Tag Archive for: Course

Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status

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Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has revealed that Janne Lehto, course manager at Hirsala Golf, has become Finland’s first certified Master Greenkeeper.

Janne, 30, is chairperson of the Finnish Greenkeepers Association and is an agronomist for the Finnish Golf Union. He began his career at Hirsala, before spells at Loch Lomond Golf Club in Scotland and Woodlands Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. He returned to Hirsala in 2016, before taking on the course manager role in 2017.

Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status

Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status

Hirsala hosted the Finnish Open in 2011 and 2015, but is also considered one of the most forward-thinking and environmentally conscious golf clubs anywhere. The club is GEO Certified and has worked alongside WWF Finland on a number of projects including wetland management, waterway restoration and marine conservation. Additionally, the club powers machinery using biofuel rather than fossil fuels and both the clubhouse and maintenance facility have solar panels that means all of Hirsala’s electricity needs are fulfilled by the club itself. Fairways and rough are mown by autonomous mowers, each powered by clean energy drawn from the Hirsala’s solar power system.

The Master Greenkeeper Certificate is awarded to those members of BIGGA who have reached the highest standards of greenkeeping and golf course management. Candidates must pass three stages to achieve the certification, including an assessment of golf course operations and a case study and technical examination. They must also have 10 years’ experience as a greenkeeper with at least three years spent in a course manager, head greenkeeper or superintendent position.

“I was pretty thrilled,” said Janne of the moment he received a phone call from BIGGA’s Deb Burnett telling him he had become BIGGA’s 89th Master Greenkeeper. “It was a great feeling to get the process done because I started it over two years ago, but was held up by the COVID-19 pandemic that meant I could not have a course inspection, there being no other Master Greenkeepers in Finland. I started greenkeeping in 2011 and I’m always looking to develop myself and progress my career, so this was the natural next step.”

Head to the BIGGA website for more information about Master Greenkeeper and the other professional qualifications available to greenkeepers.

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Heathland course on top form with ISEKI

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Heathland course on top form with ISEKI: Working hard to restore this beautiful heathland course back to its former glory, Ipswich Golf Club with its 9-hole and 18-hole courses just keeps getting better every year.

The driving force behind all this is Graham Brumpton, Course Manager who has dedicated his last 33 years to developing the course, gradually introducing heathland elements back and managing the woodland areas to allow the natural habitats to thrive.  With numerous industry awards for best environmental golf course and conservation greenkeeper, wildlife and environmental concerns are a high priority for the club.

Heathland course on top form with ISEKI

Heathland course on top form with ISEKI

With all these projects and constant renovation, Graham has a team of 9 staff to carefully nurture the golf course, and with that workload they require numerous pieces of machinery.  Their previous ISEKI tractor was in need of replacement after over 25 years of hard graft.  Another compact tractor with a higher horse power was required, so following demonstrations with different manufacturers the ISEKI TH5370 ticked all the boxes!

Graham explained; “What sold it for us was the versatility of the tractor, with the 1,200kg lift capacity, loader and 35hp high torque engine. We use the machine for so many jobs on the course include aerating, brushing the fairways and topdressing.  Another reason we particularly chose the TH5370 was for the width of the tractor itself, we needed a tractor to power the Pro-core and ensure there was no overlap, at 1.3m wide it was perfect for the job!

“Alongside powering the implements it is used for all greens work, towing the trailer to carry bunker sand and divot material around the course, then transporting the greens mowers to each hole. So versatilityand operator friendly with very intuitive controlswas important asthe whole team use the tractor.

“We have a long-standing relationship with our local dealer Ernest Doe Groundcare and ISEKI, however we always ensure we buy the right equipment for the course making sure we look across the marketplace, ISEKI were hands down the best option!”

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New course in the best possible hands

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New course in the best possible hands: Ingestre Park Golf Club has relied heavily upon distributor Reesink Hydro-Scapes’s range of products as it created 12 new and upgraded six existing holes at its course in Staffordshire, with Toro providing the irrigation and Otterbine the lake aerating fountains for the project.

440 Toro Flex sprinklers were used for the greens, approaches and fairways and 159 T5 sprinklers on the tees, all of which are controlled by the Toro Lynx central control system with Lynx Smart modules. Five Otterbine Concept 3 lake aerating fountains keep the water of three lakes clean and clear and make a striking attraction.

