trouble free season of sport.
To remind us of how fortunate we all are, I
will leave you with a few photos of how it
used to be done!
Top row l-r - forks and rakes; pricking and spiking equipment; Fergie and
heavy duty piercer.
Bottom row l-r - hand push hollow tine machine; knapsack sprayer; spiking
units, roller and dragbrush; weedkiller applicators
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 115

Technical
In this final article in the series,
Andy Watson (Andy Watson Golf
Design) will consider fairways.
Specifically, he will discuss their
structure and placement within
the golf course. The fairway is
the glue of the golf course
holding all other elements
together, and becomes the
target point for the golfer if the
green is not in sight or range. It
is typically a mown strip of turf
consisting of principally a
landing zone or set of landing
zones and a run to the green.
Fairways should consist of a
clean sward of turf cut short
enough that it is an advantage
for the golfer to play towards
them. They should reward
accuracy, but give options as to
how the golf hole is played,
where possible
The fairway was originally a
description of the desirable area
within which to land the ball.
The original links golf courses
wouldn’t have had clear cut
fairways that would be recognised by
today’s manicured standards, but the
term originates from the fairer ground
created by continual grazing by the
animals that were kept on or naturally
inhabited the links land, and it is these
areas that will have defined where best
to place bunkers near, or greens upon.
Structure
The fairway consists of two main parts,
the fringe which links the fairway with
the green, and the landing zone(s)
which are designed to receive a ball
and set up a shot to a second landing
zone or to the green. The size and
shape of a fairway is usually governed
by its surroundings, but should also
provide strategic options as to how the
hole should be played by the
approaching golfer.
The fringe is the section of the
fairway, typically forming an apron
shape at the front, that links the green
and the fairway together. The fringe is
usually cut at an interim depth to the
shorter green and the longer fairway,
The anatomy of a golf course -
FAIRWAYS
but all should allow for a ball to roll
across the surface. The fringe has
become a fashionable element of the
golf course, as the nature of the shorter
cut turf allows the maintenance teams
to create attractive cross hatch patterns.
The fringe can stretch out and
around the green to encompass
approximately the last fifty yards of the
hole, creating great short game
interest. A golfer missing the surface,
or intentionally laying up short, has the
option of playing a variety of shots,
including bump and runs, flop shots,
or even putting. Hollows that were
once easily attacked with a lob wedge
can now be putt through, adding
another decision making point for the
golfer to consider.
Fringes can provide aesthetic
interest, but in the guise of a short
mown hollow they are now considered
an equal or even greater challenge
than the bunker, due to their
unpredictable nature. The picture right
shows an example of a large fringe
area. Conversely, some designers and
tournament organisers prefer to
remove a lot of the fringe to force the
golfer to play chip shots from relatively
thick rough if they miss the green, and
this can also provide a stiff challenge.

Tom Doak’s design at Renaissance touches on the traits of
links courses by providing extensive fringe areas, creating
some interesting short game challenges
The landing zone is the area of the
fairway that has been designed to attract
a high percentage of tee shots. I try to
create slightly larger, flatter (where
possible) areas in the fairway at the point
where the majority of balls are likely to
come to rest. If the golfer finds this area,
they will then be rewarded with a more
advantageous position from which to
attempt their approach shot.
When a series of landing zones are
created, the designer can create vantage
points within the fairway which are
smaller to hit, but gain higher reward, or
bluff the golfer into thinking that they
should play towards a larger, more visible
landing zone that has a tighter angle of
approach for example.
On new sites, these areas should be
sought out in the pre-existing
topography, and modified as little as
possible, in order to limit the unnatural
feel that can be created by too much land
movement. Where there is no
topographic interest, landing zones
should be formed with a subtlety that
makes them look natural to the
untrained eye.
Multiple landing zones can be created
if the situation calls for a split fairway, or
when there is enough space for the hole
to be played in different ways. I have also
been exploring the merits of staggered
landing zones on longer par 4s and par
5s. The issue being that, whilst the
designer at present caters purely for the
tee shot of players of differing abilities,
by staggering the teeing grounds in
order for all golfers to be able to find the
same landing zone, the approach shot
will still be vastly in favour of the longer
hitters versus shorter hitters.
I have completed a sketch study to
show how shorter hitters may be catered
for by using a set of staggered landing
zones and teeing zones, meaning that on
approach, the shorter hitter should be
nearer the target than the longer hitter,
balancing out both shots for all levels of
golfer. Figure one shows two similar
holes. The standard hole shows tees
playing to one landing zone, whereas the
improved hole shows tees playing to four
staggered landing zones.
The size and shape of a fairway will
vary greatly depending on the available
space for each hole. With ample room at
Augusta, for example, Alister MacKenzie
and Bobby Jones’s original design idea
was to cut out large paths through the
trees of the pre-existing orchard and
mow almost everything in between as
fairway, giving the golfer options on
Technical
“There must always be an
alternative route for
everyone, and thought
should be required as
well as mechanical skill,
and above all it should
never be hopeless for the
duffer, nor fail to concern
and interest the expert”
Bobby Jones, Course Designer, Augusta National
every tee. Jones’s words from the Golfer’s
Year Book reiterate this; “There must
always be an alternative route for
everyone, and thought should be
required as well as mechanical skill, and
above all it should never be hopeless for
the duffer, nor fail to concern and
interest the expert”.
However, Augusta National currently
has a more considerable rough line and
longer and tighter fairways, potentially
losing some of the design’s integrity.
Tighter courses may not afford such
Figure one: Sketch study showing how staggered landing zones can improve the
fairness of a hole.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 117

Technical
“In order to tie the golf hole together, the fairway line
should generally look to pass through the landing
zone incorporating the bunkers within its skirts”
luxury, but it is usually still possible to
create a varied challenge with the correct
placement of hazards. A fairway which is
twisted on a diagonal can be a successful
way to create interest or, more subtly,
creating or utilising a pre-existing roll or
plateau within the fairway line can set up
an advantageous and disadvantageous
position in relation to the green.
The golf course architect looks to
create a playing area wide enough for
balls to find a good selection of landing
points, which will help to spread wear
whilst also creating a realistic challenge.
Fairways that include steep slopes can
sometimes struggle, with many balls
landing in a relatively small area leading
to wear points which, after a playing
season, could be littered with divots and
bad lies. The architect should look to
avoid these issues at the design stage by
making some subtle adjustments that can
spread the wear of these problem areas.
In order to tie the golf hole together,
the fairway line should generally look to
pass through the landing zone
incorporating the bunkers within its
skirts, tempting the golfer with the
preferred landing zone between these
points. This should be wide enough to
conceivably land a ball struck at full
length with a driver in most cases,
equating to a landing zone of between
20-40 yards wide, although some courses
can include much wider fairways.
Fairways are time consuming elements
of golf course maintenance, and the
acreage of the eighteen fairways within a
typical course directly reflects the
amount of time taken to maintain them.
This has meant that some courses have
greatly reduced the width and, in some
cases, the length of fairways in order to
cut down on the man hours taken to
maintain them, adding to the likelihood
of the average width stated above.
The overall course size also adds an
upper limit to the likely width of a
fairway as the hole should, at all costs,
look to integrate with its surroundings. If
it is hemmed in on both sides by other
holes, then the fairway, visually, should
look to fill approximately a third of the
available space, to allow for clear
separation between one hole and the
next (see figure two below).
Placement
When designing a golf hole on paper, I
look to add the fairway line last. This is
the element of the hole which draws the
other elements of the hole together. The
playing area will typically expand around
the landing zone, and contract in the
areas where fewer balls are likely to come
to rest. It will wind through bunker
complexes and wrap around the green,
incorporating some run off areas that
may help to create greenside playing and
aesthetic interest.
The levels of the fairway have to be
shaped to allow for shots to be played
from it, to appeal enough for shots to be
played at it, for it to be aesthetically
pleasing and visible for the approaching
golfer, and to tell a story, or sometimes
sell a story about how the golf hole
should be played. Without the fairway as
the central focal point of the golf hole,
there would be no hierarchy of targets to
be aimed at, the hazards would simply be
floating in an empty field, and the hole
would struggle to make sense.
The fairway’s relationship with the
rough is also very close. The designer’s
decision on where the fairway line is
placed is as much about the importance
of a good lie as a bad lie, because the
fairway line will obviously always
determine the rough line.
In a lot of cases in the modern game, a
semi rough line is cut for the first few
metres into the rough to aid golfers whose
balls trickle off the fairway. Past this point
the challenge for the golfer increases. A
shot played into the rough should lessen
the available options to the golfer. The
ball is less likely to spin from a lie in
longer grass, and may be more impeded
by obstacles such as trees or a bunker
complex within the line of sight to the
green, and the shot will have to be played
Figure two: Illustration showing a well proportioned fairway to rough ratio.
118 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
stronger and truer to find a similar length
and accuracy to those shots played out of
the fairway. It is, therefore, an important
element within the strategy of a golf hole.
The conscious designer will look to
create a naturally shaped rough line
which generally follows the contours of
the hole and interjects the playing line at
points that will challenge the golfer. For
instance, the fairway may be a diagonal
form which tests the golfer from the tee
to carry as much of the rough line in
order to progress down the fairway,
knowing that, if the first bounce finds the
rough line, it is likely to affect the final
length of the drive.
Deep rough lines generally tend to
correlate with the semi rough and rough
lines, but shouldn’t interject with the
playing line unless the hole is a relatively
sharp dogleg, or there is a forced carry.
Deep rough, if maintained and placed
correctly, can also add to the aesthetic
complexity of a golf course, adding
depth of textures and colours. This
feature should be used rarely as a hazard,
as balls can be easily lost in thick rough
lines resulting in slow play. Yet, if placed
well away from a target line, but still at a
point which is clearly visible, can add
much to the aesthetic appeal of a golf
course.
Summary
I look to create fairways that link with
the other elements of a golf hole to
provide a varied challenge throughout
the course of a round. The fairway
should balance and reflect all other
elements of the course, either preexisting
or designed, and should create a
path for the golfer to aim towards and
play successfully through, rewarding
them as they find the right points within
the wider hole.
This article has considered the fairway
as the lynch pin of the other elements of
the golf hole, and has given an insight
into the elements that I look to include
when successfully designing the fairway
line into a golf hole.
In this series Andy Watson
has picked the four major
elements of a golf course
and dissected them to
provide an insight into the
fundamentals of an
architect’s approach to
designing a golf course.
We hope you have found
all four articles interesting
to read. If you are
interested in Andy’s work,
or are interested in
working with him, you can follow him on
twitter @AWGolfDesign, be a ‘fan’ of his
facebook page (search for Andy Watson Golf
Design), or visit the website
www.andywatsongolfdesign.co.uk.

Technical
GIVEN much
THOUGHT to
your RED
DIESEL
lately?
The fact that the
specification for red
diesel (BS2869:A2 gas
oil) changed significantly
in January last year
passed many people by,
including, it has to be
said, many regular users.
This is not to say that
regular users of red
diesel aren’t experiencing
problems or aren’t
questioning the
operability of their
machinery - in fact, the
reverse is true. So, what
is going on, and what
has changed?
Neil Ryding, Managing
Director of FAST )
Fuel Additive Science
Technologies), explains
The manufacturers of modern
diesel engines, whether they be
for on-road or off-road use, are
coming under increasing pressure
to comply with stringent timescales
on emissions reduction from their
engines. As a result, a huge amount of
time and effort has been, and is being,
devoted to the mechanical design of an
engine and its exhaust system in order to
minimise noxious gaseous and
particulate emissions. Consequently, ever
tighter tolerances are being seen in the
sophisticated fuel injection systems in an
attempt to maximise combustion
efficiency, and the inclusion of sensitive
exhaust after treatment devices is now
commonplace. So far, so good on the
engine, but is the UK’s red diesel up to
the job? This question is important, as
the vast majority of modern engines are
calibrated to run on DERV – EN590.
Evidence over the past 12 months
suggests that many vehicles running on
red diesel require a little ’help’ if they are
to operate at optimum performance.
Fuel
Since the start of 2011, in order to help
with the performance of catalyst-based
exhaust treatments, and via an EU Fuel
Quality Directive, the maximum sulphur
content of red diesel for mobile non-road
engines (i.e. tractors, backhoes etc) was
cut by a factor of 100 (to 20ppm at the
point of delivery) whilst, simultaneously,
the maximum biodiesel content can now
rise to 7% by volume. The cetane
number was unchanged at 45, but this is
also critical.
What Does This Mean for the End-
User?
Lowering the sulphur content of a fuel is
nothing new: road diesel and petrol
jumped this hurdle without much
problem some time ago. Talking sulphur
out, however, does reduce the ‘oilyness’
of fuel – its natural lubricating properties
- as during the removal process some
extremely useful lubricating
hydrocarbons are also lost. This matters,
as a lower fuel ‘lubricity’ results in
excessive or premature wear in the very
close-tolerance parts of common-rail
injection pumps and injectors. The
current specification does counter this by
specifying a lubricity measure, and fuel
supplied to this specification should, of
course, cause no problems. Note that
fuels substantially exceeding this
minimum lubricity specification can
benefit from improved fuel economy.
The second change affecting the
maximum biodiesel content is potentially
the more questionable. At a maximum
7% by volume, it is now equivalent to the
DERV specification. Whilst more
biodiesel in the fuel does increase its
lubricity, it does have a number of
downsides, including:
• a much-increased water pick-up
potential, leading to a decrease in
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 119

