Elgin pitch in to thank NHS

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Elgin pitch in to thank NHS: Elgin City’s Borough Briggs pitch displayed a special message to the heroes of the NHS thanking them for their efforts during the Covid-19 crisis.

Club director and groundsman Cecil Jack came up with a unique way for City to express their gratitude by marking a huge love heart and the words “Thank you NHS” in the centre of the park.

The club then recruited local firm Rotorworx Aerial Media and Andy Innes Aerial Photography to take drone pictures of the markings, which then went down a storm on City’s Facebook page.

Jack teamed up with fellow ground helper and former director Jim Farquhar to do the design.

“I was thinking what we could do on the pitch so I phoned Jim and asked him how good he thought he was with the wheelbarrow and the pitch lining,” he said.

“Jim said his grandson had been doing something at the school with a heart so we concocted a plan and then we decided what to do from there.

“It was quite a fun thing to do.”

Club secretary Keiran Carty organised the drone photography to ensure the finished product could get the best exposure from high above the stadium.

“The NHS have been absolutely fantastic with any experiences I have had and I think everyone agrees with that,” Jack added.

“They do a great job and you find that out in times like these so we just wanted to do a small gesture to show our thanks.

“It would have needed a lot more writing to include the other essential workers but their work was very much in our thoughts as well when we did this.”

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Green set on fire by vandals

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Green set on fire by vandals: A golf club has been left in dismay after being the victim of “pure vandalism” in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown.

Thousands of pounds of damage was caused to various elements of the course at Knighton Heath Golf Club in Bournemouth.

The spate of damage across the 90-acre site, which sits beside Canford Heath, included areas on two greens being set alight.

Various tee signs, 150-yard markers, ball washers and trees were also destroyed, broken, uprooted or stolen by vandals.

Reunert Bauser, Knighton Heath Golf Club general manager, told the Daily Echo: “We have a couple of groups of members who patrol our course.

“They left on the Friday evening at 8pm and all the signs were fine. When we arrived the next morning six of the signs had been damaged beyond repair.

“It was just pure vandalism that happened and it is depressing.

“We also had two of the greens targeted by someone who poured a flammable substance over them and set them alight.

“The signs had been up for around five years and nothing had ever happened to them before. It took us a long time and a big cost to put them up in the first place. They cost around £600 each.”

During the coronavirus lockdown, the club has had to manage its resources carefully. As of yesterday the site had reopened following the slight easing of lockdown restrictions imposed by the government.

Mr Bauser said the vandalism had created an additional financial burden and an unexpected cost to address.

“The greenkeeper was not happy,” he added. “Greens cost a lot of money to put in and manage.

“You have people trying to set the greens alight and you are left with no idea why they are doing this.

“It is disheartening for the greenkeeper as he puts a lot of work into the course. It is taking shape and it is one of the better courses around at the moment.

“To fix the greens will mostly take time.”

The golf club has reported the damage to Dorset Police and officers are investigating.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “We received a report at 6.05pm on Saturday 2 May 2020 of criminal damage at the Knighton Heath Golf Club.

“It was reported that the damage had been caused sometime between 3pm on Friday, May 1, and 11am on Saturday. May 2, with posts and yard markers ripped out of the ground. Enquiries have been carried out into the incident but no arrests have been made.”

Anyone with information relating to the vandalism, should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 55200062020.

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1.4m more children could play sports weekly

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1.4m more children could play sports weekly: A new report by the Grounds Management Association (GMA) today reveals that junior participation levels in rugby and football could increase by almost 1.4 million (1,376,252) children every week, and in cricket, by almost half a million (489,859) per season. With the right investment, guidance and care, a massive 4 million more children’s football matches could be played on existing pitches every year.

The data, gathered through national Playing Pitch Strategies, the Grounds and Natural Turf Investment Programme (GaNTIP)* data, and a national survey of over 4,000 people, shows the huge opportunity for change.

1.4m more children could play sports weekly

1.4m more children could play sports weekly

With the nation desperate for sport to resume, and many individuals being more active than ever before, the leading not-for-profit membership organisation for the grounds sector is calling for volunteers, investment, and more resources to improve access to community-level sport.

Limiting play

The report also highlights the impact if nothing is done. Over the next decade, one in five football and rugby players, and half of cricket players will be left unable to play weekly or seasonally. This equates to over half a million players a week, and 170,000 players during a cricket season.

