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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