Technical
“The words ‘gas oil’
or ‘red diesel’ in
themselves are
generic terms that
mean nothing and
everything at the
same time”
calorific value, increased corrosion
rates and damaged filters
• a reduced cold-weather handling
performance
• an increased incidence of
microbiological growth - the ‘diesel
bug’- leading to sludge problems,
blocked filters and fuel starvation
• the promotion of ‘layering effects’ in
bulk storage
• a much reduced fuel shelf life which
can lead to sludge from fuel oxidation
products
• increased deposit forming tendencies
This last point is critical as it can lead to
restricted flow in the injection system,
which in common-rail engines, where
injection pressures are extremely high
and spray patterns complex, can result in
catastrophic failure of the injectors
themselves.
In terms of vehicle performance and
engine operability, it is probably the
fuel’s cetane number (the measure of
how readily diesel fuel burns under
compression - in general terms, the
higher the number the better) that is
having the most profound effect. At a
cetane number of 45, red diesel is below
DERV by 6 points and engines expecting
to burn DERV often struggle, with
typical symptoms being power loss,
“We are out
of step with
the rest of
Europe, which
uses DERV
produced to
EN590”
120 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
intermittent idle, excessive smoking and
general ‘rough running’.
Here, in the UK and Ireland, we are out
of step with the rest of Europe, which
uses DERV produced to EN590 with a
minimum cetane number of 51 to power
its off-road vehicles: given the constraints
and expectations being placed on them,
global engine manufacturers are
reluctant to supply or calibrate engines
just for the UK and Ireland.
What Is Being Delivered As Red
Diesel?
Red diesel should be supplied according
to BS2869:A2 gas oil, but recent
evidence suggests that fuel distributors
or end-users rarely see a detailed
delivery note or a certificate of analysis
to this effect, and much is taken at face
value and on trust. The words ‘gas oil’ or
‘red diesel’ in themselves are generic
terms that mean nothing and everything
at the same time and, whilst it is not a
legal requirement to provide a
specification, without one the consumer
is blind to what he is receiving.
Much is also made of the supply of
‘FAME-free fuel’ (i.e. containing no
biodiesel). This is increasingly a tough
claim to make. As has been explained,
biodiesel can be included in both red
diesel and DERV and, indeed, all road
fuel should contain a minimum of 5%
renewable content by April 2013 under
the Road Transport Fuel Obligation. It
should be assumed, therefore, that
biodiesel is present already throughout
the UK’s diesel pool, at least by the
effects of co-mingling, unless your
supplier is prepared to put it in writing
that it is not. Note also that some parts
of Europe allow B20 fuel (20% biodiesel
content), and the more often that fuel is
moved around Europe and imported
into the UK (as is increasingly the case),
then the more likelihood of an increased
bio-content in the UK diesel supply.
Another common claim is that red diesel
is simply DERV with a red dye added,
and you are getting ‘premium fuel’ at red
diesel pricing. If you are lucky, this may
be the case but, again, it can’t be
assumed, and our recent evidence is that
the UK’s refineries continue to produce
two distinct products or are importing
increasing quantities of low grade diesel
for use as gas oil.
In summary, therefore, there is now huge
potential for variability in the off-road
bulk fuel, and fuel-quality related
problems continue to emerge on a
routine basis. In addition, it is difficult
for consumers to discover what is being
delivered. The Department for
Transport’s ‘Fuel Quality Directive Gas
Oil Requirements’ suggests that fuel
stocks are turned over at least every six

months, and this advice is echoed by various
other sources.
Vehicle manufacturers and suppliers now specify
the expected fuel quality and/or required fuel
additives in the vehicle manuals, and are
increasingly prickly about warranty claims made
for a vehicle run on non-approved fuel, especially
if it involves the exhaust after treatment.
Fuel additives and conditioners are available in
different forms from a number of companies.
They set out to do several jobs, either as problemspecific
individual fuel treatments or as broadspectrum
products.
Typically, additives can do one or more of the
following:
• Raise the fuel cetane number, usually to a
minimum of 51
• Increase fuel lubricity – the ‘oilyness’ of the
product
• Dissolve and remove deposits from the injection
system components
• Counter fuel oxidation during storage
• Encourage water to come out of suspension in
the fuel so existing water traps can remove it
• Lower the temperature at which waxing starts to
occur
• Counter any increase in microbiological activity
within the fuel
The use of such additives is now commonplace in
the agricultural and construction sectors and,
whether you regard them as positive benefits,
necessary evils or insurance policies, they are
worth a closer look.
Technical
“The more often that fuel
is moved around Europe
and imported into the
UK, then the more
likelihood of an
increased bio-content in
the UK diesel supply”
FuelAdditiveScienceTechnologiesLtd
Unit29AtchamBusinessPark
UptonMagna
Sh Shrewsbury b
ShropshireSY44UG
Tel:01743761415
Fax:01743761075
sales@fastexocet.co.uk
sales@fastexocet.co.uk
• Rough RoughRunning? Running? ••PowerLoss? Power Loss? ••BugContamination? Bug Contamination?
•WaterPickUp? •EngineDamage?
WeHavetheSolutions...Contactyourlocalmachineryorfuelsupplier
Or Orcontactusdirecton01743761415
contact us direct on 01743 761415
Visit our website at www.fastexocet.co.uk
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 121

Technical
MONTHLY
Diaries
I STILL see too many clubs not doing enough
work on their greens during the winter
months. The clubs that made the effort to
keep on top of basic maintenance regimes,
that is to say they carried out some forms of
aeration, kept their sward mown and applied
some iron to help retain colour, will have a
head start on those who did nothing.
Soil and air temperatures will soon rise once
we get a few hours of bright March sunshine
(hopefully). Surfaces will dry out, allowing you
the opportunity to get on with your planned
spring work.
March
Priority work for the start of the month is to
aerate the green to help gaseous exchanges
and increase water infiltration through the soil
profile, an application of iron sulphate will
help improve colour and kill any moss that
has established during the winter months;
some clubs apply a lawn sand to kill the moss.
You will need to ensure your mowers are ready
for the start of the season, serviced and
sharpened and ready to go. Check your height
of cut, you do not want to be cutting too low;
some clubs may even use pedestrian rotaries
to help clean up the green and carry out their
initial cuts.
Ensure you brush the dew off the green before
cutting, this helps reduce the amount of water
on the leaf blade, a dry leaf cuts better than a
wet one. This can be done dragging a hose
pipe, a drag mat or drag brush or a switching
cane, which keeps the green clean and
removes any dew or surface water. Keeping the
surface dry will help stop the spread of
disease. There are a number of drag mats or
brushes that can be used. See the Pitchcare
shop for details - brushes/ drag mats.
April
Mowing should be more carried out more
frequently now, at least 2-3 times per week.
These frequencies can often be dictated by
budget and the club's level of play. The height
of cut should be decreasing until the optimum
cutting height is achieved for the standard of
play, usually between 4 and 5mm.
Do not be tempted to cut any lower, especially
if members are complaining the green is too
slow. Cutting below 3.5 mm is really asking for
trouble. Cutting off too much leaf material will
put the sward under stress. The grass plant
needs its leaves to manufacture energy for
growth.
Mower blades should be adjusted and checked
before use, mowing too low, and with blunt
blades, will affect your sward in many ways,
leading to uneven surfaces and scalping. This
can leave your turf grass susceptible to
disease.
The bowling green playing surface will benefit
from some light rolling in April. This is
usually achieved whilst mowing, using the
weight of the mower to achieve the desired
results. Motorised turf irons (fine turf rollers)
can also help prepare final levels on the
playing surfaces.
The condition of the green will dictate what
remedial works need to be carried out as part
of your spring renovation programme. In
most cases the Greenkeeper will be looking to
aerate, topdress and feed his green.
Pitchcare’s online monthly diaries
are offered as a general overview of
the work required at that time of
year. Here, we offer a summary of
the work to be carried out in March
and April.
For more up-to-date information
visit www.pitchcare.com where you
will find details for all sports
BOWLS CRICKET
122 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
AS we move out of winter, and with spring just
around the corner, we are hoping the worst of
the winter weather is behind us. With the
increased daylight hours, milder weather and
warmer temperatures, this should stimulate
some much needed grass growth. We can now
look towards to getting on with some serious
business of preparing the cricket square and
outfield for the forthcoming season.
March
Keep an eye out for disease and worms, spray
accordingly.
Brushing or switching of the square is a must
to keep any disease from attacking the sward.
As soon as possible, the square must be
"squared off". Check all machinery has been
serviced and sharpened ready for use. Light
verticutting and mowing the the square at 15-
18mm should be carried out, subject to local
weather conditions.
Fertilise the square with a low nitrogen, higher
potassium feed to harden the sward, NPK
6:5:10 +6% Fe would be suitable in most
cases. Carry out renovation to bare areas such
as ends and foot holes. Start pre-season
rolling, if not already done so.
Continue with pre-season rolling. Aerate the
square by sarrel rolling when finishing your

Weeds, Pests and Diseases
The only control for moss now is an application of iron sulphate,
which is traditionally applied as a lawn sand or in a liquid format
made from soluble iron powder. More recently, granulated high
iron products have become available which can be more
convenient to handle and apply.
Care should be taken when applying these chemicals, as over
dosing will lead to sward damage. Once the moss has been killed,
you will need to remove it by scarifying, brushing or verticutting.
However, do not over do it, we do not want to scar the surface too
much and affect bowl roll.
Disease: Keep an eye on fungal disease attack, and use approved
fungicides to treat infected areas.
Union Jack pattern. Dragbrush to lift sward
before mowing the square to encourage sward
density.
Outfields will also need some attention, with a
light harrow, mowing at 25mm and aerating.
Check sightscreens and covers are in good
condition. Keep records of work carried out,
core samples, mowing and rolling.
Recommission your irrigation systems and
check you have not had any frost damage.
April
Continue with pre-season rolling. Aerate the
square by sarrel rolling when finishing your
Union Jack pattern. Keep an eye out for
disease and worms, spray accordingly.
With reference to worm control though, you
will be wasting your time and money applying
worm suppressants, such as Carbendazim,
whilst the soil temperatures are still cool; it is
best to wait until the soil warms up
significantly, or when worms are active
following a wet spell.
Continue brushing or switching the square to
keep any disease from attacking the sward. A
light verticut or scarification of the square to
remove lateral growth, whilst mowing the
square regularly, will increase your sward
density.
Fertilising the square with a low nitrogen,
higher potassium feed will harden the sward,
an NPK 6:5:10+6%Fe would be suitable in
most cases. Carry out renovation to bare areas,
such as ends and foot holes.
Artificial netting facilities should be checked,
cleaned and marked out ready for use.
Later in the month, pitch preparations should
be started following the 10-12 day guidelines.
Outfields will continue to need some
attention, with a light harrow, aerating,
topdressing and mowing height reduced to 15-
18mm.
FOOTBALL
MARCH will often herald a steady rise in
ground temperatures leading to grass being
stimulated into growth, albeit sporadic.
One consequence of this is a very thin and
patchy sward that provides ideal sites for weed
colonisation, leading to an increased need to
apply a selective weedkiller.
This is likely to cause headaches for some
groundsmen struggling already on low
budgets, and having to find extra money to
increase the rate of their oversown grass seed.
For this reason, it will be important to think
about the possibility, after completing your
renovation, that you may need to complement
it with a further smaller seeding programme
later in the year to strengthen any weak areas
of the pitch.
March
Hopefully you will be well under way with
your planning and material acquisitions for
your pitch renovation programme, and
equally giving thought to how you may be
tackling the possibility of an extended season
over the need to get onto the pitches to carry
out the work.
Pitch presentation at this time of the year
remains important. Well striped pitches with
lines that are both bright and straight, and
Technical
Fertilising
Some bowls greenkeepers may already have fed their greens with
a spring fertiliser some weeks ago, but will not have seen any
benefit due to the recent cold temperatures. However, now we are
receiving some better weather, these applied fertilisers will begin to
kick in and promote some much needed growth.
Fertiliser application and use of turf tonics can be continued in
accordance with your annual programme. If you don't have a
fertiliser programme, have your soil tested; try an independent soil
analysis company for an impartial set of results.
Most groundstaff will be applying a spring/summer N P K fertiliser,
perhaps something like a 9:7:7 which will effectively get the grass
moving during April.
goalposts that are both upright with nets that
are tidy, will help to take the eye off some of
the thinner areas of grass.
Keep a look out for the visible signs of
nutrient deficiency and compaction which may
lead to the ingress of Anthracnose. Not often
a devastating disease, but it may become a
noticeable issue when encouraged by both
conditions found often in pitches at this time
of the season.
Getting your soil test carried out is now a
priority to ensure that your nutrient
programme can be mapped out for the
summer, leading into the start of your next
season.
Later this month, you will need to start
seriously thinking about and gearing up for
you renovation programme, and tying up any
loose ends to ensure that you programme runs
smoothly.
The pressure comes from then not having the
resources to complete the renovation required
by the extra wear. Keep up with the ongoing
maintenance, as this will encourage the grass
as it comes out of dormancy.
April
Very importantly, brushing, harrowing and
dragmatting should continue regularly to
maintain surface levels and air circulating
around the grass plant.
Continue with your spiking to help relieve
compaction levels and to ensure there is
plenty of oxygen getting into the ground.
Your renovations should be kicking in later
this month. Give some consideration to how
you will achieve your objectives i.e. what are
your problem areas?
How are you going to solve the problems and
what methods are you going to use to carry
out the tasks effectively? Work out timescales
for each step of your renovation programme.
Quite often there are lots of things to think
about, so preparing a plan is a good idea.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 123

