Seven For Sawgrass

Seven For Sawgrass: This year’s group of British and Irish greenkeepers are getting set for the experience of a lifetime as part of the John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme, organised annually in partnership with the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Ireland (GCSAI).

Held at the legendary TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, THE PLAYERS Championship regularly features more of the world’s top players than any other venue throughout the year, leading to its unofficial title of the fifth men’s major. As such it presents an incredible opportunity for BIGGA and GCSAI members to network, learn and gain a huge amount of invaluable experience, in a once-in-a-lifetime setting.

Seven For Sawgrass

THE PLAYERS is made possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of a course preparation force of over 90 volunteers from around the world, who join the home greenkeeping team in getting and keeping the course in shape. Following the final day’s play, the greenkeepers also get the chance to attempt to hit the 17th hole’s intimidating island green.

This year the event returns to its traditional March timing after 12 years of being hosted in May. The shift is the result of changes to the PGA Tour calendar and will see the greenkeeping team in 2019 undertake a very different challenge to that of preparing the course in May. The successful BIGGA and GCSAI members selected to join the volunteer team at the tournament, which takes place from March 14 to 17, are:

  • BIGGA Scottish Region – Darren Skinner, Castle Stuart Golf Links
  • Northern Region – Jon Gamble, Welshpool Golf Club
  • Central England Region – Matthew Shaul, Cleethorpes Golf Club
  • South West and South Wales Region – Mark Simmons, Kingsdown Golf Club
  • South East Region – Andy Copeland, Chesfield Downs Golf and Country Club
  • International – Niels Sorensen, Randers Golf Klub, Denmark
  • GCSAI – Alex Newenham, Douglas Golf Club,

John Deere Limited turf division sales manager Chris Meacock said: “I would like to congratulate all this year’s successful BIGGA and GCSAI members for winning through the rigorous selection process and earning a place on what will be our fifth annual TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme in 2019.

Seven For Sawgrass

“The quality of applications that we receive each year is a true reflection of the high standards of greenkeeping and course management throughout the UK and Ireland. I know from the comments of past volunteers that this latest group will benefit greatly from the experience of being part of such a large, well-organised international greenkeeping team involved in the preparation of one of the world’s top golf tournaments.”

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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Limagrain Key At York Racecourse

Limagrain Key At York Racecourse: Having been a long-term user of Limagrain grass seed, Adrian Kay, head groundsman at York Racecourse, believes that an improvised MM25 mixture gives him the confidence to keep the course to an exceptionally high standard all year long.

Adrian, the man in charge of keeping York Racecourse ahead of the pack, has been the head groundsman for twelve years. He joined York from Aintree Racecourse in 2006 and two years later was instrumental in a huge £2.6 million track development project.

Limagrain Key At York Racecourse

As part of the project, significant drainage works were carried out in order to remove and keep water at bay from the surface, which is situated on an old river bed and flood plain. Although that project was undertaken over nine years ago, Adrian and his team still continue to focus their attention on maintaining and improving the surface and primary drainage.

It could be argued that Adrian is somewhat of an industry pioneer as he continues to adopt new methods, particularly in his decision to embrace the Koro process in order to strip the top of the surface and remove all vegetation and rootzone – something which is practically unheard of in horse racing turf maintenance. As a result, Adrian admits that whichever grass seed he uses, he must have full confidence that it is going to provide him with exceptional results and guarantee a fast return to usability.

“I’ve been using Limagrain seed for about 16 years now and I’ve got every confidence in the seed. I used MM25 when I was at Aintree and then we played around with the mixture here at York to suit our renovations.

“The mixture we use consists of 50% Tetraploid Perennial Rye, 30% Diploid and 20% Slender Creeping Red Fescue – and it’s treated with HEADSTART® GOLD. It’s a perfect mixture here for what we are trying to achieve and occasionally we use 100% Tetraploid when we are carrying out our renovations.”

With the race season at York finishing in mid-October, Adrian typically uses this period to start his renovations. Although renovating this late in the year can present certain challenges, Adrian believes that his Limagrain mixture ensures a smooth process.

Limagrain Key At York Racecourse

“We normally begin our renovations in October after the race season, which is sometimes not ideal, but we have full confidence in the Limagrain mixture that it will begin to germinate.

“This year renovations were very late with the seed being sown in early November. Unfortunately for us, we then had an extreme winter with Beast from the East followed by a very wet start to the spring.  However, the track couldn’t have looked better with a very good coverage of new grass ready for the first meeting of the on the 16th May – this really is testament to the quality of the seed.”

