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It’s Always Terrain When It Pours

September 17, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours: Enable Leisure and Culture (ELC) is a registered charity, contracted by Wandsworth Council to manage and develop the council’s parks, commons and playgrounds. Working in conjunction with sub-contractors such as idverde. ELC takes responsibility for monitoring the grounds maintenance across a total of 200 sites. Enable also advises Wandsworth […]

Berry Big Ambitions

September 17, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Caroline Manzie

Berry Big Ambitions: When Craig Berry left school, his love of golf led him to study for a National Certificate in Greenkeeping at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). Nearly two decades on, he is living the dream, working as the Old Course Supervisor for the St Andrews Links Trust and managing 22 members of staff. However, […]

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours

September 17, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

Berry Big Ambitions

September 17, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Caroline Manzie

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours

September 17, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours: Enable Leisure and Culture (ELC) is a registered charity, contracted by Wandsworth Council to manage and develop the council’s parks, commons and playgrounds. Working in conjunction with sub-contractors such as idverde.

ELC takes responsibility for monitoring the grounds maintenance across a total of 200 sites. Enable also advises Wandsworth Council on its responsibilities with respect to legislation relating to biodiversity and best practice in the ecological maintenance of parks. Among the sites under their watchful eye are the sports pitches, of which there are 95 football pitches, 10 cricket squares, bowling greens and running tracks.

“A lot of the sites are on made up ground and experience major problems with drainage,” says Andrew Green, Enable’s Parks Officer, Sports Provisions. “We have carried out aeration down to 300mm but it’s not enough to get to the pans.”

Andrew called on the services of Terrain Aeration whom he has used for around 20 years to deal with waterlogging problems, most recently for Tooting Common, with its six senior football pitches which became waterlogged in the winter season; along with Garratt Park and Fishponds Playing Fields. Terrain Aeration’s Terralift was brought in to apply deep penetration aeration to relieve the problem. The machine uses a JCB road breaker hammer to drive a hollow probe one metre into the soil. This is needed, especially on made up ground, because it is usually so compact at depth it requires the hammer to get through. Once the probe reaches the optimum depth, compressed air is released up to a maximum of 20Bar (280psi). This blast fractures the compacted soil to allow drainage and deep aeration.

The probe is withdrawn and, in the case of the work for Wandsworth, the process repeated using one and a half metre spacings on a staggered grid pattern. This means each shot interconnects the fissures. On the tail end of the blast, dried seaweed is injected which sticks to the walls of the fractures and fissures. Over time, this expands and contracts with the moisture content in the soil to effectively keep the ground drained. At Wandsworth the 1½” probe holes created by the Terralift machine were backfilled with Lytag aggregate to provide a semi-permanent aeration/ventilation shaft, helping to keep the whole aeration process working. Put simply, Andy Green says: “We wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work. We find the Terrain Aeration process is a cost-effective solution, without the need to dig up pitches and lay drainage.

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Berry Big Ambitions

September 17, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Caroline Manzie

Berry Big Ambitions: When Craig Berry left school, his love of golf led him to study for a National Certificate in Greenkeeping at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).

Nearly two decades on, he is living the dream, working as the Old Course Supervisor for the St Andrews Links Trust and managing 22 members of staff.

However, he has one more ambition to fulfil – that of overseeing an Open Championship.

“That is without a doubt my ultimate dream,” said father-of-two Craig.

While studying at SRUC’s Elmwood campus, which boasts its own 18-hole golf course, Craig undertook placements at Lundin Golf Club.

He then completed an apprenticeship at Lundin Golf Club and continued his education at Elmwood through block release, gaining Levels 2 and 3 in Sports Turf Maintenance.

In 2011, he began working at Leven Links Golf course, moving to the St Andrews Links Trust Old Course three years later.

Craig rounded off his Elmwood education by completing an HNC in Golf Course Management via distance learning, and was awarded an R&A Greenkeeping Scholarship.

“Not only did the scholarship provide funding and support, but it gave me the chance to visit Askernish Golf Course, which is just stunning,” he said. “R&A support also helped me network, refine my professional skills and attend future golf managers’ course development.”

In 2018, Craig was appointed to his current position as Old Course Supervisor at the oldest and most iconic golf course in the world.

“It is a great place,” he said. “It’s like second nature to me.”

Craig, who has built up more than 18 years’ experience in the industry, puts his achievements down to two things.

“Never get ahead of yourself; you need other people’s knowledge. And secondly, let your work do the talking.

“Every day is a different day. There is the pressure to always be better than yesterday. I have a hunger for it and I use that to motivate my team.

“The high expectations on a top end golf course are always top of the agenda for the old course squad. The pressures of delivering a golf course to an Open Championship standard daily, has its difficulties, but with the experience and enthusiasm of the Old Course squad, we are able to deliver and achieve this standard.

My main aim going forward is to keep a high level of communication throughout the squad and provide consistent training, something which I have benefitted from and I see as an integral part of this industry.”

SRUC Elmwood offers Greenkeeping and Golf Course Management courses. For more information visit www.sruc.ac.uk/golf

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours

Berry Big Ambitions

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours

Berry Big Ambitions

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours

It’s Always Terrain When It Pours: Enable Leisure and Culture (ELC) is a registered charity, contracted by Wandsworth Council to manage and develop the council’s parks, commons and playgrounds. Working in conjunction with sub-contractors such as idverde.

Berry Big Ambitions

Berry Big Ambitions: When Craig Berry left school, his love of golf led him to study for a National Certificate in Greenkeeping at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).

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