Technical
Aeration and sweeping
Aerate when conditions allow - hand or
machine aeration to aid surface drainage,
varying depths of penetration to prevent the
development of a soil pan. If there is
opportunity to aerate, then do it. Regular
winter aeration provides air space for the roots
to expand into and allow the plant to breathe.
Sweep daily to remove dew and surface debris.
Using a brush or a SISIS quadraplay will
restore levels and produce striping or banding
aesthetics.
RUGBY
SOIL and air temperatures are now rising into
double figures, which should bring some
encouragement for the grass to grow and
begin its recovery.
Coupled with March drying winds, you will be
surprised how quickly pitches begin to dry out
and warm up.
March
It is important to ensure your mowing
equipment has been serviced and sharpened.
Carry out aeration work to increase aerobic
activity and get some much needed oxygen
around the grass plants' root system. Regular
spiking and, if possible, the introduction of
sand dressings will definitely improve
soil/water movement in the top 100mm of
your pitches.
Keep up with the drag brushing/matting or
harrowing when conditions permit, for dew
and wormcast dispersion and to help stand
the grass up prior to any maintenance work.
Repair divots as soon as possible after games
or training, with particular attention to the
scrum and line out areas.
If your budget allows, carry out some
overseeding, particularly on the bare areas.
This will be very beneficial in promoting grass
coverage for the coming spring and will give
124 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
the new grasses longer to develop.
Later in the month, levels may need to be
restored in areas where scrums have occurred,
by light topdressing, seeding and raking over.
Infill any holes that have occurred in the pitch
surface with a sand/soil and seed mix. Lightly
roll after repair work, preferably with a
pedestrian mower.
Renovations should be in the forefront of your
mind. Bear in mind any problems that you
may have encountered during the season
(“wet-spots” or poor drainage). Try to solve
these problems during or before renovations
start.
April
April is also a good month for applying spring
and summer fertiliser products. Ideally, it is
good practice to undertake at least an annual
soil test to analyse the nutrient status of your
soil. This will help ensure you only apply what
is required, and not waste money and time
applying products you do not need.
Most groundstaff will be applying a
spring/summer N P K fertiliser, perhaps
something like a 9:7:7, see Pitchcare Shop for
range of fertiliser products which will
effectively get the grass moving during April,
then towards the end of April/early May
applying a slow release fertiliser to see you
through June/July.
However, the choice of materials and how well
it works can be dependant on many factors,
including soil type and the weather, with
moisture and warmer air temperatures being
the catalyst for growth.
Brushing or sweeping the pitch daily helps to
remove dew and remove surface debris. Using
a brush or a Sisis quadraplay will restore levels
and produce aesthetically pleasing stripes.
Apply a fertiliser dressing, if required, on the
basis of the results of a soil analysis.
Dragmatting and brushing
Dragmatting and brushing: Continue the
work of brushing to keep the air circulating
around the base of the plant, particularly
important for removing early morning dew
and controlling disease. Pay particular
attention also to the goalmouth areas and
centre circles, post match, to lift the grass
back up out of muddy areas. This is also
important in keeping surface levels.
Divoting
Divoting: This is important work and
should be completed after each match.
Arm yourself with a border fork and a
bucket of topdressing with a little seed
mixed in. Not every one can afford the
necessary time to go divoting on the scale
of some of the premiership grounds, but
even if you could afford just a couple of
hours post match divoting sorting out some
of the worst, I can guarantee that you will
notice the difference over time. If you
cannot afford a full divoting programme,
then you could equally tackle the worst
and clean the rest off with a mower or pick
up sweeper.
Weed treatments
Coordinate your weed treatment
programme to ensure that when you spray,
you will not damage emergent grasses in
newly sown areas. Most selective weed
killers will persist in
the ground for up
to six weeks.
Always check the
label for advice
about the correct
time to spray. If
your priority is to
spray treat your
weeds prior to your
renovation programme, then you will need
to you delay you renovations for up to six
weeks. Similarly if your priority is to
complete you renovations first, then you
will need to ensure that your newly sown
grass is well established (referred
sometimes on the label as being at the two
leaf stage) before your application.
Pitchcare’s monthly diaries are written by:
Bowls and Rugby - Laurence Gale MSc,
Editor, Pitchcare.com
Cricket - Bob Stretton, Head
Groundsman, Massey Ferguson Sports
Club
Football - Malcolm Gardner, Grounds
Manager, BA Clubs

Training & Development
Coming from a person in charge
of workbased learning at a
college, you would expect me to
argue that training is a necessity,
and you would be right, I do.
However, I would also argue that it
should not be done as a right, e.g. “we
always put our staff through level 2 and
then 3 if they stay with us long enough”.
Training for all?
Training should be an aspiration of every
member of an organisations team.
However, it should not be a one size fits
all approach. Training plans should be
created by appraisal systems, and
identification of the skills needed by the
team and the individual, for example, it
should identify gaps in skills sets of the
team and how these will be addressed.
Apart for general greenkeeping
knowledge, a greens department team
might be seen as requiring specialised
skills and knowledge in the following
areas:
- irrigation
- drainage
- spraying/weed, pest and disease
identification etc.
- budget/supervisory/coaching
- first aid, health and safety legislation,
ability to carry out risk assessment etc.
Training should not be considered just as
college or training provider courses, but
all aspects of training should be
considered, such as seminars, trade
shows and in-house training. In-house
126 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Some
thoughts on
staff training
Andrew Wight, Head of Workbased Learning for Land
Based Industries at Oaklands College, gives some
personal views on the benefits of training, with advice
to employers on how to safeguard their investment
training is often overlooked as a method
of staff development, yet is the cheapest
and often the most effective of all.
Training cycle model
When considering training it might be a
good idea to remember the training
model used by educationalists.
The cycle has five stages:
1. Identifying training needs
This involves looking at an individual or
team, and identifying where there are
skills or knowledge missing which should
be there. This might done as part of an
appraisal scheme, or as part of a
succession planning stage, i.e. to ensure
that, if key staff leave, their skills are not
lost from the team.
2. Preparation
This will mostly the responsibility of the
trainer, i.e. prepare for the delivery of
the training by producing learning
materials etc. However, the person to be
trained may also need to prepare, e.g.
doing some research on the subject so
when they arrive to be trained the
information is more readily absorbed
and understood.
3. Delivery of the training
The employer should ask how will it be
delivered, and will that be suitable for
me and my staff.
4. Applying the training
Once the training has taken place, the
news skill or knowledge must be used so
it is absorbed. A classic example of this is
the employer who sends someone to do
PA1 and 2 then does not ask that person
to spray for six months, by which time
they have forgotten most of what the
learned.
5. Evaluating the training
Once the training is done, the employer
should talk to the person who took the
training to see how effective and well
organised it was, as the skills and
knowledge gained should be tested to see
if training has been effective.
How do you persuade those who
fund the training cost to agree to
pay?
Getting people to spend money is never
easy, especially when the benefits are not
going to be automatically visible.
However, it’s always a smart idea to have
a good case:
1. The “No Brainer” scenario
This is where the reason is so clear that
no one would turn it down, for example,
“it’s free this year but may not be next
year”. At present training for 16 to 18
year olds is free, but limited to
apprenticeships. 19 plus can be free
depending on qualifications held e.g. a
25 year old with no full level two
qualification would be funded for their
course by the government, also 19 to 25
year old without a full level three would
be funded for their first level three even
if they have already had a level two
qualification*. (*Current situation subject to
change by HM Government).
“Training should not be considered just as college or
training provider courses, but all aspects of trading
should be considered, such as seminars, trade shows
and in-house training”

2. The “threat” scenario
If the above (it’s free) reason fails, you
can always use the “if we don’t approach”
this involves stating what might happen
if a key member of staff were to leave
and that skills gap became vacant.
3. The “money saving” scenario
The argument here would be it’s an
investment to help keep staff and means
we won’t have to pay contractors in
future. It costs a lot of time and money
to replace staff (interviews, adverts etc.),
so keeping good staff happy and
motivated can be a smart move. Also,
some training can actually save money,
e.g. getting someone trained in heath
and safety might save a lot of money
buying in consultants to do risk
assessments etc. each year.
4. The “Conditional” scenario
This is where we put conditions on the
training e.g. has a claw back contract if
they leave after the training. This will
help show that the money will not be
wasted and is in fact an investment by
both sides.
Making the need for training clear
A good way of doing this is to have self
development plans for all staff based on
their job role. These can be submitted to
management as a training plan for the
team. Management can then see your
reasons for the training being proposed,
and what impact it will have if the
training takes place or does not take
place. If we look at the training plan
below you can see how this might work.
Keeping staff after training
Employers often state that, “once we’ve
trained them our staff leave us”. This,
indeed, is a risk, but we can look at that
later. These employers are more than
happy, at the same time, to poach a
replacement member of staff from a
nearby club (who has been trained at that
club’s expense), therefore, what goes
around comes around. The end
statement is the industry benefits as a
whole from training and would be much
the poorer if it were to reduce. Ask
“The employer
should really
be looking at
why staff leave
when they
finish their
training”
yourself why British greenkeepers are in
demand around the world.
The employer should really be looking at
why staff leave when they finish their
training. It could just be they have
wanted to go for a long time, but just
needed the right ticket. Let’s face facts, if
someone offers you a better job with
better prospects, you would most likely
take it, so why do you find it hard to
understand it when your staff do the
same? The issue is, what should you be
doing to keep them after training?
Amongst the top three main reasons why
staff leave are:
1. Financial
This is the hardest to deal with if budgets
are tight - is there a possibility of benefits
in kind, such as free meals, club
membership etc. that might be provided?
2. Job satisfaction
Over the years, I have seen many
greenkeepers complete level 3 and yet
still not be given much responsibility or
further training and development
afterwards. They, therefore, get bored of
the work they are doing and begin to
seek out a new challenge by applying for
a job elsewhere. By varying their work,
and providing opportunities to build new
skills, a good employer can give staff
greater job satisfaction and enjoyment,
so they feel less of a need to seek out
pastures new.
Training & Development
3. Increased self value
Internal promotion can be a big morale
booster. Sometimes, a small pay increase
with a new job title can do much to remotivate
a member of staff. It gives a sense
of worth, looks good on their CV etc. The
classic example of this is the way local
authorities, some ten years ago, started to
change the titles of workers’ job roles, for
example “street cleaners” became “local
environmental hygiene operatives”.
Needless to say, when asked to write out or
discuss their profession many prefer their
new title.
Claw back options
Many employers try to avoid losing staff
after training by agreeing partnership
option. This is a contract with the staff
that states, if they leave within a certain
time period, they will have the cost of
training taken from their final salary
payment, and this is normally done on a
sliding scale:
- if they leave within six months, they
pay it all back
- if they leave within one year, 50% is
paid back
- if they leave within eighteen months,
25% is paid back
- if they leave after two years, nothing is
paid back
In effect, this can be a very fair method
to employ as it sets out a commitment to
the individual based on a mutual
understanding that the money is both for
their benefit as well as the organisations.
However, staff will go once the payback
period is over if job satisfaction issues are
still a problem.
A Final word
Training costs in time and money but is
essential to the lifeblood of any
organisation. As Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II once said “It’s all to do with
the training: you can do a lot if you’re
properly trained.”
Oaklands College is a GTC Approved
Provider for Greenkeeper Education.
Training need Reason How will it be achieved Date to be completed Review date
PA1 and 2 Only one other member Training at Anyplace college January 31st 2012 February 28th 2012
of staff holds PA2 which in January, cost £400. Plus
could be a problem if he in house training with current
were to leave spray technician to ensure
college training is made best
use of, and Fred passes the test
Mower grinding So Fred can use a grinder. Two days training with deputy February 28th 2012 March 30th 2012
The club is looking to Head GK at nearby golf club
purchase a second hand on their grinding machine.
grinder to save the cost of This has been agreed for free
sending units away to be in return for them using our
ground pedestrian auto seeder for
two days
To take control Fred is very talented at this Fred will plan and manage the March 30th 2012 March 30th 2012
of staff for work and it will help him work on the bunkers on the 5th
renovation of develop his man
bunkers on management and project
5th Green management skills ready
for level 3 planned for
next year
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 127

Training & Development
TRAINING with
pitchcare.com
Bursting out all over ...
Our programme of spring training
courses has already begun in
earnest.
The most popular ones continue to
be our one day LANTRA accredited
sports turf maintenance courses,
covering Winter Sports
(Football/Rugby); Cricket (Spring &
Summer Preparations); Bowls
(Crown & Flat Greens); and
Artificial Surfaces.
LANTRA is the UK’s Sector Skills
Council for Horticulture,
Landscaping & Sports Turf, and the
Pitchcare courses are the only ones
in our industry to have this
independent accreditation,
meaning that attendees have the
Just a quick email to say how much Alan and I
enjoyed the course last Thursday. Although we
are both very novice groundsmen we found the
course very informative and enjoyable. Chris
Parry is very knowledgeable and his delivery
was perfectly pitched for everyone on the
course. We are now both keen to get out there
and start putting what we have learned into
practice. Although having seen how the
pitches at the school were prepared we are
both now doing the lottery on a regular basis!!
Thanks very much for arranging course. We
will be keeping our eye on the web site for
other courses. Ian Williscroft, Potton Utd FC
128 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
guarantee that the content of the
courses and the instructors are of
the highest possible standards.
During 2011, four further
instructors were recruited and
accredited, all senior groundsmen
and/or sports turf specialists, so we
are now able to offer our courses
in all areas of the UK. In fact, we
recently conducted a two day
course (on Winter Sports and
Artificial Surfaces) for the
groundsmen on the island of
Guernsey, as reported in the last
issue.
These courses are designed
particularly for the volunteer or
part-time groundsman, or a young
person considering developing a
career as a groundsman. They
provide comprehensive basic
knowledge of the safe and efficient
operation of the machinery and
equipment used, and details of the
individual operations required to
maintain the particular playing
Exceptional
Exceptional course, provides me
with all the information I need to
successfully provide and produce
wickets at club level. David
Bradfield, Avebury CC
I was well pleased with the course,
gave me lots of information and things
to think about. Pete Ellis, Senior
Officer Instructor, HMP Onley
www.groundsmantraining.co.uk
surface to a safe and consistent
standard.
In March and April, we have more
than a dozen courses planned in
various parts of the country. If
there isn't a specific course in your
particular area, then get in touch
with me; we can generally get a
course up and running with just
two or three expressions of interest
- we’re very good at encouraging
people to join a course!
As an added benefit, we are now
offering a free 12 month’s
subscription to the Pitchcare
Magazine for all attendees on
these courses!
To view all the courses available in
the spring programme, just go to
Pitchcare's dedicated training
website
www.groundsmantraining.com and
have a look at the ‘Booking Now’
courses. If in doubt, give me a call
on 01902 440251.
What the patrons say Effective exercise
Here are just a few of the comments from some of our course attendees.
Frank is both very interesting and
engaging. Liam Ayears, M&B Sports
& Social Club
I thought the course was very informative
and the instructor was excellent.
Enjoyable and worthwhile day. Thought the
games (exercises) were effective and liked the
idea of (the Instructor) speaking to (my) boss
prior to course. Stephen Jack, Golf Links
Thank you for organising the winter pitch
maintenance for me at such short notice, I
found the training useful, interesting and at a
great location. Chris Thorpe, Oaklands College
Professionally Delivered
The course was delivered professionally
and proficiently from an obviously well
experienced perspective.

