these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

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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
Page 1 and 2: SERVING THE TURFCARE INDUSTRY KEYNO
Page 3 and 4: WELCOME TO pitchcare 2012 - and all
Page 5 and 6: Andy Gray, Southampton FC Artificia
Page 7 and 8: Reverting to farmland! The Norfolk
Page 9 and 10: Amenity-specific NSK revamped More
Page 11 and 12: Launching Spring 2012 www.ransomesj
Page 13 and 14: getting the MBE, without doubt. It
Page 15 and 16: THE REAL STARS OF WEST HAM, WIMBLED
Page 17 and 18: time. He also was the man who donat
Page 19 and 20: eason we run the electric triplex a
Page 21 and 22: times. Cycle times are then modifie
Page 23 and 24: easonable £12,000. And so Parkston
Page 25 and 26: Controlled burning of scrub Fairway
Page 27: However, in collaboration with the
Page 31 and 32: involved various management strateg
Page 33 and 34: convincing the greens committee to
Page 35 and 36: As editor of Pitchcare, I am fortun
Page 38 and 39: Golf In October last year, Ian Robs
Page 40 and 41: Golf As the course has 100% floodli
Page 42: Golf turn, pays for the course. Our
Page 45 and 46: thought, at the time, the greens we
Page 47 and 48: Augusta National levels of crickete
Page 49 and 50: You don’t often hear a golfer say
Page 51 and 52: THE NEW LT3340. HEAVY-DUTY MOWING F
Page 53 and 54: natural pitches artificial pitches
Page 55 and 56: one area? Clubs are then likely to
Page 57 and 58: also of the RFU and a number of ins
Page 59 and 60: “Artificial rugby pitches must be
Page 61 and 62: Rootzone top-up The concept for a N
Page 64 and 65: Winter Sports With Southampton flyi
Page 66 and 67: Winter Sports Professional lights s
Page 68 and 69: Winter Sports “Our most worrying
Page 70 and 71: Winter Sports 68 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH
Page 72 and 73: Winter Sports ViewPoint Our anonymo
Page 74 and 75: Summer Sports - Bowls Expectations
Page 76 and 77: Summer Sports - Bowls Rainbird irri
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Summer Sports - Bowls When it comes
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Summer Sports - Bowls “Consistenc
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Summer Sports - Cricket “No, I’
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Summer Sports - Cricket trimming of
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Summer Sports - Cricket SMITH famil
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Schools & Colleges After thirty yea
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Schools & Colleges One of Chris Edw
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Schools & Colleges Ransomes 305 a g
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Schools & Colleges Neville Johnson
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Schools & Colleges Head Groundsman
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Schools & Colleges Joe Cooper’s l
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Schools & Colleges Look through any
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Equestrian Craig Williamson “This
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Equestrian The home straight from t
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Technical Seed germination is one o
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Technical Trees represent an import
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Technical Giant Polypore heaviness
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Technical Normally carried out unde
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Technical Choosing the right sand c
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Technical which is determined by th
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Technical In this final article in
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Technical “In order to tie the go
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Technical “The words ‘gas oil
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Technical MONTHLY Diaries I STILL s
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Technical Aeration and sweeping Aer
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2. The “threat” scenario If the
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Alongside our General Sports Turf M
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one I had not predicted, but I stil
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“There are many different covers
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come of it. They’d look at it and
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since day one. Barry is, essentiall
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Gravel banding is a secondary drain
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Ideal for use around tree bases Jap
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present a key challenge. “Typical
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Quote me happy “... they are comi
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