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NEWS ARTICLES

Golf Club Feels The Heat

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Golf Club Feels The Heat: The impact of the UK’s current heatwave can be seen at Oxford Golf Club.

Just a month ago Oxfordshire’s oldest golf course resembled a lush green oasis, but after the driest June on record, the fairways have frazzled.

Now the most verdant parts of the course on Hill Top Road, Headington, are the greens and tees, which are watered via an irrigation system.

Doug MacGregor, the club’s head greenkeeper, said: “I’ve been a greenkeeper for 25 years in Oxford and Scotland and these are some of the most extreme weather conditions I’ve experienced.”

Meanwhile in Oxford University Parks, walkers are likely to have blamed falling water levels in the pond on the scorching weather.

It is thought hundreds of fish died last week after levels plummeted rapidly, but the water loss was not the result of evaporation – the university suspects river gates on the Cherwell were opened to increase depth of water downstream, without realising the implications.

Golf club worker Mr MacGregor took a photo of the course one month ago and again this week from the 10th hole, to demonstrate the impact the weather can have.

The experienced greenkeeper and his team of five are working to keep the course in good shape amid sizzling temperatures of up to 30 degrees C, with the hot spell set to continue this week.

Mr MacGregor added: “We had a tough winter but came through it and then had a very wet period and a lot of grass growth before the heatwave.

“The course has looked magnificent in recent months and now the weather has changed the fairways and rough have really struggled to maintain moisture levels.

“This, coupled with the lack of a mains irrigation system at the club, has meant that they have suffered in terms of grass density and colour but they are still playable.

“The weather has a massive impact on the course and we have to adapt daily -we live by weather reports.”

The team’s day starts at 6am with an analysis of data from the club’s weather station.

The information informs them which areas of the course have lost moisture and enables them to establish where to focus their efforts.

“With the heatwave we have adjusted our tactics significantly,” said Doug.

“We also have a high-tech moisture meter which we use by hand to take readings on different spots of the greens.

“Wind is a big factor and different parts of the green will need more water than others.

“The readings enable us to focus on areas which require attention and apply the necessary levels of water accordingly.

“The soil is very warm and dry, and we continually aerate it. We have reduced the amount of grass cutting we do.

“I love looking after the course and it’s great when people comment on the quality.”

Met Office forecasters said today’s temperatures would be cooler than yesterday.

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2018 Mowing Season Starts Later

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2018 Mowing Season Starts Later: A survey by lawnmower manufacturer Cub Cadet has found that the 2018 lawnmowing season started over three weeks later than it did in 2017.

The results found that the most popular day for the first mow of the lawn in 2017 was the 26th March, whereas this year it was the 19th April – 24 days later.

2018 Mowing Season Starts Later

This year, England had the wettest March since 1981 with an average rainfall of 102.2mm, and the UK as a whole had its wettest March in a decade with 104.44mm on average. This was followed by a mini-heatwave in mid-April which saw some of the highest temperatures in April since 1949 – a combination which inevitably caused lawns to have a growth spurt and spark the starting of lawnmowers across the country.

The lawnmowing season survey campaign was launched last year as part of Cub Cadet’s ongoing project into assessing the impact of changing weather patterns on lawns, and this is the first set of comparable year-on-year data that has come from the project. The survey is an annual project that will assess the long-term impact of the weather on UK lawns, as well as looking at the short-term effects it can have in delaying the start of the season.

Discussing the results, Phil Noble, Sales and Technical Manager for Cub Cadet UK, said: “Sales  discussions within the industry suggested that the season had started later this year so it’s interesting to see this reiterated by our survey data. There have been many contributing factors and it’s not entirely surprising that people started mowing later when you consider the extreme and varied weather we had earlier in the year with the Beast from the East followed by an unusually warm April combined with lots of rainfall.”

“The weather was really varied – if we didn’t know what the weather was doing, it’s not surprising that the grass didn’t! We now wait for the data from the close of the survey later in the year to see if the whole season has shifted.”

The earliest first mow was as early as the 3rd January, with the latest being reported on 13th May.

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Solving The Erosion Headache

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Solving The Erosion Headache: When it comes to sports ground renovations, areas that are subject to heavy use and erosion have caused headaches for greenkeepers and groundsmen for years. From sidelines and goalmouths in football, to walkways and paths in golf; public parks, playgrounds and festivals – the list goes on.