Alongside our General Sports Turf
Maintenance training we also offer the
following popular courses:
Dealing With Difficult People and
Situations
This one day course is of value to anyone
whose working environment brings them
into contact with the general public, e.g.
school sportsfields, local authority amenity
land, village or community sports facilities
or play areas, public parks and gardens,
theme and leisure parks.
Inevitably, such people will meet
situations of potential conflict and
misunderstanding. Such events demand
well-developed communication skills if
they are to be dealt with sensitively, with
the best possible outcome being achieved
for all concerned.
At the end of the course, delegates will be
confident that they can deal satisfactorily
with difficult situations and difficult
people.
Topics considered include the definition,
causes and stages of conflict, our natural
responses and how to adapt them, words
that work, body language and how it can
help or hinder. The course outline is
adaptable and can be tailor-made to
meet clients’ particular demands or
situations.
The course tutor is Frank Newberry.
ery clear presentation, all questions
nswered in great depth. Edward
yling, Aldenham School.
Pooley Scrumptious!
You do not find many instructors
like Mel Pooley. Excellent.
David Hirst, Kempston
Hammers BC
As a compete novice to pitch care
I found the course very
informative and feel I have gained
some valuable knowledge. Stuart
Edwards, Shrewsbury School
I appreciated the assisted learning
approach of the instructor rather than
just being given information to absorb
Trainer and counsellor Frank, a regular
contributor to the Pitchcare magazine, has
trained groundsmen and greenkeepers for
more than twenty years and fully
understands the particular challenges they
face.
Lantra Basic Tree Survey & Inspection
This one-day course aims to provide
specific tree survey and inspection training
at a basic level for contractors, highway
engineers, tree wardens, grounds
maintenance staff, rangers and other
persons of a non-arboricultural
background, or with limited arboricultural
knowledge, to allow them to identify
obvious defects from ground level and
then to report their finding to a line
manager.
The course is particularly useful for
persons employed as local authority
highway inspectors, forestry, woodland or
arboricultural employees, estate or park
rangers, farmers and other landowners or
their employees who may have a
responsibility for trees in the course of
their work.
Additionally, it may be of interest to those
who work with trees in a voluntary
capacity.
As well as the theory work, delegates
spend time outside during the day, putting
into practice the techniques they have
learned.
I thought the course was exactly what
our club was looking for. Stephen
Taylor, Maldon & Tiptree FC
Lots of information
Very good day, lots of information,
well presented and good
demonstration from expert
groundsman. Richard Newman,
Newman Gardens
Martin covered all aspects
eloquently and with great humour.
His knowledge was excellent and all
questions were fully answered.
Bryan Hillman, Loose BC
Realisation
www.groundsmantraining.co.uk
Training & Development
Essential Management Skills course
for Head Groundsmen, Greenkeepers
and their Deputies
As our initial course for 2011/12 was
oversubscribed, we are delighted to offer
a repeat course at the prestigious venue
of The All England Lawn Tennis Club,
Wimbledon on Thursday 22 March and
Thursday 24 May 2012
The course will again be led by
recognised industry trainer and adviser,
Frank Newberry.
The two workshops are separated by two
months, allowing participants to
implement their learning from Day One
back in the workplace and then bring
case studies to the table for discussion on
Day Two.
Five CPD Credits (awarded by BIGGA -
The British & International Golf
Greenkeepers Association) plus a
Pitchcare attendance certificate are
awarded to delegates who complete the
course.
For more information, or
to discuss your particular
requirements, please
contact
chris@pitchcare.com or
telephone 01902 440 263.
Realisation that artificial surfaces
require at least as much maintenance
as turf and its own specialist
machinery. John Mountford,
Guernsey Cricket Board
Maybe a little less time on
risk assessment material at
the start would allow (more)
time to look at tree issues.
Paul Thornton, Rugby School
Good, enjoyable day pitched at
the right level. Would come
back! A Di Luzio, Tiffin School
Practical guidance
much appreciated.
Roger Darbourne,
Chalfont BC
Highly Recommended
Lots of information, instructor
very knowledgeable in his subject,
highly recommended. Barrie
Duesbury, BCA
I would recommend this course, gained
useful tips from other groundsmen.
Garry Fielding, E Leeds CC.
It's been a good day, instructor (Mr Bob
Stretton) is very good in what he does.
I would like to do a course again with
Pitchcare. Many thanks. Richard
Sousa, Emerson Park School
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 129

Training & Development
Dealing with
Dodgy Interview
Questions
Following on from his ‘Quick Tips for Job Seekers’ article
in the last edition - Trainer and Motivational Speaker,
Frank Newberry, offers some advice on how to deal with
dodgy interview questions
“It is only the untrained who think they are
good interviewers. The trained ones know
their limitations!”
AT a recent supervisory skills workshop, I
got some good news and some bad news.
The good news was that a turfcare
professional I had been helping to
prepare for a job interview succeeded at
the interview and was offered a position
at a higher level. The bad news came
when I asked him ‘if the interview
questions were any good’. I like to know
the questions interviewers are asking so
that I can help other candidates to do
well at interviews.
The reply came “Frank - the questions
were cr?p”. I then immediately asked the
other people on the workshop what the
questions had been like at their most
recent job interviews. One person
immediately said - “Yeh, the questions I
got were cr?p too”. This remark was
followed by loud murmurs of agreement
around the room, with not one of the
twelve people present having a good
word to say about their turfcare sector
job interviewers.
I have been checking out turfcare sector
interviewer performance and job
interview questions now for over ten
years. Most candidates I have spoken
with over the years rate their interview
questions as “too easy” and “superficial
in nature”. Most candidates rate their
interviewers/selectors’ performance as
poor and unprofessional.
I have been training interviewers for over
thirty years and, in my experience, it is
only the untrained who think they are
good interviewers. The trained ones
know their limitations!
I have seen research results that support
this view. Untrained interviewers achieve
a success rate of just 31% (success being
measured as the ‘right person in the
right job’). However, with some training,
and the use of structured interviews and
selection tests, trained interviewers
almost doubled their success rate (61%).
In the turfcare sector, the vast majority of
interviewers are not only untrained but
most of them are not even turfcare
professionals. It is often volunteers and
department managers who do the
interviewing. Some may bring in an
agronomist on the day, but these too are
usually untrained as interviewers and
selection testers. It is sad, but hardly
surprising, that this situation continues
to prevail in the sector. But, what can you
personally do about it?
Well, you can do the usual in-depth
preparation and present yourself at
interview in a positive way. When I typed
the words ‘How to do well at interviews’
into an internet search engine, I got 116
million results! To this we can add (1) the
good advice recently on the Pitchcare
website message board and (2) a piece I
have written called ‘Doing Well at Your
Interview’ which you can read online on
the ‘Help for Job Seekers’ page of the
BIGGA website.
One thing I always encourage people to
do is to have a practice interview or
rehearsal, so that you can perfect a
smooth and flowing response to all the
questions you have predicted you will be
asked.
For one important interview I wrote out,
memorised and rehearsed the answers to
over thirty questions. Eleven questions
were asked at the interview and I had
rehearsed smooth and confident answers
for ten of them. I was a bit floppy on the
“In the turfcare sector, the vast majority
of interviewers are not only untrained,
but most of them are not even turfcare
professionals”
130 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

one I had not predicted, but I still got
through comfortably.
Your research will help you to prepare
for questions good and bad and, right
now, I want to focus on the most
common type of bad question - the
hypothetical question. Untrained
interviewers tend to use hypothetical
questions a lot. Trained interviewers
avoid them nowadays. Examples of
hypothetical questions include “What
would you do if ‘this’ happened?” or
“How would you deal with a difficult
team member?” or “How would you
handle an angry customer?”
Hypothetical questions invite you to
share your knowledge, but your answers
will not give the interviewer any evidence
that you have successfully dealt with (say)
difficult team members or angry
customers.
The knowledge you actually share at the
interview might just be what you read in
a book or researched on the internet the
night before. Good interviewers are after
people with proven ability and
experience - not people who have just
done some research.
The correct way interviewers can ask
these questions, so that they yield
evidence of ability, might be to say “What
have you done in the past when ‘this’
happened?” or “Please give me an
example of how you have dealt with a
difficult team member in the past” or
“What experience do you have of
handling angry customers?”
A trained interviewer then listens
carefully and calibrates both the content
and calibre of your response. S/he will
then either move onto another question
or probe an unconvincing or untrue
response until s/he is convinced that you
(the candidate) have had a fair
opportunity to prove your suitability.
You can differentiate yourself from those
candidates - who answer hypothetical
questions with hypothetical answers - by
giving ‘evidence of ability’ responses to
all questions.
For example, if you are asked ‘How
would you deal with an angry customer?
Rather than say “I would do this…..”
(hypothetical answer), politely ask the
interviewer “May I give you and
example?” The interviewer will then
signal you to continue and you can then
give a meaningful and true answer.
As you prepare for what most people
would describe as an ordeal, you might
consider reminding yourself that what
the interviewer wants is evidence of your
ability, and not knowledge or
reassurance.
On those occasions when you have no
experience or evidence of ability to offer
as an answer, you can, at least, choose a
strategy that has worked well for
somebody else. Again, you could ask the
interviewer “May I give you an
example?” When given the go ahead,
Training & Development
you can say ‘What worked for my
previous employer was taking the person
to one side and having a quiet word
about …’
Although you may not have personally
had that experience you will, at least,
have given an answer that is real. It will
then be up to the interviewer to probe
your response or move on. A trained
interviewer would ask “So, you
personally, did that did you?”
That said, the majority of interviewers
are untrained, so you might well get away
with it.
Good luck, then, with your next job
interview. Do your research, rehearse
until you are word perfect and try always
to give ‘evidence of ability’ answers -
especially to the hypothetical questions
so favoured by those confident, but
‘cr?p’, interviewers!
If you or your boss, or members of the
management team where you work,
would like to be trained to do interviews
that will help you to get the best people
for the job, please contact Christine
Johnson, the Pitchcare training coordinator
at chris@pitchcare.com or call
her on 01902 440251.
Frank Newberry has been helping people to
develop their careers and get better results
in the turfcare sector for over twenty years.
If you are having problems preparing for an
interview, and you think it might help to talk
about it, you can contact Frank directly via
the contact tab of his personal website
www.franknewberry.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 131

