these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

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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
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SERVING THE TURFCARE INDUSTRY KEYNO
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WELCOME TO pitchcare 2012 - and all
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Reverting to farmland! The Norfolk
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Amenity-specific NSK revamped More
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Launching Spring 2012 www.ransomesj
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getting the MBE, without doubt. It
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THE REAL STARS OF WEST HAM, WIMBLED
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eason we run the electric triplex a
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easonable £12,000. And so Parkston
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Controlled burning of scrub Fairway
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However, in collaboration with the
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after Kerry defeated Cork in last y
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convincing the greens committee to
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Golf In October last year, Ian Robs
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Golf As the course has 100% floodli
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Golf turn, pays for the course. Our
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thought, at the time, the greens we
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these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

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