International ‘Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day’

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International ‘Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day’: Golfers are asked to show their support on social media using #ThankASuper and #ThankAGreenkeeper

As a healthy outdoor activity that can adhere to social distancing, golf has seen a worldwide resurgence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 23 September, the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), in conjunction with other global greenkeeping groups, is recognising those who keep the game going and enjoyable with “Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day”, encouraging all those who love golf to thank their course’s greenkeeping team.

International ‘Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day’

International ‘Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day’

In addition to BIGGA, other groups taking part in the global event include Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Australia Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) and the Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Associations (FEGGA). All together the groups represent more than 31,000 golf course management professionals in 78 countries around the world.

The celebration of 23 September will include a commercial that will begin rotation on the Golf Channel in the United States and other media outlets. Social media messages will demonstrate the many ways that greenkeepers make the game more enjoyable and sustainable. Golfers and others are encouraged to join in the conversation on social media using the hashtags #ThankASuper or #ThankAGreenkeeper depending on their country’s terminology.

As courses reopened after the early months of the crisis, the demand for golf was clear. In the United States, golf rounds in June and July were up as much as 20% over the same time period in 2019 and in the United Kingdom, July rounds were up 40% over last year.

In addition to dealing with new pandemic procedures, greenkeepers continually strive to keep golf courses healthy and playable with environmental stewardship as a primary focus. Golf courses provide an abundance of habitats for wildlife and contribute significantly to biodiversity, as well as providing the platform for one of the world’s most popular sporting pastimes.

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton said: “The incredible surge in popularity of golf this summer has seen people of all ages get a first look at our wonderful sport and all the health and social benefits it can bring. Golf is a tricky game to learn and you’ll never truly master it, but the fun is in the trying and thousands of people have found relief from the stresses of this year as they embarked upon their journey in the sport.

“Ever since courses reopened post-lockdown I’ve enjoyed a number of Sunday afternoon rounds with my family and I know that’s been replicated not just all over the UK, but all over the world. Those experiences have been made possible thanks to the BIGGA members and greenkeepers who continued to work throughout the UK lockdown to keep courses in a condition that meant they could quickly be returned to play when restrictions eased.

“The association and its members have also played a key role in developing and maintaining the safety protocols that allow golfers to return to the nation’s fairways in a safe manner and I’m excited that the golfing world is uniting on Wednesday 23 September to say thank you for everything they do to allow families like mine to enjoy the wonderful sport of golf.”

To learn more about BIGGA and the role greenkeepers play in the enjoyment and sustainability of the game, visit www.bigga.org.uk

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Ramsdale Park’s GEO five-year status award

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Ramsdale Park’s GEO five-year status award: Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, a Burhill Group Limited (BGL) venue in Nottingham, is proud to announce that it has successfully achieved Golf Environment Organisation Certified® status for the next five years.

The comprehensive, modern certification was developed to encompass environmental success in the areas of golf facility operations, golf development and renovation, and golf tournaments. This status demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement around nature, resources, and the community.

Ramsdale Park's GEO five-year status award

Ramsdale Park’s GEO five-year status award

Commenting on the achievement, General Manager, Theresa Plimmer, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for everybody at Ramsdale Park. It’s incredibly important to us that we operate in the most environmentally friendly way possible, and this certification is testament to the incredible work our staff have put in.

“Our greenkeeping team are constantly striving to improve the courses and club facilities and will continue to search for new, innovative ways to achieve the most sustainable and efficient practices possible.”

Ramsdale Park Golf Centre features a scenic 18-hole course with spectacular views over the Nottinghamshire countryside as well as a short course that is ideal for beginners and approach play practice. The club also has a 25-bay floodlit driving range, well stocked pro shop, Adventure Golf course and relaxed café bar and grill.

To find out more about Ramsdale Park Golf Centre visit www.ramsdaleparkgc.co.uk, email info@ramsdaleparkgc.co.uk or call +44 (0)115 9655 600.

For more information on Burhill Group Limited visit www.bglcompany.co.uk.

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PM36 serves up competition-ready courts

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PM36 serves up competition-ready courts: As a sole Groundsman, Robin Wilcox has his work cut out looking after the 19 courts and 5 croquet lawns that make up East Dorset Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (EDLTCC).

On the sites nine grass courts, DLF’s ProMaster 36, and its tolerance of low cutting heights, has given Robin the advantage – freeing up time for the other tasks which keep the courts and lawns competition ready.

PM36 serves up competition-ready courts

PM36 serves up competition-ready courts

One of Robin’s key goals when he joined EDLTCC two years ago was to bring the grass courts up to standard required to be selected, once again, as a host for the qualifying stages of The County Cup. “Over the years the courts had accumulated layers of thatch, so we could have gone down the road of scarifying and adding additional loam, but we decided to go for a full renovation.” During his first year at the club, Robin skimmed off the top layer, cultivated, levelled and seeded with Masterline PM36 perennial ryegrass mix.

“A great combination of warmth and rain in the late summer/early autumn of 2018 meant the courts were green in under three weeks and I carried out the first cut at six weeks – everybody at the club was amazed at the germination. Our artificial and clay courts took the strain while the grass courts were under renovation but when they re-opened for play in 2019, there was a new wave of members wanting to play on the grass and they coped, and recovered, from the high levels of wear very well.”

The decision to go for a pure-rye mix gives Robin the playing and resistance characteristics he requires, even under close mown conditions. “Because of my workload, I have to split my time between the artificial courts, grass courts and lawns so this means I am limited to mowing just twice a week. With the PM36 mix, it is hardy enough to cope with going as low as 5mm without any detrimental impact on turf quality.”