Pitchcare Classifieds
AERATION
ARTIFICIAL
CYLINDER GRINDERS
Tel: 01462 683031
email: admin@huntergrinders.com
www.huntergrinders.com
Why not visit our on-line Buyers Guide
for direct links to suppliers websites
and email addresses
www.pitchcare.com
132 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
TERRAIN
Turf and Trees
10” drill aeration
1m air injection
1m soil coring
Air excavation
DRAINAGE
AERATION
Tel: 01449 673783
www.terrainaeration.com
terrainaeration@aol.com
WORTH
DRAINING LTD
25 years in
sports turf maintenance
Verti-draining - Koro
Blec Groundbreaker
Overseeding - Sanding
Top Dressing
Hollow Coring
Tel/Fax 01476 550266
Mobile: 07855 431119/20
email: worthdraining@talktalk.net
www.worthdraining.co.uk
45
Cost effective drainage
quick and neat trenching work with
minimal disruption to play.
AFT Trenchers
Tel: 01787 311811
info@trenchers.co.uk www.trenchers.co.uk
Winter Sports
History of covers
Matchsaver’s Mike Clegg looks at the history
of frost and snow protection and finds some of
the older systems can be both costly and timeconsuming
Over the years, football
has become a sport
played with skill and
finesse but, for this to happen,
the playing surface has to be of
the highest standards. For years,
groundsmen have battled with
the elements to try and produce
the best playing surface
possible. In the 70s and 80s,
football pitches were of a poor
quality, some might say they
were more like mud baths but,
as the sport has evolved, so
have the pitches. To achieve
this, they have had to use some
form of pitch protection system.
There are a number of ways
in which groundsmen can
protect their playing surfaces
from the elements, the oldest
method being a layer of straw.
Straw is an excellent insulator,
better than any plastic or mesh
cover, and achieves this by
keeping the warm air trapped in
little air pockets, which enables
the ground to stay frost free in
very cold temperatures. Straw is
also exceptional when it comes
to waterlogged pitches, as it can
soak up the water.
These few advantages are
outweighed by the number of
disadvantages; the straw used
has to be a specific type (good,
stiff, clean, wheat straw is the
best). Handling of the straw can
be very difficult because of the
amount needed. As much as
twenty tonnes can be used on a
single pitch, which would take
many men hours to lay, and
machinery used could damage
the pitch.
Storage of the straw causes a
major problem, not only
because of the quantity but
because of the fire risk it carries.
Also, if straw is applied to a
frozen pitch, then it will keep
the frost in when there is a
thaw.
Undersoil heating has been in
football grounds since the late
50s, and is proven to work. It
can protect playing surfaces
from any frost, and can also
protect against a moderate
snowfall as long as the drainage
systems is of a high standard. If
there is a heavy snowfall, then
there is no protection available,
and clearing the snow could
damage the pitch.
The price of installing and
running undersoil heating
systems is often cost prohibitive
to many clubs.
There are several different
types of undersoil heating on
the market, the favourite being
a hot water system which is very
similar to a conventional central
heating system.
The original undersoil heating
system was made up of twenty
miles of electric cable and was
first installed in 1958 at
Goodison Park. This type of
system evolved into a wire mesh
which, if punctured, would still
work. Some more recent
undersoil systems use heating
pads which distribute the heat
more evenly. However, they still
require major excavation and
can still cause root damage.
When using a water pipe
system, precautions need to be
taken to remove scale-forming
deposits that will form on the

“There are many different
covers on the market and they
all have their pros and cons”
inside of the water tubes. A
mere 0.2mm can reduce
heating efficiency by as much as
10%, so this could be a major
issue. If this rises to 0.8mm,
clubs could be wasting as much
as 25% in excess energy, or
even preventing the system from
doing its job!
One of the best ways of
protecting a football pitch is to
use some form of cover. In an
ideal world, a permanent roof
like structure would be the best
method, but this option isn't
financially effective, so the
majority of clubs settle for a
cover that can be deployed
when needed.
There are many different
covers on the market and they
all have their pros and cons.
Most can be deployed with a
small army of men in around
two to four hours, protecting the
pitch from frost, snow and rain.
Whilst being a positive point, it
is also a negative one, as it is
back breaking work and takes
just as long to fold away as it
does to deploy.
Also, the covers are made to
be as light as possible for ease
when manoeuvring, making
them less durable when
machinery is clearing the snow
from them. Other covers use
inflatable tubes in which many
individually covers are zipped
together, and fastened both
sides of the pitch to either the
stand or ground anchors. The
inflatable roller then inflates to
raise the cover from the pitch,
and forms a tent like system
which allows the groundstaff to
access a percentage of the
pitch.
Again, like the ground sheets,
this method takes hours to erect
and can be very dangerous in
high winds and heavy snowfall,
resulting in a damaged cover
and serious injury.
Inflatable dome systems have
been used for some time, and
work very well, creating a
pleasant environment for the
grass to grow with fresh warm
air circulating. These structures
allow access to the pitch but,
again, shouldn’t be used in high
winds or heavy snowfall.
One of the more modern
methods of covering a football
pitch is using a number of
inflatable tubes which have the
protective material attached.
The tubes are inflated, then can
be rolled out with a number of
people. This has been designed
to make it easier for ground
staff to deploy them, and does
work. Again, you may want to
have a think before deploying
the cover in high winds.
There are many different
kinds of materials on the
market, ranging from plastics to
mesh, whether it’s for a frost
The Matchsaver system in use at the Olympico Stadium in Rome
cover, rain cover or one which is
suitable for all adverse weather.
All these systems have one thing
in common; they have all been
designed and manufactured to
protect sports pitches from rain,
frost and snow.
Nowaday, as a result of
listening to current and
potential customers, there is a
need to develop new products,
making automated pitch
covering systems a real
alternative in pitch protection
from both frost and snow, and
in helping prevent waterlogged
pitches.
With one continuous cover, it
is fully waterproof and, when
used alongside undersoil
heating, provides an insulating
effect that can make real
savings on heating bills. It’s a
case of learning from many of
the historical problems that
older methods of protection
have suffered from.
The problems of keeping
pitches playable in adverse
weather conditions will always
be a challenge for groundsmen,
but new technoligies will help
provide them with the pitch
protection they need.
DRAINAGE
DRAINAGE SPECIALISTS
DESIGN & INSTALLATION
PRIMARY SYSTEMS
SAND SLITTING & GRAVEL BANDING
Tel. 01722 716361
www.mjabbott.co.uk
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
ANY SPORT - ANY SURFACE
Pitchcare Classifieds
Philip Dixon Contractors Ltd
Established 1978
Sportsturf Drainage Specialist
Drainage Construction Renovation
Slitting Banding Maintenance
Tel 01772 877289 (Preston, Lancs)
Email: info@dixondrainage.co.uk
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
DESIGN : INSTALLATION : MAINTENANCE
Pitch Construction : Piped Drainage Systems : Sand Slitting
Pitch Construction : Piped Drainage Systems
Blec Vibro Sand Banding : Koro Surfacing : Vertidraining : Topdressing : Overseeding
Sand Slitting : Blec Vibro Sand Banding : Landscaping
Koro Surfacing : Vertidraining : Topdressing : Overseeding
If it’s drainage, it has to be Duncan Ross!
If it’s drainage, it has to be Duncan Ross!
Willow Farm,
Red Cat Lane, Burscough, Ormskirk L40 0RF
Appley Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire WN6 9DT
t 01257 255321
t 01257 255321 f 01257 255327 e office@duncanrosslanddrainage.co.uk
erosslanddrainage.co.uk
www.duncanrosslanddrainage.co.uk
www.duncanrosslanddrainage.co.uk
- CONSTRUCTION - MAINTENANCE
SPECIALISTS IN SPORTS DRAINAGE
www.sgcgroup.co.uk - Tel:0161 343 1044
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 133

Pitchcare Classifieds
DRAINAGE
DRAIN TODAY - PLAY TOMORROW
Phone: 01507 578288
Fax: 01507 578790
info@sheltonsdrainage.com
www.sheltonsdrainage.com
Machine sales
Hire and contracting services
SPORTS TURF DRAINAGE
AND CONSTRUCTION
NATIONWIDE SERVICE
www.turfdry.com
Contact: Melvyn Taylor
Office: 01283 551417 Mobile: 07836 259133
Email: melvyn@turfdry.com
WORTH
DRAINING LTD
25 years in
sports turf maintenance
Artificial sports surfaces
cleaning and maintenance
Tel/Fax 01476 550266
Mobile: 07855 431119/20
email: worthdraining@talktalk.net
www.worthdraining.co.uk
GOLF COURSE FURNITURE
Golf Course Tools
Made in Britain
bmsproducts.com
01582 758444
Flags, Pins and Cups
Made in Britain
bmsproducts.com
01582 758444
134 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION SPECIALISTS
DESIGN & SUPPLY
INSTALLATION
MAINTENANCE
Tel. 01722 716361
www.mjabbott.co.uk
For all your golf, sportsturf and
landscape irrigation needs.
Buy online at www.lws.uk.com
Telephone 0845 230 9697
www.lws.uk.com
www.pitchcare.com
Irrigation
GREAT ALL OVER
THE PARK
Call Lely: 01480 226848 or
email: irrigation.uk@lely.com
www.toro.com
Pitchcare Magazine SUBSCRIBE NOW!
You can have each and every copy of Pitchcare - The Magazine
delivered direct to your door for just £30 a year (Overseas £50).
The independent, comprehensive, bi-monthly magazine for everyone
involved in working with turf.
Go to www.pitchcare.com to subscribe on-line or call 01952 897910
Parks & Gardens
Now that’s magic!
A heartwarming
story from the
other side of the
pond highlighting
the effect natural turf had on a dysfunctional
community. Thomas A. Nikolai from Michigan
State University reports
In May of 2011, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation
released a list of the ten most
dangerous cities in the United
States. Flint, Michigan topped
this list, as the number of violent
crimes had increased between
2009 and 2010.
During this same time period,
a team of Michigan State
University (MSU) researchers
initiated an experiment in Flint,
to gather data on the social,
economic and environmental
impact of turfgrass on an urban
society.
In the spring of 2010, MSU
began maintaining areas
around abandoned homes,
vacant lots and parks by
mowing weekly on sites that
had rarely or never been mown.
Additionally, fertiliser
applications were made several
times a year, along with an
annual herbicide application.
So, what is the purpose
behind the research? Well, more
often than not, turfgrass is
viewed as either an ornamental
or recreational plant. The Flint
Turfgrass Project was designed
to consider the functional
impacts turfgrass can have on a
community.
Everris is funding the project
($150,000 over three years)
whilst donating fertiliser and
seed, with John Deere donating
nine walk behind lawn mowers
and a Z-Trak commercial mower.
MSU Sociologist, Stephen
Gasteyer Ph.D., was asked to
track the social changes in the
neighbourhood as a result of
the turfgrass project. He began
by conducting an assessment of
community assets and issues at
a monthly neighbourhood
association meeting.
According to the residents,
Ramona Park was one of the
neighbourhood’s greatest assets
as a potential community green
space. A neighbourhood master
plan envisioned the park as a
centrepiece to a safer and
revitalised area. However,
residents knew that, with the
current state of the park and the
amount of crime in the area,
they were far from reaching
their community goals. The fact
was, in the autumn of 2009,
Ramona Park was essentially
abandoned, and most residents
would not even consider
stepping a foot into it.
I was introduced to Ramona
Park in the autumn of 2009
and, whilst the park had
recently been mowed, clippings
remained to rot atop laid-over
vegetation, making the park
difficult to walk through and
impossible to play in.
The first time I showed up to
mow the park, in the early
spring of 2010, a pitbull dog
carcass was in my path, the
apparent discarded loser of an
illegal dogfight. I admit I was a
bit intimidated and a little
frightened in my new work
environment.
Prior to initiating the study,
the area had to be cleaned up,
which took community
involvement. In other words, I
had no intention of clearing
abandoned mattresses and
years of discarded waste that
dotted the site.
Enter David Caswell, a retired
principle, who has lived in the
area for the past forty-three
years. He successfully
encouraged residents to get
involved in the project. “It was
the most ragged piece of land
you ever saw in your life,” Mr.
Caswell recently told a State
News reporter and continued;
“People thought nothing would

come of it. They’d look at it and
say, why bother? But, by putting
the project in there and working
hard, we were able to take an
eyesore and turn it into a really
lovely landscape.”
In the spring of 2010, we
began to notice there was less
litter to pick up.
At this time, MSU research
assistant Jeff Bryan was
approached by David Alston, a
resident who took it upon
himself to start picking up the
trash prior to our arrival on
Wednesday mornings (our
normal mowing day). David
asked us if we could give him
some garbage bags to make his
job easier, and we were happy
to oblige. He did not stop with
litter pick-up either, as he also
filled fifteen bags with sticks and
fallen tree limbs.
By mid-summer, I added
David to my payroll (something
about spying him sweeping dirt
up from the kerb made me feel
evil to not include him as a paid
member of the team). In
September, David informed me,
“There is not as much trash to
pick-up anymore. Seems like
people are noticing we are
taking care of this place and
they are gaining a little pride.
It’s contagious.”
On 24 September, 2011, the
community held a party in
Ramona Park. Residents set up
games for children to play, and
invited any passers by to drop in
for a free meal. Additionally,
children that participated in
games won pencils, pens,
notebooks and other school
supplies generously donated by
the Michigan Turfgrass
Foundation.
I had been informed of a
birthday party taking place in
the park, and that groups held
weekly meetings there but, since
I was generally only there on a
weekday morning, the only
person I ever observed in the
park was a middle-aged guy
playing fetch with his dog.
I decided to drop in on the
Ramona Park party and see the
action for myself. Other MSU
colleagues also dropped by.
The party was a success due to
the great turnout. Some
residents even invited a
group of young adults,
known to cause trouble in
the neighbourhood, over
for some food and
conversation. In essence,
the maintained green space
created an area to hold a party,
which brought together people
who might not otherwise have
an outlet for positive
communication.
The tone of the resident’s
discussion of the park has
changed dramatically since the
beginning of the turfgrass
project. In addition to the
positive attendance and
outcome of the park party,
residents have shared how
pleased they are about the
changes to the park, both in
terms of its aesthetic appeal and
increased feelings of safety.
Cleaning, clearing and
mowing has literally opened it
up for the residents to better
keep an eye on their
neighbourhood, an important
feat in the United States most
dangerous city.
In discussing park party
outcomes, the neighbourhood
association leader expressed
how happy she was about the
turfgrass project. “I thought the
park looked beautiful, and I am
so proud of our work with MSU.
It’s looking good. Really looking
good in the neighborhood.”
Prior to initiating the Flint
project, I was interviewed by the
Associated Press. I stated that I
had hoped to, one day, see
children playing frisbee in
Ramona Park. At least one
reader took exception to my
comment, as he posted online
that I was an idiot if I thought
kids playing frisbee in the park
would solve Flint’s problems.
Well, when I went to the
Ramona Park party in
September, kids were playing
frisbee in the park. I even
played with them. Hungry
people were invited to a free
meal, and had a chance to
meet their neighbours, which
strengthened a sense of security.
Kids were given school supplies.
Turfgrass and frisbees will not
cure all of Flint’s problems, but
it is a start. Initial data suggests
that the project is increasing the
quality of life in the
neighbourhood, and that is
something that makes a
difference. Turfgrass can make
magic.
MACHINERY SUPPLIERS
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
AUTHORISED DEALER
For all Professional
John Deere products
www.wgmltd.co.uk
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
Natural and organic seaweed
fertiliser products, hand harvested
from Shetland’s clear and clean
waters using sustainable techniques.
Contains over 60 minerals and trace
elements plus numerous
bio-stimulants.
Tel: 01806 577328
enquiries@seaweedproducts.co.uk
www.seaweedproducts.co.uk
REPLACEMENT AND SPARE PARTS
the
NEW 600 page
catalogue now
available!
Central Spares Ltd
3-7 Brook Road
Wimborne
Dorset BH21 2BH
Call for your free copy
01202 882000 www.centralspares.co.uk
perfect finish
every time...
Pitchcare Classifieds
Call NOW: 01902 826826
www.crocodilegolfproducts.com
MAJOR Roller Mowers
Major Equipment Tel: 01524 850501
WWW.MAJOR-EQUIPMENT.COM
Winchester
Garden Machinery
Find our branches at
Hillier Garden Centres:
Winchester
01962 863705
Liss
01730 895035
Windlesham
01344 628874
sales@wgmltd.co.uk
PEST CONTROL
Professional Pest Control
RABBIT SPECIALIST
Also foxes, moles, insect control, etc.
Mobile: 07837 888108
Tel: 01270 611376
Email: jeffngriffiths@fsmail.net
www.hobbswildlifeservices.co.uk
Replacement cylinders
and bottom blades
and much more...
The TAS TRIMMER
SPRINKLER HEAD MAINTENANCE
AND SAFETY MADE EASY
from £23 + VAT
All popular
sprinkler,
valve box
& marker
sizes www.jsmd.co.uk
0845 026 0064
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 135

