Seeing Is Believing At Brickendon Grange Golf Club

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Seeing Is Believing At Brickendon Grange Golf Club. Two new Otterbine aerating fountains to celebrate golden jubilee.

Seeing Is Believing At Brickendon Grange Golf Club

There’s nothing like a bit of ingenuity to bring in the results, as Lewis Mattholie, deputy greenkeeper at Brickendon Grange Golf Club, can attest to. And the result is two new beauty spots for the club’s golfers to enjoy.

With its 17th hole voted the Greatest Amateur Hole in the UK in the 2016 Grass Roots Golf competition, Lewis and the team at the Hertfordshire club wanted all the club’s holes to be equal.

And with the problem of slightly stagnating water in two of the ponds flanking the eighth and eighteenth holes to solve, and the occasion of the club’s 50th anniversary to mark, Lewis decided it was time to tackle the problem.

“The water in two of our ponds needed some TLC,” Lewis tells us. “The water was stagnating a little and starting to smell. I knew the answer was an aerator, but as with most things in life it’s a bit of hard sell to get people to buy into something they can’t see.

“I figured I could quite easily create a makeshift unit with a hose and end plug to demonstrate the affect of a fountain, so I went ahead and made one!”

The result was the management committee could instantly see how a fountain would rejuvenate the two holes by bringing beauty and tranquillity to them, essentially creating two new beauty spots for golfers to enjoy.

And by choosing Otterbine’s Fractional five-in-one aerating system, which combines beauty with function, the club not only benefits from two new beauty spots, but improved water quality too.

The Fractional can be relied upon to keep the ecosystem of any smaller area of water in perfect balance thanks to its ability to transfer an impressive 1kg/2.2lbs of oxygen per hp/hr and its pumping rate of 115m3/ph.

Lewis says: “The water quality has vastly improved. Gone is the problem of stagnating and smelling water, which was perfect timing for the club’s 50th anniversary!”

As we’ve mentioned, the idea for the project came about to mark the occasion of the club’s 50th anniversary in 2016 and one member of the club was so taken with the idea they offered to step in and pay for both fountains! Which leads us to ponder the club’s nickname of the ‘ace of Herts’. While we know it’s so named for its geographical location, with such kind-hearted members we wonder if it’s more appropriately named the ‘ace of hearts’!

Leicester Groundsman Cuts Club Crest Into Centre Circle

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Leicester Groundsman Cuts Club Crest Into Centre Circle. Current Premier League champions Leicester are preparing to hand over their trophy to Chelsea this weekend, but when it comes to pitch designs, the Foxes are still riding high at the top.

Craig Shakespeare’s side travel to Manchester City this weekend, but they still have two fixtures remaining at the King Power Stadium – starting with Tottenham on May 18 before the visit of Bournemouth three days later.

With their Premier League status secured courtesy of the 3-0 victory over Watford last weekend, the Midlands club can enjoy their final three games this season with their sights set on a top-half finish.

But while Shakespeare puts his squad through their paces at their Belvoir Drive training base, the club’s groundsmen have been busy perfecting  their latest design at the home ground.

Leicester’s performance against the Hornets last Saturday was every bit as immaculate as the playing surface, with an eye-catching design from chief groundsman John Ledwidge receiving plaudits for the state of the pitch heading into the summer break.

The club have developed a reputation for entertaining their opponents on surfaces akin to a bowling green, with the designs on show during last season’s surge to their first domestic league title catching the eye just as much as the side’s displays.

Having acknowledged the praise for his circular-themed offering against WalterMazzarri’s side, Ledwidge has taken his love for pitch patterns to the next level – by fashioning the club

Ledwidge and his team were hosting New Ground Technology for a European Stadium and Safety Management Association (ESSMA) workshop on Wednesday, and the Leicester groundsmanager was eager to use the equipment out on the pitch.

After several hours of careful trimming, the ‘Van Gogh of football pitches’ revealed his latest masterpiece, with the intricate details of the club’s circular crest, complete with the face of a fox and ‘Leicester City Football Club’, cut into the surface.

The Foxes will soon be dethroned as Premier League champions, but the club appear determined to end the season with the accolade for Grounds Team of the Year.

Aston Villa scooped the award last season despite relegation to the Championship, but Leicester – along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham were highly recommended.

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Jurgen Klopp Bemoans Pitch After Third Home Game Without Win

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Jurgen Klopp bemoans Anfield’s pitch after third successive home game without a win. Liverpool made it three home games in a row without a win, held to a 0-0 draw by Southampton for the second time this season.

Jurgen Klopp admitted post-match his frustration at the result, but insisted it was a point gained in the race for the top four – a race which still remains in the Reds’ hands thanks to Arsenal beating Man United.

Liverpool’s home form though, failing to beat Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton in consecutive games at Anfield, is a major concern for supporters.