Geoff Webb, CEO at GMA, said:

“Across the world, playing and watching sport has been sorely missed. We’ve realised how much it means to us. After a season of no sport, now is the time to ensure pitches are playable when games resume. We know that if we act now, we can turn the tide and even improve access to local grass pitches. But, without immediate long-term investment and care, the huge benefits of sport for mental and physical health, community cohesion and the economy, will be lost to millions every year.”

Jason Booth, Director of Technical and Learning, said:

“We have around 56,891 rugby union and league, football, and cricket pitches in England today. That’s one pitch for every 984 people. While pitch improvement programmes such as GaNTIP* are making huge strides, more needs to be done to support grassroots sports and increase playability. With the right approach we can reduce cancellations, increase year round participation, engage new participants and promote active lifestyles.”

Priority players

The report also found that the pitch crisis has already had a detrimental effect on women and children’s sports. GMA’s research found that despite the growing popularity of women and girls’ sports teams, and junior play priority is often given to adult male teams.

55% of girls aged 7-18, and over a quarter of adult women, would play more team sports if they could, but there often isn’t the chance to due to slot availability or allocation. 58% of adults and 73% of children see more boys and men play local team sports than women and girls.

Get involved

The research found that pitches play an important role in our communities, for both children and adults. 57% of adults think playing local team sports is a fundamental national pastime, and over half (54%) think having teams play sport locally has a positive impact on their area.

A quarter of British children aged 7-18 think playing team sports locally is good for their communities and 64% want more grass pitches in their area. GMA is therefore calling for people to enter the profession, either as volunteers or professionals, to increase participation levels in our local communities.

Despite the enthusiasm for local grounds, many young people aren’t entering the grounds management profession, and one in five grounds managers will be leaving the profession in the next 10 years, leading to a perfect storm when it comes to pitch care. Only 19% of children are currently considering a job in grounds management. This means the UK does not have the workforce to stop the crisis.

Geoff Webb continues:

“While play isn’t currently happening, we’re urging people to get involved and contact local teams right now. The whole nation – government, sports bodies and members of the public who love sport – must help kick start sport as we are freed from restrictions. Sports turf volunteers and professionals are key to having surfaces ready for play, beyond this season of no sport. Through investing in local pitches, valuing the role ground staff play, encouraging more volunteering, or promoting careers in the profession, we can get more people playing sport than ever before.

“The skill of groundstaff, be they paid professionals or volunteers, and the crucial part they play in enabling sport to take place, must be recognised. Almost every professional sports player in the UK began by playing on a community pitch. And every community pitch across the UK, relies on volunteers or professional grounds staff to maintain it. Alongside all the benefits they bring to individuals, teams, and the local community – its crucial to invest time and money in our pitches right now so we can all get back to play.”

Whilst play is currently restricted, it’s possible to sign-up with local teams and take specialist online training, to start the volunteering journey right now. Find out more here: www.thegma.org.uk/learning

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Interview greenkeeper Gary Cook

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Interview greenkeeper Gary Cook: Gary Cook, the head greenkeeper at Enmore Park Golf Club, admits that he is a fortunate man, writes Richard Walsh.

“I am lucky to be doing something that I always wanted to do and enjoy doing it as well, so I am very fortunate,” he says.

Cook was born into a golfing family in Scotland, as he explained: “My father played golf and where we were living near Glasgow I grew up next to a golf course.

“I started playing when I was seven or eight and enjoyed everything about it.

“I just loved that environment and that’s how it all came about.”

So how does he come to find himself at Enmore?

“We were looking for a change of environment and so started looking, and the vacancy at Enmore Park came up.

“I was lucky enough to get it – and 26 years on I am still here, so it’s all worked out pretty well for us.

“We settled in and love everything about the area. Somerset’s a lovely county and has got such a lot to offer.”

Under Cook’s watch of more than a quarter of a century there have been a number of changes at Enmore.

“Since I have been here the course has developed and a lot of the trees have matured and are starting to make a difference,” he said.

“The thing about the golf course is that it’s ongoing and always developing, so never finished.

“There is always something to be done and something that you want to do – that’s the beauty of what I’m lucky enough to be doing.”

“I just loved that environment and that’s how it all came about.”

So how does he come to find himself at Enmore?

“We were looking for a change of environment and so started looking, and the vacancy at Enmore Park came up.

“I was lucky enough to get it – and 26 years on I am still here, so it’s all worked out pretty well for us.

“We settled in and love everything about the area. Somerset’s a lovely county and has got such a lot to offer.”

Under Cook’s watch of more than a quarter of a century there have been a number of changes at Enmore.

“Since I have been here the course has developed and a lot of the trees have matured and are starting to make a difference,” he said.