Pitchcare Classifieds
REPLACEMENT AND
SPARE PARTS
HANCOX
THE ENGINE SPECIALISTS
A complete line of
premium power petrol
and diesel engines
DIRECT SALES SERVICE -
order today and receive
your goods within 24 hrs
Tel: 0844 800 6493
Email: sales@hancox.co.uk
View parts or replacement engines online at
WWW.HANCOX.CO.UK
design, manufacture
and distribution of
turf aeration solutions
for the past 20 years
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
Established 1998
ROLLERS
Replacement Tines
Hollow, Solid and Cross -
specialising in carbide tipped
technology.
Verticut and scarifier blades.
Brush sections
OEM specification.
Accessories
Backlapping paste, linkage
pins, PTOs, specialist grease
and bedknives cold rolled for
uniform hardness.
All major brands catered for
and special requirements met.
VERTI-DRAIN THATCHAWAY
WEIDENMANN TORO
JOHN DEERE GRADEN
RYAN
RANSOMES/JAC
Fast efficient service from
our extensive stock.
0800 083 0216
Division of Campey Turf Care Systems Ltd
136 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
ROLLERS
Swillington Rollers
3 or 4ft Autoroller wanted.
£1000 minimum
Call Eric on 01132 875318
or 07762 631297
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.
Contact Tebbutt Asso.
on 01253 342003 or Fax 01253 346644
e-mail: tebbuttasso@btconnect.com
www.tebbuttassociates.co.uk
SEED SUPPLIERS
Sportsground Mixtures
• Next day delivery
• Technical advice
Tel: 01522 868714
Fax: 01522 868095
seeds@bshlincoln.co.uk
Order online at
www.bshamenity.com
• Catering for all sectors of the industry
• Standard amenity grass mixtures
• Special mixture formulation service
• Expert advice
• Nationwide delivery
For further information contact:
Simon Taylor
Tel: 01522 868946 Mob: 07824 601471
Email: simon.taylor@eurograss.com
www.eurograssseed.co.uk
Parks & Gardens
The National
Memorial Arboretum
The National Memorial
Arboretum was
conceived as a living
tribute to the war time
generations of the
twentieth century, and
as a gift to their
memory for future
generations to reflect
upon and enjoy.
The National Memorial
Arboretum was the
brainchild of Commander
David Childs CBE, who wished
to see established a national
focus for remembrance. An
appeal was launched in 1994
by the then Prime Minister, John
Major. Assisted also by
Millennium Commission
funding, the Arboretum was
officially opened to the public in
May 2001.
Ten years on, the site now
hosts an abundance of wild
plants, woodland areas,
grassland, a reed bed and
wetland.
As planting began in 1997, it
seemed most appropriate that
the site should also celebrate
the turn of the century. The
Millennium Chapel of Peace and
Forgiveness is a central part of
the site and was created in such
a way as to offer a place of
tranquillity and reflection to
people of every faith or none.
The project began with no
money, no land, no staff and,
important for an arboretum, no
trees. The National Lottery
Millennium Commission,
granted some forty percent of
the funds needed, and this was
matched by thousands of
donations, both large and small,
from a wide variety of
organisations, both military and
civilian, men and women,
corporate and voluntary.
The land was kindly leased for
a peppercorn rent by Redland
Aggregates (now Lafarge) who
have generously supported the
idea from the beginning.
The initial planting took place
thanks to grants from the
Forestry Commission and the
National Forest.
It consists of 150 acres of
wooded parkland within the
National Forest in Staffordshire,
where visitors can both enjoy
and learn about the trees and
their surroundings, and reflect
upon their special symbolism.
Over 50,000 trees have been
planted on the site, along with
the erection of over 200
memorials, of which 80% are
military and represent many of
the armed forces regiments. The
focus, therefore, is not totally
military. There is a large area
devoted to Police who have
fallen while on duty, as well as
other areas given over to the
Fire & Rescue and Ambulance
services. National charities that
represent those who have died
in particular circumstances,
including children, and people
killed in road incidents, are also
to be found in the Arboretum
grounds.
There are many memorials to
see. One of the most haunting
is ‘Shot at Dawn’; the First
World War memorial to those
who were shot for cowardice -
an extremely thought provoking
monument to those who died in
the throes of war.
During my visit, I met up with
Barry Jones, the site’s Grounds
Maintenance Manager, who has
been involved with the project

since day one.
Barry is, essentially, a
Landscape Contractor who
began working on the site way
back in 1983, undertaking tree
planting work for Redland. As
with any quarry, the operators
are required to replant and
landscape spent areas of land.
In 1999, Barry was officially
invited to tender for the ongoing
maintenance of the Arboretum
in terms of helping plant trees,
general maintenance of the
grass lawn areas, paths and
memorial gardens on the 150
acre site.
Over the years, Barry has
built up his gardening team to
cover the amount of work
required. The workload is split
between three parties. Barry
and his team of five generally
undertake all the shrub bed
maintenance and mowing of the
ornamental lawns, another
contractor is brought in to mow
the larger, formal grass areas,
whilst the National Memorial
Arboretum has a team of
volunteers who help work on
some of the plantations and
memorial gardens.
Barry keeps the grass mown
using ride-on Kubota rotary
mowers, mowing most of the
lawn areas on a weekly basis.
Some of the larger plantation
areas are mown on a ten day
cycle. Grass mowing heights
vary from 13mm on the formal
lawn, to 30mm for more
general grass areas.
During the summer months,
Barry says it is very much like
the old Forth Bridge mentality;
as you complete one cycle of
cut, it is then time to start all
over again.
One of the most popular
parts of the Arboretum is the
Poppy Field, which is in full
flower between the months of
June and August. Once the
flowers have died back, Barry
and his team cut and collect the
old crop and, in the following
March, rotavate and reseed the
field, to start the whole process
again.
Another big job is the twice
annual treatment of weeds
around the bases of trees.
Glyphosate and spot treatments
are used as required; a time
consuming job considering there
are so many trees to keep weed
free.
Barry reports to Paul Kennedy,
the Arboretum’s curator. They
have regular meetings to keep
up to speed with all the
activities planned for the site,
including ongoing construction
work of new memorials, which
can often impede some
maintenance regimes.
Any pruning from tree works
undertaken on site is recycled
and used to mulch shrub beds
and top up informal pathways.
Barry loves his job, especially
as he can see the fruits of his
labour; many of the trees he
planted all those years ago are
now maturing into essential
features of the Arboretum.
Barry currently has no plans
to retire, and hopes he can
continue to enjoy the work and
friendships he has built up since
he began working there over
twenty five years ago.
SEED SUPPLIERS
Cricket Renovation Seed Mixes CR1 & CR2
WASP coated seed also available
24 hour delivery
Hurrells Specialist Seeds, Beverley Road
Cranswick Driffield East Yorkshire YO25 9PF
Tel: 01377 271400
Fax: 01377 271500
Email: nick@hmseeds.com
www.hmseeds.com
www.pitchcare.com
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
GOLF COURSE & SPORTSGROUND
CONSTRUCTION
RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
LAND DRAINAGE SCHEMES
WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Tel. 01722 716361
www.mjabbott.co.uk
Tel: 01494 866776
email: info@agripower.co.uk
www.agripower.co.uk
Pitchcare Classifieds
SOIL ANALYSIS
A2LA Accredited & USGA
Approved physical soil
testing laboratory for the
analysis of construction
materials for the
sportsturf industry
Contact ETL on
01786 449195
email:
europeanturf@aol.com
www.etl-ltd.com
SPECIALISTS IN TURF MANAGEMENT
DESIGN • CONSTRUCTION
IRRIGATION • MAINTENANCE
info@avonmore-associates.co.uk
t: 01789 293439
www.avonmore-associates.co.uk
the pitch of performance
Football, Hockey Multi-Sports,
Cricket, Tennis & Bowls
Design and construction of synthetic
and natural sports surfaces and facilities
Tel: 01474 364320
www.activeleisurecontracts.co.uk
Pitchcare Magazine SUBSCRIBE NOW!
You can have each and every copy of Pitchcare - The Magazine
delivered direct to your door for just £30 a year (Overseas £50).
The independent, comprehensive, bi-monthly magazine for everyone
involved in working with turf.
Go to www.pitchcare.com to subscribe on-line or call 01952 897910
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 137

Pitchcare Classifieds
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
• Supplies
• Renovation
• Drainage
• Construction
01797 252299
www.bourneamenity.co.uk
enquiries@bourneamenity.co.uk
CH GROUNDS
MAINTENANCE LTD
DRAINAGE
Piped Drainage, Sand Slitting, SandMaster
CONSTRUCTION
Sports Fields and Golf Courses
RENOVATION
Verti-draining, GroundBreaker, Over-seeding
Top-dressing, Koro Field Topmaker
Tel: 01494 758208 info@chgrounds.com
www.chgrounds.com
138 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
D W Clark
DRAINAGE LTD
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
Philip Dixon Contractors Ltd
Established 1978
Sportsturf Drainage Specialist
Drainage Construction Renovation
Slitting Banding Maintenance
Tel 01772 877289 (Preston, Lancs)
Email: info@dixondrainage.co.uk
www.dixondrainage.co.uk
Sports Ground Contractors 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
Drainage
Hard times? Need
drainage? Cut costs,
don’t cut corners
Established golf greens can be drained at a fraction of the cost of
rebuilding them, and with none of the upheaval
David Shelton suggests that choosing the right
option to finance your drainage requirements,
working when the weather is favourable, and
selecting the correct machinery, can help cut
costs
When times are hard, one
activity that often gets
put aside is attention to
land drainage - and this is
unwise, for drainage problems
rapidly compound themselves.
So, if finance is tight, but
drainage is essential, how can
the two be reconciled?
The answer is relatively simple
- work in the most efficient and
effective manner. How?
One needs to use today’s
high output sports turf drainage
machines in optimum soil
conditions. This entails planning
ahead and stressing to the
senior management that soil
conditions, and not the
calendar, must determine when
work is undertaken.
A trenching machine, for
example, working in the late
spring, summer or early autumn
may have an output per day
double or even treble that of the
same machine working in wet
soils in winter. And, seeing that
there will be provision for
supporting equipment, and of
the order of five operators on
site, savings are substantial.
The subject of trenching leads
on to pipe size - one tends to
think that bigger must be better,
but this is not so. In removing
excess soil water, fine particles
enter the pipe. There must be a
good flow of water through the
pipes to carry these ‘fines’ away.
Too big a pipe and the flow of
water is sluggish and ‘fines’
build up, in effect reducing the
size of the pipe.
For optimum results, the pipes
should fit snugly in the trenches;
for example an 80mm pipe
would fit into a trench cut
97mm wide.
The latent force in the soil
reduces the trench width almost
immediately it has been
excavated.
In turn, this degree of
precision leads to savings in the
backfilling aggregates. Placing
gravels and sands in narrow
trenches, without contaminating
the surface, has been one of the
slowest parts of the drainage
activity. But now, there are
machines, such as the Fast-Flow
range of backfilling hoppers,
that enables placement of these
materials at speeds of 5-6 mph.
Minimum disruption to the
playing surface must be a high
priority, for it is costly to
undertake repairs, re-turfing
and collecting spilled soil. This
entails using modern, dedicated
sportsturf drainage machinery,
rather than something cheap
and cheerful, or even doing it by
hand.
Secondary drainage schemes
are usually superimposed over
the primary piped system to
enhance the speed of drainage.
For years, sand slitting was the
only option. 50mm wide
trenches were dug 250-300mm
deep, then backfilled with gravel
and topped with sand or
rootzone.
These slits worked well, but