While a final decision by the LTA is expected at the end of May, at the time of writing the County Cup remains in the tournament calendar and the improvements Robin has achieved sees EDLTCC chosen as a host venue, after a few years absence. “It’s fantastic news for the club.” Robin concludes, “Everybody is delighted with the results of the renovations – the PM36 has delivered great quality courts fit for top level play once again.”

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Japanese excellence at Whitefield GC

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Japanese excellence at Whitefield GC: Whitefield Golf Club, one of the longest established golf courses in the North West have invested in a brand-new fleet of machinery with a retail value in excess of £250,000 to futureproof the club.

The prestigious 18-hole mature golf course, which boasts superb putting surfaces, undulating, partly tree-lined fairways and spectacular views is also renowned for its par 3 and has a reputation as being deceptively difficult, with golfers coming from miles around to take on the challenge.

Japanese excellence at Whitefield GC

Japanese excellence at Whitefield GC

The club’s ageing fleet had started to become an issue, failing to deliver the standard required and with a prestigious tournament booked for this summer, the team realised that a sizeable investment in an entirely new fleet was required.

Course Manager Danny Chamberlain called upon award winning fine-turf specialist supplier GGM Groundscare. Several considerations had to be taken into account when selecting the best machinery for the job, with reliability and productivity of equipment being key. In addition, being based in the North West of England, it was key for the machinery to perform well in all-weather conditions. The club trialled a range of products from leading manufacturers Baroness and Kubota and the Greens team instantly saw the great results, with the machines staying on cut for longer and giving a precise finish, which is so important for maintaining the image of the course”

Danny was particularly impressed with the results from the Baroness LM2700 Fairway Mower, which  delivers a high work rate while delivering exceptional quality of cut, low whole life service costs and also long life and the Baroness GM2810 Rough Mower, renowned for its fast speed when cutting extensive areas of fast growing  rough, the design of the decks allows cleaner discharge of grass giving a high quality stripped finish.

“It’s the simplicity that I love – not only will it reduce downtime, maintenance and service costs – the Baroness is far easier and safer for the team to use and gives a truly outstanding quality of cut”

Additionally, the Kubota L2501 tractor, RTV X900 Utility vehicle and ZD1211 Zero turn mower are all excellent machines and provide the club with the quality and efficient solutions that it needs. The Baroness and Kubota products work so well together and gives the ideal package to golf clubs.

It was this, along with the reliability and output of all the machines the club trialled and the fixed-cost service and support package that was available that were key factors for Danny. It allows the club to budget better and gave the team peace of mind that they won’t be receiving unexpected repair bills that gave him the confidence to place an order to replace the full fleet.

“It was a huge step for the club to move away from the previous manufacturer, and particularly when it came to making an investment of this size however, GGM Groundscare made the process so easy. Working with the right dealership is essential – after all, they become an extension of your own team. Service levels, parts back up and sales advice are all absolutely crucial. It’s fantastic to know that we’re heading into the future with the very best fleet for our club.”

Chris Gibson, Managing Director at GGM Groundscare said:

“We are absolutely delighted to supply this fleet of machinery to Whitefield Golf Club. It is well known as one of the most prestigious courses in the North West with a reputation for pristine greens, and we are thrilled to play a part in the maintenance of them. It really is Japanese excellence working together with Kubota and Baroness as there are no better machines for golf clubs to use to maintain one of their biggest assets – their course”.

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Soluble strategy from Headland Amenity

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Soluble strategy from Headland Amenity: A switch to a liquid feeding programme has paid dividends on the fairways at Canons Brook Golf Club. Having fallen victim to the drought of summer 2018, the fairway recovery was boosted by a new liquid regime formulated by Headland Amenity.

A tank-mix consisting of XTEND®, Elevate Fe® and Clipless NT® applied throughout 2019 has helped to encourage and maintain strong, healthy coverage as the new season approaches.

Soluble strategy from Headland Amenity

Soluble strategy from Headland Amenity

When Course Manager Damien Bowe joined Canons Brook in Harlow back in 2016, there was no nutritional programme in place for the fairways. “I quickly introduced a conventional granular programme, which we applied in April and again in September. In 2018 the hot weather hit us hard and we lost a lot of coverage but we went ahead with the granular application in April as normal which, combined with some good rainfall, stimulated good recovery and strong growth.”

To sustain the recovery and coverage achieved, Damien together with his Headland Regional Technical Manager, Peter Blackaby, formulated a liquid programme to ‘spoon-feed’ the fairways throughout the growing season, rather than merely aim to strengthen them before winter. They applied XTEND® 21-0-0 at 30L/hectare, Elevate Fe® at 20L/hectare and Clipless NT® at 1.5L/hectare every 4 weeks between June and September. “We used a low rate of Clipless NT® to keep on top of any flushes. This helped to thicken up the sward, giving us nice, controlled growth and healthy, dense fairways.”

“We also applied Headland’s TriCure AD™ separately at 2.5L/hectare, and achieved fantastic results with that, particularly in those areas that were stressed the most from the previous summer. We put this down ahead of any forecasted rainfall and it helped to hold onto any rain we got and kept the plant nice and strong. As an added bonus, it also kickstarted the germination of seed we had applied earlier in the year, in some areas of the course that hadn’t seen any growth in months.”

Despite the almost non-stop rainfall Canons Brook have seen since September, the Headland programme has ensured the fairways have emerged into 2020 strong and ready for play.

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