“The thing about the golf course is that it’s ongoing and always developing, so never finished.

“There is always something to be done and something that you want to do – that’s the beauty of what I’m lucky enough to be doing.”

What had been the highlight of his time at Enmore?

“When I look back I think that when we had the English Ladies here was the highlight because it gave us championship status – the first here and a great accolade for the club.”

What difference had the coronavirus lockdown made to his job?

“I think the biggest difference is that we are maintaining the surfaces rather than preparing them.

“We are here to maintain Enmore as a golf course so that when it does re-open again it is still here.

“We are running with a smaller staff just to keep on top of the cutting.

“We are not allowed to start anything new; the only construction projects you can work on are those that were started before the lockdown.”

When the lockdown is lifted and golf can re-commence, how long would it be before Enmore members could start to play again?

“We could open as a golf course within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead but, to get things back to where we would normally like to be, it will take us a couple of weeks.

“I’m looking forward to getting the members back onto the golf course again and enjoying themselves.”

Gary is a keen golfer himself, currently playing off a handicap of four, and he added: “That’s the lowest that I have ever been but of course the challenge is always to try to get lower.

“We all want it to be lower and in my case it’s not for lack of trying!”

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Greenkeeper shares 40 years of memories

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Greenkeeper shares 40 years of memories: A dedicated greenkeeper thought to be one of the longest serving in the industry is celebrating spending 40 years at the same golf club.

Terry Wharton joined Haydock Park Golf Club in April 1980 as a young man and is now head greenkeeper

He said: “The 40 years have gone quickly and I’ve been very fortunate to spend most of my working life in a beautiful landscape, working with good greenkeepers and staff trying to raise the standards and the playability of our course.”

There have been plenty of changes since he first took up his role at the club.

“The early years saw limited machinery on the course, with most surfaces cut with hand machines, except for fairways and rough that were cut with tractor and gang mowers,” he said.

“The top-dressing facility of a self-contained hopper supersedes the tractor, trailer and wheelbarrow that in the early 1980s you’d be lucky to dress greens with 20 tonnes throughout the year, against 120 tonnes delivered in a two-month period in the spring at the present time.”

With the advancements in technology and more televised golf events, Terry has seen many changes during his career.

He said: “The golfers’ desire for better surfaces has seen the staffing levels raised at most clubs compared to the early years, with busy clubs realising the work programme for the day needs to be completed quickly and efficiently before the golfers start their round, with only the basic tasks being completed early afternoon. This point can be shown with our start times in the summer of 1980 – we had an 8am start with a 5pm finish against present start time 6am with a 2pm finish, allowing the greens team to complete most of the course set-up before the course gets busy.”

Terry said his favourite part of the club was its members, remembering one in particular.

He said: “We’ve had some real characters playing the game at Haydock Park, none more so than Jack Padoue, who was one of the ‘old guard’.

“On arrival at the club one Monday dinner, Jack was met with builders in the men’s locker room.

“Jack looked surprised, ‘how dare they work’ on the day he played, and it may affect his preparation on setting up for his four ball. Jack’s four ball was run to military precision and woe betide anyone getting in Jack’s way!

“So the builders were told by Jack what was expected from them – he wanted a ‘quick clean efficient job and by the way turn that radio off, don’t you realise you’re working at a private members’ golf club?’

“The builders came across Jack a few more times before they finished the work and were met with the same abruptness.

“On the builders completing the locker room Jack realised his key wouldn’t open his locker. On further inspection someone had accidentally spilled some super glue into the lock, we wondered who….”

Stephen Nicholson, the club’s business manager, paid tribute to Terry’s loyal service.

He said: “Wow, 40 years – that’s longer than I’ve been on this planet. It’s a feat that’s rarely matched these days, with more and more people opting to move from position to position to progress their careers. Terry’s loyalty has been at the heart of his longevity here.

“Alongside this what I am impressed with the most about Terry is his enthusiasm to continue to learn and develop.

“We’ve sent him down to Oxford to see how a different style of greenkeeping works, we’ve updated our systems so he now has a computer in his office, has access to Word, Excel and email whilst updating everything in the cloud along with an online planner in the form of Turfkeeper that tracks all shifts, financial planning of stock, seed, fertiliser applied etc.

“It’s great that Terry continues to push for more and we look forward to continuing to work together for the next 40 years! You are a credit to the club, your profession and your family. Once this crisis is over we will no doubt have a proper celebration for Terry – in the meantime, thanks again for all that you do and keep up the great work.”

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