Gravel banding is a secondary drainage technique, undertaken
when soils are moist and surface disturbance is negligible
had drawbacks. Often, in dry
weather, they opened-up due to
soil shrinkage, and the
aggregates in the trench needed
topping-up. Sometimes, this
could occur more than once,
prolonging the scarring of the
surface and adding additional
costs.
Hence, gravel band drainage
has become a popular
secondary system. It is a
trenchless technique, meaning
that soil is not excavated; the
aggregate is vibrated into
25mm wide slots made by a
stainless steel channel opener.
Using a 3-tonne capacity gravel
banding machine, operated by
a skilled operator, outputs of up
to 10,000 linear metres per day
are usual. In the case of gravel
banding, it needs to be
undertaken when soil moisture
levels are high, as they may be
in winter time. The flotation
tyres on the machines rarely
mark the sward.
Another recently launched
secondary system is the
Lightening Drain TM . 25mm
diameter land drainage pipe is
fed into 35mm wide trenches
and simultaneously backfilled
with Lytag, a manufactured
product derived from pulverised
fuel ash from coal fired power
stations. At pipe spacings of
400-500mm it provides rapid
drainage and is finding favour
for drainage of established golf
greens. At somewhat wider
spacings, it may be used to
drain football and hockey
pitches.
Along with considering what
drainage techniques are
appropriate, one has to consider
by whom they are to be
undertaken. Is it best to use a
contractor? Would it be
appropriate to purchase the
equipment? Could equipment
be hired-in and used by our
own staff? Or, is it feasible to
hire-in the equipment together
with a skilled operator?
The answer will probably
depend on availability of staff,
and the skills of those staff.
Sometimes, there is a choice of
a hybrid approach - for
example, hire with the option to
purchase. Another approach is
to engage a contractor to install
the more complex primary
drainage system and carry out
the secondary drainage with
one’s own staff.
It’s time well spent to make
cost comparisons of the
alternative approaches, for this
is where substantial sums of
money can be saved. Take
advice. You may find you can
afford that drainage work after
all.
David Shelton is Managing
Partner of Shelton Sportsturf
Drainage Solutions LLP.
www.sheltonsdranage.com
Trenching machines perform best when soils are not saturated
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
D CRANE
SPORTS TURF
Construction
Golf Courses,
Natural/
Artificial Pitches,
MUGAs
Renovation
Koro Field Top
Maker, Fibre Sand
Installation, Laser
Grading, Seeding
Drainage
Piped Drainage,
Sandmaster, Whiz
Wheel, Gravel
Banding
Tel:01254 878047
Email:info@dcranesportsturf.com
Website:www.dcranesportsturf.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
Mobile: 07768 122577
Tel: 01772 780545
danvicturfcare@btconnect.com
Natural & Synthetic
Sports Pitch Design - Construction
Renovation - Drainage - Maintenance
Tel: 01256 880488
Email: info@kestrelcontractors.co.uk
www.kestrelcontractors.co.uk
Pitchcare Classifieds
Specialists in Sportsfield
Construction, Fencing,
Drainage and Landscaping
Get in touch on: 01773 872362
www.pugh-lewis.co.uk
Sports Surfaces for Quality & Excellence
CONSTRUCTION • DRAINAGE
IRRIGATION • MAINTENANCE
SOFT LANDSCAPING & PLANTING
Scotland: Tel 01236 453030
Cheshire: Tel 01565 889220
Email: info@souterssports.co.uk
www.souterssports.co.uk
Sportsfield Construction
Drainage Schemes
Renovations & Improvements
Cricket Specialists
Tel: 01529 455757 Fax: 01529 455775
e-mail: steve@stevenpask.co.uk
www.stevenpask.co.uk
SPEEDCUT
CONTRACTORS LTD
A professional service
for all Sportsturf:
• Drainage
• Construction
• Renovation
Oxford 01865 331479
www.speedcutcontractors.co.uk
Advertising in the
classified section of
Pitchcare costs as
little as
£200 a year
Contact Peter Britton
on 01952 898516 or
email:
peter@pitchcare.com
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 139

Pitchcare Classifieds
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
ANY SPORT - ANY SURFACE
Design Construction Renovation Maintenance
Specialists Specialistsinturnkey in turnkey natural naturalturf& turf & artificial artificialpitch pitch solutions
SPORTS TURF CONSULTANTS
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 862925
Website: www.totalturfsolutions.co.uk email: info@totalturfsolutions.co.uk
SPORTS EQUIPMENT
SWEEPERS
Tel: 01924 497283
www.stanleylanddrainage.co.uk
sales@stanleylanddrainage.co.uk
140 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
- CONSTRUCTION - MAINTENANCE
SPECIALISTS IN LASER GRADING AND GOLF CONSTRUCTION
www.sgcgroup.co.uk - Tel:0161 343 1044
GOALS MAKE GAMES.
WE MAKE GOALS.
TALK TO MARK HARROD
01502 710039
www.markharrod.com
Sports Ground Contractor
Turnkey Projects
Artificial Facilities
Natural Turf
Land Drainage
Environmentally Conscientious
Your Choice
SPORTS TURF COVERS
SPRAYERS
Spraying
Weeding out the
costs of spraying
In these recessionary times, with our Local
Authorities under severe financial constraints,
yet still charged with the delivery of more
environmentally sensitive open spaces, tales
emanating from the Wyre Forest District
Council’s Parks & Green Spaces team, of
budgetary savings, coupled with increased
productivity, led Neil Hancock to meet with
Supervisor, Joshua Brady, to find out the
secrets of their success
Two years ago Joshua left
his South African homeland
and his environmental work
in the Kruger National Park to
start a new life for himself and
family in the UK. He commented
“I met my wife-to-be Louise in
South Africa whilst working at
Buffalo Hills nature reserve. She
is a British citizen and had been
working on a contract in Port
Elizabeth with General Motors
for three years. Two years after
we met, we decided to tie the
knot, then Louise fell pregnant
and with that came her desire
be near to her family. She
returned to England for a six
month period for the birth of
our son and I joined her for
three of those months before we
all returned back to South
Africa.
Just over a year later Louise
fell pregnant again, and again
the desire to be close to her
family came through strongly.
We finally decided that Louise
would return to the UK and I
would follow as soon as
possible. Louise had lived with
me for a five year period in
South Africa, so it was only right
for me to do a three years in the
UK, which has now been
extended to five! I did apply for
a number of Ranger posts closer
to our home in Shifnal,
Shropshire but, due to a
perceived lack of UK
conservation knowledge, I was
not given the opportunity.
Eventually I saw that Wyre
Forest District Council were
advertising a position within
their Parks & Green Spaces
department and it was, in fact,
my project management skills
that, in the end, got me the
job.”
Joshua continued “as a
department, we are charged
with the task of delivering the
best possible service we can
within budget, and we set about
looking at the ways in which we
currently worked and how we
might improve to reduce costs,
whilst also keeping in mind our
overall remit and any
environmental impact. In all
areas, we work closely with the
Rangers department. We
undertake a lot of tree works for
them, removing species such as
Crack Willow and re-planting
specimen trees to encourage
bio-diversity.”
“One area we have
particularly focused on is our
weed control programme and,
following our own product
research, we now carry out an
increasing amount of work in
both our nature reserves and
parks with the Mankar pressureless
spraying system. This
particular work impacts directly
on bio-diversity, as the invasive
plant species we control are
naturally very monoculture and
take over from a number of
indigenous plants. Himalayan
Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera),

Ideal for use around tree bases
Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia
japonica) and Giant Hogweed
(Heracleum mantegazzianum)
are typical examples of the type
of weeds that we now control
with use of the system.”
“We also assist our Rangers in
the construction of boardwalks,
particularly in the very boggy
areas where we reduce the
impact on the environment and
the amount of trails within these
particular areas. A raised
boardwalk ensures no obstacles
for animals to come and go as
they please, and also they allow
the flow of water to continue
unhindered. All of these factors
preserve the environment and
allow the areas to continue and
thrive as they should.”
“Parks and Green Spaces also
assist in preserving the acid
grasslands found within the
Wyre Forest District area. Here,
we conduct a yearly cut and
collect programme with the
Rangers to ensure these rare
grassland areas do not remain
impoverished, and to ensure
their continued survival which
greatly benefits bio-diversity. We
also assist in the clearance of
reeds from streams if they
become ‘choked up’, which
allows a natural flow of the
system to ensure all species
benefit from the watercourse.
This, in turn, also serves to help
our flood defences.”
“Prior to the introduction of
the Mankar system in 2009, we
were using the CDA (Controlled
Droplet Application) system, but
market and product research
proved to us that it was, in fact,
both overly expensive and
under-performing. With the
twenty two Parks and Green
Spaces team members we had
at that time, the back-pack
system we employed was
A simple dial controls flow rate
difficult to both manage and
control financially. It was
expensive in terms of material
cost, as we were spending
around £1400 a year just on
herbicide, plus what we were
spending on lance repairs. Due
to the volume of herbicide we
were consuming, we also had
an additional annual cost of
£400-500 a year for the
disposal of containers and the
subsequent impact of that
process on the environment.”
“Overgrown paths are cut
back manually, and then the
saplings that sprout are
controlled with the use of
Roundup. Only 0.1-0.2 gallons
of herbicide are required per
acre and, when compared with
conventional systems, such as
knapsack sprayers, volume
savings of up to 80% are
achievable. Also, herbicides can
be used undiluted, reducing our
work time and using less of our
resources. We are achieving
savings in both herbicide
volume usage, and a financial
saving of around £900 a year.”
Adrian Leonard, who works
alongside Joshua, then took me
on a visit to Brinton Park, one of
the many open spaces that
Wyre Forest have to maintain,
to show me the range of work
situations that the new system is
applied to. He said “we use it in
all of our public parks and open
spaces along flower-bed
borders, pathways, edges,
verges and around obstacles
and tree bases. Not only are we
saving money, but we are also
seeing an improvement in the
quality of the areas we
maintain, which has resulted in
the authority currently having
two parks up to Green Flag
status and a further three more
pending.”
SPRAYERS
TOPDRESSING & LOAM
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.
Pitchcare Classifieds
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.
Ongar Loam cricket dressing
and top quality golf and
bowls dressings
Order direct from the
manufacturer and our
distributors
Moreton, Ongar, Essex, CM5 0HY
Tel: 01277 890246
Fax: 01277 890105
www.binderloams.co.uk
Email: sales@binderloams.co.uk
Advertising in this
classified section costs as
little as £200 a year.
Telephone: 01952 898516
TREE TIES & SUPPORTS
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 141

Pitchcare Classifieds
TREE ROOT AERATION
TERRAIN
Turf and Trees
10” drill aeration
1m air injection
1m soil coring
Air excavation
TURF SUPPLIERS
TYRES
142 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
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
No hassle… No wasted time… No repairs.
Fit Puncture Proof Tyres and you’ll never
have another puncture again - guaranteed.
www.tiredofpunctures.com
Buy online or call 0844 800 6493
USED MACHINERY
AERATION
Tel: 01449 673783
www.terrainaeration.com
terrainaeration@aol.com
Growers of natural & rootzone sports
turf using the very best STRI cultivars
• Custom grown turf
• ‘Instant play’ sports pitch turf
• Reinforced fibreturf
• Washed turf available in all turf
grades
• Nationwide delivery at a time to
suit you
• Forklift offload
• Contracting service
• Overseas supply
Tel: 01724 855000
email: info@countyturf.co.uk
www.countyturf.co.uk
TURF SUPPLIERS
Specialist growers of sportsturf and golf
turf with a wide range of grades,
rootzones, thick and fibre reinforced turf
Tel: 01904 448675
sales@turf.co.uk
www.turf.co.uk
Used Turfcare Machinery
Northamptonshire Derbyshire Buckinghamshire
01536 510515 01283 704664 01895 834411
Email: enquiries@boughton.co.uk
www.boughton.co.uk
www.pitchcare.com
Pest Control
Now is the time to
tackle the chafers
Now is the time to
protect turf from Chafer
grubs, says Bayer’s
Commercial Technical
Manager, James
Hadlow
Whilst a knowledge of
entomology may be a
key advantage to
groundsmen and greenkeepers
when tackling chafer grubs in
turf, Bayer recommend an
annual preventative approach
as the more practical solution.
“All species of Chafer grub
have the potential to severely
damage turf playing surfaces
and present a tough repair
challenge,” says James Hadlow,
Bayer’s Commercial Technical
Manager. “The adult insects
burrow into the turf and lay
their eggs close to the soil
surface before the grubs hatch
and start feeding. They,
essentially, cut the roots off and
kill the turf. In worst cases, the
turf surface will actually come
away from the ground and peel
off like a carpet.”
Despite measuring only
around 10mm to 30mm in size,
Chafer grubs are a big problem
for any turf manager, but
particularly greenkeepers who
strive for smooth, even golf
greens. This destabilisation of
the turf is also a concern on
racecourses, as the force of a
galloping horse can cause the
surface to give way drastically.
This can be extremely
dangerous and could result in
significant injury - or worse.
When trying to combat these
challenging pests, James says
that being able to understand
the spectrum of pest species and
their associated lifecycles is
essential. “There are four
common species in the UK,”
notes James. “There’s the
Cockchafer (Melolontha
melolontha), more commonly
called the May bug, which is the
largest in size but occurs more
sporadically. The most important
species which can cause
damage are the Garden
(Phyllopertha horticola), Welsh
(Hoplia philanthus) and Summer
Chafers (Amphimallon
solstitialis).”
James adds that the
Cockchafer can take up to four
years to go through one
lifecycle, whilst the Garden
Chafer completes its lifecycle in
one year, and the Welsh and
Summer Chafer have a two year
lifecycle.
“Yet, without scientific
examination, it is very difficult to
tell the Welsh and Garden
Chafer apart. If there is a high
risk of Chafer infestation, it is
strongly advised that turf
professionals use an insecticide
like Merit Turf, every year,
especially if the Chafer grub
species is unknown; or if the
species has been identified and
has a multiple year lifecycle.”
James explains grubs at
multiple stages of their lifecycle

