these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

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
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 PC 73