Hybrid surfaces are a new and innovative solution which are ideal for areas that suffer from heavy use and erosion. Greenacres’ hybrid surface, Coverlawn®, is available in multiple pile heights which makes it suitable for various applications. With over 1,000 installations worldwide, it has benefitted golf courses, sports pitches, children’s playgrounds, music festivals, public parks and many other high traffic areas.

Solving The Erosion Headache

As a knitted construction hybrid, Coverlawn® works in tandem with natural grass, encouraging natural growth while reinforcing and protecting the root zone with its honeycomb structure. Coverlawn® allows the natural turf to grow through and integrate completely, therefore providing a surface that is resistant to wear and tear. Coverlawn® is manufactured to allow maximum drainage, is exceptionally strong and long-lasting, and boasts anti-slip properties.

As you can see, Hybrid Surfaces remove the need for entirely artificial surfaces, or the use of gravel or rubber crumb alternatives. The popularity of Coverlawn® stems from the ability to retain the use of natural turf, which is a preference for most greenkeepers and groundsmen.

Coverlawn® is easy to install. Simply begin by measuring the area required, using as few seams as possible. Prepare the area for installation by mowing the existing grass to 20mm. Clear any debris and weeds, fill in any uneven holes with soil and seed any bare patches. Then simply lay the rolls of hybrid grass and, if necessary, cut them to size. Anchor the hybrid grass in place by burying the edges into the ground and inserting the decomposable anchor pins provided. Finally, apply a layer of top sand to the surface, and water to even out any inconsistencies. The new surface is ready to be used immediately after installation, but allow 2-3 months for complete integration.

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Pitchmark Takes New Lines In Expansion

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Pitchmark Takes New Lines In Expansion: A family-run business based in Bristol, UK, Pitchmark has been innovative in raising the standard of line marking since the company’s inception in 2010. As expansion continues, they have made a number of new appointments and developments to consolidate the increasing demand for their range of high quality line marking paints, machines and accessories for all types of sport and sports surfaces. Pitchmark products are used in over thirty countries worldwide and were supplied to every stadium at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and UEFA Euro 2016 in France.

As part of the planning for the future, Darren Rodman (Marketing Manager), Tim Rodman (General Manager) and Jon Griffiths (Production Manager) have now become shareholders and directors of Pitchmark, working alongside existing directors Mark and Sue Rodman. The team has also been joined by Dave Blanchard who will be known to many in the industry and also represents Pitchmark’s ambition to grow the brand, while aiming to improve the quality of working life for ground staff.

Pitchmark Takes New Lines In Expansion

“We are always working tirelessly on research and development,” says Mark Rodman “and it’s all about regularly coming up with exciting and innovative ideas. That, and understanding what groundsmen want is what keeps us ahead.” The company has taken on five new staff in the six months to April this year, including a new Warehouse Manager who has been recruited to help improve processes and procedures as the business continues to grow. “These recent changes are very exciting and will allow us to secure our place at the forefront of the industry for many years to come.” Mark added.

Success has been recognised as well with Pitchmark recently winning Business Exporter of the Year for the South West in the regional FSB small business awards. The company is also shortlisted for the Bristol Post Business Awards in the Small Business of the Year category, whilst Tim Rodman has also been shortlisted in the awards for Young Business Person of the Year and was named recently on Insider Media’s ’42 under 42’ list for the South West. As a proud British manufacturer, this year Pitchmark joined the ‘Made in Britain campaign and in future will be using the distinctive logo on products and packaging. All of which is aimed at improving the standard of line marking internationally.

Call 01454 776666 or email sales@pitchmark.com and they will be happy to arrange a demo.

For more information, visit: www.pitchmark.com

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Bristol Rovers Pitch Renovations

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Bristol Rovers Pitch Renovations: Bristol Rovers manager Darrell Clarke has praised the impressive work of the ground staff at the League One club who are going above and beyond to ensure the team have a world class playing surface this season.

The state of the Memorial Stadium pitch was a constant source of frustration last season for both the home and away sides with the turf badly cutting up at times.

However The Gas have taken dramatic steps to solve the problem, pulling up the old pitch after the final home game of the 2017/18 season and planting a new fibre one.

What the fibre does is reinforce the turf meaning it should not come up in clumps.

Talking about the new playing surface, Clarke said: “The Mem pitch is coming together really nicely. Again it is testament to the owners who have spent a fair bit of money on it.

“The ground staff have been working tremendously hard on it. I think Daryle [Sullivan] the groundsman even stayed at the ground for a week or so, sleeping at the ground, he has been working that hard.

 “That is credit to him and that is what we want at the top football club, everyone pulling together in the same direction to make things better and try and help move us forward and that is testament to the staff.”

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