present a key challenge.
“Typically, some eggs will have
been laid during the spring of
the previous year, but will be
present alongside larger grubs
laid two years before.
Insecticide treatments won’t
control these larger grubs. In
fact, by the time the grubs have
reached this size, the damage
will have been done. This is why
understanding the grub’s
lifecycle is an advantage.”
He advises that the most
effective control is to apply an
insecticide treatment like
Bayer’s Merit Turf, when the
beetles are laying their eggs.
This tends to be in late spring
and can be anytime between
the end of April through to July.
“A turfcare professional will
need to apply an insecticide at
this time of year, every year as
not all grubs will die with just
one application,” says James.
“As a result, for example, it
could take up to four years to
control the Cockchafer on one
particular site.”
James explains that most
professional turf areas, such as
golf or racecourses, are often
relatively small in comparison to
the surrounding area of
untreated habitat. “This is
essentially a reservoir for
infestation,” says James. “There
is a constant pressure, year on
year from beetles crawling or
flying in, so it really is
recommended that turf
managers get into the habit of
using a preventative treatment
every year.”
Whilst frequency of treatment
is a key issue, James adds that
application technique is also
important. “Merit Turf needs to
be applied evenly across the
whole turf area before being
thoroughly irrigated. Wateringin
is critical for successful
control and to move the active
ingredient through the thatch
and into the rootzone of the
turf. Its systemic mode of action
means that, when the grubs eat
the roots, they subsequently
stop feeding before dying. The
young grubs are also controlled
through coming into contact
with the product in the soil.
According to James, turfcare
professionals often don’t realise
that they have a problem, or
they don’t fully understand it.
They only start to react when
they see damage to the turf
and, at that point, it’s too late.
The visual damage has, by that
stage, been exacerbated by
predators such as foxes,
badgers and large birds. They
scratch away the loose turf in an
attempt to eat the grubs.
“Turfcare professionals can
help to reduce the visible
damage at this stage by
installing physical barriers to
keep predators out but, whilst
this may maintain the visual
appearance of the turf, the
damage has been done and
repairs will still need to be
made to the turf,” concludes
James.
USED MACHINERY
WASTE WATER MANAGEMENT
Pitchcare Classifieds
Always a good selection of used equipment
Tel: 01260 224568
Email: info@campeyturfcare.com
www.campeyturfcare.com
All Machinery is Serviced & Ready to Work
Finance, Delivery & Export Available
Viewings and Collections - Newbury, Berkshire
Latest Arrivals...
Blec Groundbreaker 1.5m
Year 2011 £6700+VAT
Timberwolf S425 Shredder
Year 2007 251 Hrs £9650+VAT
Ransomes Commander 3520
Year 2004 1469 Hrs £10500+VAT
John Deere X740 High Tip
Year 2010 411 Hrs £11500+VAT
0% Finance Available
Specialist Suppliers of
Pre-Owned Groundcare Machinery Established 2005
John Deere 1545 & Trimax 1.5
Year 2007 919 Hrs £8950+VAT
Allett Conquerer MK2
Year 2003 £4000+VAT
John Deere 220B & 260B
Choice of 5 from £1950+VAT
John Deere TE Gator
Choice of 4 from £3500+VAT
www.pilimited.co.uk 01635 551665 sales@pilimited.co.uk
UPSONS RECONDITIONED MACHINERY
ROLLERS • MOWERS • TRACTORS • SCARIFIERS
100’s of mowers in stock, trade prices, warranty
Tel: 01621 892907 Email: upsonmowers@tiscali.co.uk
WEED CONTROL
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 PC 143

Turf Side Up
TURF SIDE UP!
The not so serious side of the industry
Son of Moglet? The tragic bus?
A CAT which ran on to the
pitch during Liverpool's
Premier League home game
against Spurs has attracted
30,000 followers on the
internet.
The grey and white tabby
wandered across the turf
before being scooped up by a
steward.
Within minutes, the cat was
an internet sensation, with at
least three spoof Twitter
accounts claiming to be the
Premier League’s new star.
Twitter account @AnfieldCat
claims to be the “official
twitter of me, the Anfield
Cat”, and has more than
Killjoy was ’ere!
IT was definitely a case of ‘off
with their heads’ for killjoy
council workers who
destroyed dozens of
snowmen and igloos built by
children in Homefield
Recreation Ground in
Chiswick, West London.
When horrified passers-by
complained, the men
claimed they were protecting
the grass.
The ice sculptures were
rapidly melting in the bright
sunlight, but the groundstaff
were being employed to kick
them down. One had a saw
and was sawing their heads
off.
A Hounslow Council
spokesman apologised to
residents and suggested that
the two workers - employed
by its contractor to keep the
park clean - might be getting
a frosty reception the next
time they see their bosses.
144 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
©BBC
25,000 followers. Lagging
behind in the Twitter stakes
are @liverpoolfccat, which
claims they are the “first, the
original Kop Cat”, and has
more than 4,000 fans. and
@CatAnfield, which has almost
3,000 followers.
Staff, who have named the cat
Sam, reckon it bears a
‘striking’ resemblance to
Moglet, who was adopted by
the groundstaff back in the
80s and became something of
an unofficial mascot.
Perhaps Sam is a good omen
for the Carling Cup Final, the
Reds first final for a number
of years.
He stressed that it was not
council policy to destroy
snowmen, adding:
“Regretfully - and without
valid reasons - two workers
employed by our contractor
decided themselves that this
bizarre course of action was
necessary.”
“It is certainly not in their
job description to go
knocking snowmen down. We
like snowmen.”
“They should be sticking to
their task of keeping the
park clean, not destroying
snowmen.”
“We’re very sorry, and have
instructed all site staff to use
their common sense and let
people enjoy the snow in our
parks. Our contractor has
confirmed that the two men
were doing this and they are
dealing with the matter now.”
UNDER this replica London
bus is a ride-on mower. At
this point you might be
asking yourself why, but its
creation gave much pleasure
to seventy-seven year old
Derek Jakeway.
The body of the bus, which is
made mostly from wood,
proudly displays the London
Transport sign.
The specially-converted
lawnmower is not licensed to
be driven on the roads
(there’s a surprise!).
We are still trying to work out
which make of ride-on mower
Mow Australia Fair!
AS mowing patterns go, this
is pretty impressive.
It was served up by the
groundstaff at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground for the
THIS chap handcuffed himself
to the goal at Goodison during
the Everton v Man City game.
It took officials a good few
minutes to release him using
bolt cutters. Perhaps they
should have left him there -
Joe Hart could have done with
some help, as City lost 1-0.
Apparently, he was protesting
about the way RyanAir treat
their staff - no concern for the
passengers then!
©Daily Mail
was used. Any ideas?
The bus took four years to
build and cost over £2,000. At
this point you will definitely
be asking yourself, why!
Twenty20 game between
Australia and India.
It must have got the patriotic
juices flowing, as Australia
won by 65 runs.
Scoring an own goal ...

Quote me happy
“... they are coming off the back of two one-all
defeats.” Sky TV’s Don Goodman - his confidence
can’t be high!
“I’m going to play at centre-half against Aston Villa
on Saturday.” Everton manager David Moyes
reveals the extent of his side's injury crisis.
“I do not eat children.” Toulon lock Bakkies Botha
attempts to play down his bad boy image.
“We are playing five right backs.” Swansea
manager Brendan Rodgers appears to have found
a way to stop Tottenham's Gareth Bale.
“I think Russell Grant is your man for that!” Kenny
Dalglish points journalists in another direction
when asked where the return of Steven Gerrard
will take Liverpool.
“Not while I’ve got a hole in my bum.” Wolves
manager Mick McCarthy, after being asked
whether he thought Nenad Milijas deserved his
red card against Arsenal.
“It was the size of the heart against the size of the
wallet, and today the heart won.” Harlequins
coach Conor O’Shea hails their Heineken Cup
victory over big-spending Toulouse.
“Winner winner chicken dinner.” Ian Poulter
announces his victory at the Australian Masters
to his Twitter followers.
“We’ll be taking any talk of a new mystery ball with
a pinch of salt.” Graeme Swann insists he is not
concerned by Saeed Ajmal’s promise of a
‘mystery’ delivery - the rest of the team should
have been!
“As far as I know, humans are supposed to breathe
through the nose.” Novak Djokovic mocks Jim
Courier after being asked if he had put extra
focus on breathing through his nose against
David Ferrer.
“If one of the leading clubs rings up, I’d still tell
them to Foxtrot Oscar.” Mick McCarthy finds an
imaginative way to warn clubs away from making
a bid for Steven Fletcher.
“My mum was the first person on the phone and
she said you might want to apologise.” Lee
Westwood was forced to apologise for swearing
on TV.
“No, I’m planning on losing my next match.”
Victoria Azarenka hits back at a ‘silly question’
when asked if she intends to keep up her winning
streak.
“I find it a disease that we should stamp out as
quickly as we possibly can.” Stoke boss Tony Pulis
calls on PFA to stamp out cheating after Robert
Huth’s sending off.
Cobbled together from Sky Sports, ESPN Sport and
watching far too much sport on television!
The pie’s the limit!
Eric also contracts out a fair amount
of work during the year, using
contractors
The pitch was then raise mown
Getting a job in the industry as an
unqualified person was proofing to
be difficult
… he has his hands in many other
pies
MARCH
Unqualified proof, if it were ever needed, that kestrels are intelligent!
DATES for your DIARY
10th - Rugby Union, RBS 6 Nations,
Wales v Italy; Ireland v Scotland
(www.rbs6nations.com)
11th - Rugby Union, RBS 6 Nations,
France v England
(www.rbs6nations.com)
13th to 16th - Horseracing,
Cheltenham Festival, Cheltenham
Racecourse, UK (www.cheltenham.co.uk)
15th to 17th - The Landscape Show,
Olympia, London
(www.landscapeshow.co.uk)
16th - Rugby Union, England
Legends v Irish Legends, The
Twickenham Stoop
(www.englandirelandlegends.co.uk)
17th - Rugby Union, RBS 6 Nations,
England v Ireland, Twickenham
(www.rfu.com)
20th to 22nd - EcoBuild, ExCel,
London (www.ecobuild.co.uk)
22nd - Pitchcare’s Essential
Management Skills, All England Lawn
Tennis Club
(www.groundsmantraining.co.uk)
25th - Football, Johnstone’s Paint
Trophy Final, Wembley Stadium
(www.johnstonespainttrophy.com)
26th-30th - 1st Test Match, Sri Lanka
v England, Galle
(www.cricketworld.com)
APRIL
3rd -7th - 2nd Test Match, Sri Lanka
v England, Colombo
(www.cricketworld.com)
4th - Indian Premier League (IPL5)
begins (ipl-2012.org)
5th - LV County Cricket Championship
begins (www.cricketworld.com)
5th - 8th - The Masters, Augusta
National Golf Club, Georgia.
(www.augusta.com)
Whilst inspecting the pitch you could
defiantly see and feel the difference
... and then employed a Kestrel to
come in and linear aerate
... like so many of his fellow peers
... one of the most hunting ones is
the First world war memorial
You can now follow Loz on Twitter -
http://twitter.com/pitchcareloz
Turf Side Up
14th - Horseracing, John Smith’s
Grand National, Aintree Racecourse
(www.aintree.co.uk)
14th and 15th - Football, The FA Cup
Semi-Finals, Wembley Stadium
(www.wembleystadium.com)
MAY
4th - Clydesdale Bank 40 begins
(www.cricketworld.com)
5th and 6th, Horseracing, The QIPCO
Guineas Festival, Newmarket
Racecourse
(www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk)
9th - Football, UEFA Europa League
Final, Stadionul National, Bucharest,
Romania (www.uefa.com)
10th to 13th - Diamond Jubilee
Pageant, Windsor, London
(www.diamont-jubilee-pageant.com)
17th to 21st - Cricket, 1st nPower
Test, England v West Indies, Lord’s
(www.cricketworld.com)
19th - Football, UEFA Champions
League Final, Allianz Arena, Munich,
Germany (www.uefa.com)
22nd to 26th - RHS Chelsea Flower
Show, Royal Hospita,l Chelsea,
London (www.rhs.org.uk)
24th - Pitchcare’s Essential
Management Skills, All England Lawn
Tennis Club
(www.groundsmantraining.co.uk)
24th to 25th - Golf, BMW PGA
Championship, The Wentworth Club,
Surrey (www.bmw-golfsport.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.

Celebrate 175 years of
innovation with us.
In 1837 John Deere produced his famous plough which cut through
the sticky prairie soil. That spirit of innovation continues today with
the 2500B/E greens mowers. Their offset cutting units and hybrid
technology help to create championship greens the world over.
Now you can celebrate this special birthday with us. We’re offering an
extra set of either cutting or verti-cut units, for just £175* with every
new 2500B PrecisionCut or 2500E E-Cut Hybrid riding greens mower.
These quality extra units have no shelf life. Compatible on models back
to 2006.
Just ask your dealer for details of our big birthday offer.
Freephone 0800 085 25 22
OFFICIAL
GOLF COURSE
EQUIPMENT
SUPPLIER
* Offer valid from 1 February to 30 June 2012. Available only at participating dealers.
Special Offer!
Set of cutting or verti-cut
units for just £175*
JohnDeere.com C 697.1 E_175Cutting_LET_PGA