Klopp also highlighted how dry the Anfield pitch was – a pitch that was due to replaced two years ago but has had to wait due to the ongoing construction of the new Main Stand.

“Today the pitch was really dry. We gave all the water we had and after 15 minutes it was really dry. It was difficult and with a lot of passes you could say, ‘Why are they playing this?’.

“In a home game you have to have the best circumstances but we couldn’t have this.”

Liverpool, despite their poor form since January, are still two wins away from qualifying for the Champions League – away to West Ham and at home to Middlesbrough.

Meanwhile, Anfield’s pitch will be replaced this summer. In the last two years it was only re-seeded due to the access required by cranes while the new Main Stand was built.

Brendan Rodgers frequently bemoaned the pitch in 2014/15, once describing it as “awful” and saying: “It is an old pitch that has not been upgraded for some years and it can be a disadvantage for us. It is difficult to play one-touch football on it.”

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Greenkeeper Takes Up Role As ECB Pitch Adviser

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Falmouth Greenkeeper Takes Up Role As ECB Pitch Adviser. Cornwall Cricket is delighted to announce the appointment of Simon Johnson, Head Greenkeeper at Falmouth Golf Club, and Head Groundsman at Mount Ambrose CC as its new named ECB Pitch Adviser.

Greenkeeper Takes Up Role As ECB Pitch Adviser

Simon has more than thirty years’ relevant experience and has prepared pitches for Minor Counties’ games while at Camborne CC.

Kevin O’Kelly, who has been the ECB Pitch Adviser for the last five years, has agreed to stay on in an active role and assist Simon in his new position.

Simon Menneer, Cornwall Cricket CEO, said: “This is an excellent outcome for Cornish cricket. We have gained the services for the long-term of an outstanding and respected expert in his field, and retained the valuable services of our outgoing Pitch Adviser which will ensure continuity.”

The ECB Pitch Advisory Scheme is funded by Sport England and ECB, and represents the first governing body to address the issue of groundsmanship, in particular at recreational / non-professional level.

The project is to place 45 County Pitch Advisers across England and Wales and for their activities to be fully embraced into the work of County Cricket Boards.

Roles of a Pitch Adviser:

1. To advise on the quality performance of specific pitches / squares and produce recommendations (where necessary) for any improvements, which may include grant aid schemes (Prioritised Detailed Assessment).

2. To monitor the developments of any facilities on which recommendations are being implemented.

3. Available, if required, to assess pitches / squares in respect of various league criteria.

4. Create a response team for basic assessments.

5. Help build an effective Groundmanship Association.’

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Council Tax Bombshell

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Ban on common weed killer could create £228 million council tax bombshell

Council Tax Bombshell

Research made available to the Forum has concluded that:

  • A local authority ban on common weed killers used in the professional amenity and garden sectors which contain glyphosate would add £228 million to council tax bills each year
  • This has been calculated as a cost equivalent to current funding for 11,438 adult social care workers
  • The ban could force some UK councils to spend considerable sums in capital outlays to replace conventional spraying systems with alternative approaches

New economic figures unveiled today reveal the cost to the local taxpayer of banning common weed killers to keep pavements, parks and public places weed free.

The figures come at a time when no less than 30 local authorities are being lobbied by some in their communities to ban the same weed killers that are used in amenity areas and gardens throughout the UK.

The research shows that a ban on weed killers containing glyphosate would add £228 million to the UK’s council tax bill each year.

The additional tax requirements for funding the alternatives would require an increase in the average household council tax bill of £7.80 – half the band D rate increase in 2015/16.

Amenity Forum Chairman, Professor John Moverley OBE, commented:

Weed killers are used by local authorities for management of public spaces, including pavements, parks, schools and local authority play areas. The non-chemical alternatives to treating roads and pavements for weeds have a place in an integrated approach to weed management but, as extensive research has shown, cannot currently compete with weed killers in normal day to day operations on economic or effectiveness grounds.

“At a time when Local Authorities are faced with acute budget pressures, it is important that decisions are based upon science and evidence. Nobody working in the professional amenity sector would wish to do anything to endanger public health and safety and always makes use of all options available. Anyweed killer coming to market undertakes rigorous testing before it is released and during its use.

Weed killers used in the amenity sector have been proven time and time again to be safe – no less than 28 independent global regulators and thousands of scientific studies over 40 years back this up. They are used across the diverse and important amenity sector as part of an integrated approach, keeping our railways running, maintaining our world class sports surfaces, for woodlands and much more. This research has just highlighted the costs of keeping pavements weed free. The total amenity cost would be substantially more.

As the voluntary initiative for the sector, we seek to provide an independent voice promoting best practice in all aspects of weed and pest management. We recognize concerns can arise but, in dealing with them, we need a rational debate based upon science and facts. The management of weeds and pests in amenity impacts upon every UK citizen’’