February 12, 2021 - Turf Matters

Evolution is the solution: Graham Kitley, head of grounds at Hazlegrove Preparatory School in Somerset, needed a premium controlled release fertiliser with no excessive flushes of growth. He found exactly what he was looking for in Agrovista Amenity’s Evolution Controlled Fine 25-5-10

The vastly experienced Graham, along with two other members of staff, tends to approximately twenty-two acres of gardens and grounds at the prestigious Hazlegrove Preparatory School. This includes the maintenance of a six-hole golf course, a putting green, four cricket squares, two synthetic turf pitches, cricket nets and five rugby pitches.

Evolution is the solution

Sport is an integral part of the experience at Hazlegrove and Graham, quite rightly, takes great pride in his work. “I insist on preparing every pitch to a standard that I would like to and expect to play on myself,” he says.

Graham demands the best out of his products and equipment, and therefore, when he felt he wasn’t getting the desired results out of a particular product he knew it was time to look elsewhere.

“I was previously using another fertiliser on our rugby pitches, but I was finding that it was giving me a really bad flush of early growth and I couldn’t keep up with cutting them – it got out of control. I then tried out another couple of different products and none of them really worked for me. It was as this point that I consulted with David Bevan from Agrovista Amenity.”

After David visited Graham and assessed the situation and the pitches, he recommended Agrovista Amenity’s Evolution Controlled Fine 25-5-10 (3-4 months).

Evolution Controlled is a fertiliser range consisting of nutrients packaged in a coated granule that are released over an extended period of time. Longevity is determined by the thickness of the granule coating and by soil temperature. High temperatures accelerate nutrient release, while lower temperatures reduce the process. Evolution Controlled products are therefore very effective in supplying nutrients to the grass relative to current growth requirements.

The Evolution Controlled Fine analysis provides a triple action nitrogen source to promote growth in a range of conditions and the immediate availability of nitrate ensures a rapid response. Polymer coated urea controls further release and ensures the grass continues to receive nitrogen over an extended period, which is exactly what Graham was looking for.

Furthermore, the product boasts significant calcium and magnesium content to support turf health and colour.

Graham took David’s advice on-board and he first applied Evolution Controlled Fine to two of the five rugby pitches. However, he admitted to keeping his options open and wanted to make sure he had the right product before applying it to all five.

“First, we applied Evolution Controlled Fine to two of our rugby pitches in August, but it wasn’t until a bit later that we carried it over to the other three,” he said. “The reason for doing so was because I was conducting a trial with a competitor product. I quickly found that it didn’t work as well as Evolution Controlled. Based on the results, Evolution Controlled is now on all five rugby pitches.

“I cannot fault it at all,” continued Graham. “It has nearly been four months and I still have good colour, plenty of growth and the turf is really healthy. It just continues to tick along nicely and most importantly it hasn’t given me that excessive growth. It is also cheaper than the previous product I was using, which is also another huge bonus.

“It has done exactly what David said it would do. The all-round customer service from Agrovista Amenity has been fantastic throughout the process. What I particularly like about David is that I get the impression he is not just trying to sell me the most expensive products – he genuinely has an interest in your grounds and he works hard to identify the products that will benefit you the most.”

For more information about Agrovista Amenity, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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Vattanac opens night golf: The Troon-managed, Vattanac Golf Resort, celebrates the opening of the spectacular “The Dragon Turn” night golf. The night golf is an exciting addition to the recently opened “West Course” and offers golfers a unique opportunity to play in the breathtaking surrounds of Phnom Penh under the cover of darkness.

“The Dragon Turn” is aptly named by the lake’s shape that sits in the middle of three holes of this exciting 9-hole floodlit course. Inspired by ownership’s vision to create a venue with significant character, this lake is yet another unique feature that this resort plays host to. Night golf will be available for play from sunset with the last tee time at 9PM, creating a very special addition to Vattanac Golf Resort.

Vattanac opens night golf

The launch of “The Dragon Turn” night golf comes after a successful end to 2020 for the resort following the opening of the second Faldo Design course, the “West Course”, and the “East Course” being named ‘Cambodia’s Best Golf Course’ at the 2020 World Golf Awards.

With imposing character and striking identity, the “East course” has received high praise from golfers the world over. Set within captivating natural surroundings, the “East” is a strategic golf course that utilizes dramatic water features, creative bunkering, and various forms of native fauna to challenge golfers of all levels. Over and above the highly enjoyable golf experience, the “East” pays homage to the marvels of Khmer architecture and the country’s rich history, with magnificent scale replicas of the world-renowned Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple and Preah Vihear Temple.

The “West Course” will certainly contend with the “East Course” as not only one of the best in Cambodia, but also one of the best in Asia. The West Course has distinctive differences from the East Course, of which are defined by narrower and more undulating fairways, a variety of unique water features and testing Paspalum greens. Cultural sculptures and stunning landscaping attribute to the striking scenery of Cambodia’s newest golf course. The “West” is a rewarding test of skill for players of all levels, featuring 5 sets of tees, starting at 4,935 yards, right through to 7,249 yards.

Karl Whitehead, General Manager at Vattanac Golf Resort, commented: “It’s been an incredibly exciting end to 2020 and start to 2021 for us at Vattanac Golf Resort. The announcement of the 9-holes of night golf on the West Course showcases how we, not only want to compete to have the best championship courses in Asia, but we also, under Mr Vattanac’s vision, want to offer golfers a fresh and exciting approach to the game. The dramatic landscape of “The Dragon Turn” under the night sky will hopefully provide golfers this.”

Cambodia’s luxury golf resort continues through the next phase of the integrated resort development to soon include a world acclaimed Golf Academy.

To view imagery of the “East Course” and “West Course”, click here.

For more information on Vattanac Golf Resort, visit www.vattanacgolfresort.com.