Racecourses have to withstand a high degree of damage from horses over a whole season which means that selecting the right mixture for renovation and divot repair is vitally important. Adrian’s tailored mixture provides him with a dense hard wearing surface which offers quick germination and provides cushioning in the bottom of the sward.

Adrian says, the mixture which is treated with HEADSTART® GOLD – Limagrain’s unique seaweed based seed treatment helps to ensure rapid and even germination. This tried and tested grass seed treatment helps the seed get off to the best possible start – something which Adrian has been quick to notice.

“I use Limagrain because of the attributes of germination, establishment and the quality of leaf. If I put the seed down two weeks before we are racing, I absolutely know that in ideal conditions we are going to get the germination and establishment that is required.

“For me, it’s a year round product that I use. We use the same mix for repairs on the track as well which we apply after every race meeting. It really is the full package.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm.

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New R&A Greenkeeping Scholar

New R&A Greenkeeping Scholar: A Carrickfergus student has become the first in Northern Ireland to be awarded an R&A Greenkeeping Scholarship. Callum Burnside is currently undertaking a two-year foundation degree in Horticulture (Sportsturf) at the Greenmount campus of the College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)

The R&A Greenkeeping Scholarship Programme was established in 2004 to help boost the careers of those undertaking higher level greenkeeping and sportsturf qualifications. CAFRE is the newest addition to the approved educational establishments participating in the programme, joining Scotland’s Rural College (Elmwood Campus) and Myerscough College in England.

New R&A Greenkeeping Scholar

Callum joins more than over 320 scholars worldwide across 30 different countries. He was previously awarded the Golf Union of Ireland cadetship in 2017. This involved mastering greenkeeping skills and achieving a work-based Level 2 Diploma in Greenkeeping while undertaking duties at the Greenmount’s Greenkeeping and Golfing Academy.

Wendy Cole, manager of Sustainability at the R&A, said: “Our rigorous application and interview process ensures that only the best candidates are chosen to be R&A Greenkeeping Scholars. Callum demonstrated his passion and commitment to the sportsturf industry admirably and I am delighted that he is our first Greenkeeping Scholar from CAFRE and indeed Northern Ireland.

“We hope to further develop our links with CAFRE moving forward and hopefully we will see more scholars being appointed.”

The R&A organises The Open, golf’s oldest major championship.

Paul Mooney, head of Horticulture at Greenmount, said: “With just months before The Open returns to Royal Portrush in July there has never been a better time to consider a career in greenkeeping.”

For more information about the scholarship programme see the Greenkeeping support section on: https://www.randa.org

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Groundsman Creates ‘Starburst’ Outfield

Groundsman Creates ‘Starburst’ Outfield: TV viewers watching the latest test match at the Darren Sammy stadium in Gros Islet may have been struck by the unusual way the outfield has been cut, mown into the shape of a “starburst” fanning out from the pitch to the boundary. This sort of topiary appears to be unique to international cricket but then the man behind it is a one-off too.

Kent Crafton has been groundsman since the stadium was completed in 2002 and for the last six years he has acted as head curator for the whole Caribbean region. He is widely credited with having transformed pitches from “roads” on which batsmen filled their boots to the livelier surfaces that have revived local pace bowling and, in this series, left England’s batsmen hopping.

Groundsman Creates 'Starburst' Outfield

That is only Crafton’s day job. Manicuring the grass at his home ground is his real passion. During the women’s World Twenty20 in November, he went to extraordinary lengths by creating a Hibiscus shape with his mower.

During this match, a member of Crafton’s groundstaff can be seen walking across the outfield each evening with a paintbrush and tin, dabbing whitewash marks along the edges of each section to help Crafton be precise with his daily cut. Under ICC regulations, the outfield is given a light cut on each day of a Test match.

The outfield for this game has been unusually slow. This is because of the thick type of conch grass on the island but it may also have something to do with Crafton needing thicker-than-normal grass to create his patterns.

Anyone who gets between him and his artwork does so at their peril. A few years ago, in the build-up to a Test match, he severed through a 200-metre TV cable that happened to be lying across part of the outfield. He was not noticeably apologetic. “He has his own kingdom,” said one source.

There is, moreover, another problem taking up any matter with him: Crafton has an identical twin called Alton, who works as a development coach at Gros Islet. It has not been uncommon for people to think they are speaking to one of them, when in fact it is the other.

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