these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

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.”
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 103