New course in the best possible hands

New course in the best possible hands

International Design Group and MJ Abbott Ltd designed the course with Phil Helmn, as the golf course advisor, responsible for ensuring the project was carried out meeting the time frame of the planners. Here Phil explains the process: “When Ingestre Park Golf Club learned the proposed path of a new high-speed train was going to go through the course eight years ago, it took this as an opportunity to thrive. Excellent choices were made in selecting the right partners and the right tender plans.

“The bid included Toro irrigation in a one, not three, row formation with a couple of landing zones. The Lynx central control system really came into its own in the growing in phase. The ground must always be kept damp with water being applied every two hours for two minutes.

“If there were weather changes Lynx alerted us and application tweaks could be made – even from a sunlounger in Cyprus at one point! The level of detail and intuitive control Lynx provides is what’s needed when it comes to the application of water especially at this delicate stage and for safeguarding this commodity.”

Speaking of safeguarding water, Otterbine plays a role in this too, says Phil: “We were conscious of being set up to be as self-reliant as possible and know that everything has been done to harvest water. The site is very wet, and we needed a robust drainage system. Now we have a system that collects water into three lakes, all of which are interconnected, with Concept 3 aeration units installed from Otterbine to keep the water good for irrigating. We’ve also got a borehole to top up when needed and all this allows us to stay off the main water supply as much as possible.”

Now that the growing phase is over, Phil and the team continue to rely on the remote easy access accuracy of Toro’s Lynx, as Phil explains: “We irrigate at night or early in the morning and it’s so easy to control this should weather circumstances change from the time of pre-set. When you consider the warmer temperatures of the last few years and the prediction this will continue, to know our new course is in the best possible hands with the technology of Toro and Otterbine is particularly reassuring.”

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Major coup for JCB Golf Course

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Major coup for JCB Golf Course: A major tour event is set to make a welcome return to the prestigious JCB Golf and Country Club after the resounding success of its inaugural visit.

The first JCB Championship was staged at the Club this year as part of the Legends Tour’s international schedule, and some of the best-known names in golf competed for £600,000 in prize money. Today organisers confirmed that the event would be returning to the Rocester course in 2023 with a prize fund of £750,000 – the largest on the Legends Tour schedule outside of the Senior Open Championship. The JCB Championship is due to place from August 3rd to 5th 2023.

Major coup for JCB Golf Course

Major coup for JCB Golf Course

2022 Senior Open Champion Darren Clarke will once again host the event, with the Club bidding to attract a star-studded field. Among other big names already signed up to play are Alex Cejka, who won the 2022 Championship, Retief Goosen, Thongchai Jaidee, John Daly and Colin Montgomerie .

JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald: “We are thrilled to be hosting the JCB Championship for the second consecutive year. Last year’s event was a resounding success and with Darren Clarke hosting the occasion again, we aim to make the 2023 JCB Championship even bigger and better.”

Legends Tour Chief Executive Officer Phil Harrison said: “We are delighted to be returning to the JCB Golf & Country Club in 2023. The JCB Championship will undoubtedly attract some of the game’s biggest stars including Tour winners, Major winners, Ryder Cup stars and Hall of Famers.”

Darren Clarke said: “I was extremely proud to host The JCB Championship last year for what was a truly fantastic event. The JCB Golf & Country Club is a great venue, and we had such a great field in 2022 with so many former Major champions and legends of the game taking part.    I am really looking forward to returning in 2023 as host.”

More than 8,000 spectators attended the JCB Championship over three days, enjoying the action on a stunning course which is set in some of Staffordshire’s most beautiful countryside.  The prestigious Staffordshire club – the brainchild of JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford – has also successfully been a host venue for the Rose Ladies Series in both 2020 and 2021

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New course manager at The Grove

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New course manager at The Grove: The Grove today, in its 20th anniversary year, announced the important appointment of William Evans as its new Golf Course & Estates Manager.

William returns to The Grove for a second time – he was previously Head Greenkeeper between 2008 and 2011 – to lead the award-winning agronomy and gardens teams at the five-star, luxury Hertfordshire estate that features a Kyle Phillips designed championship golf course.

New course manager at The Grove

New course manager at The Grove

Over the past six years, William has enjoyed a highly-successful period in Bahrain as Director of Agronomy at the Troon International-managed Royal Golf Club. In his time in the Middle East, he was recognised as 59club’s International Greenkeeper of the Year on two occasions.

Brad Gould, Director of Golf at The Grove, commented: “William is a dedicated and highly motivated turf manager, and proven leader of people, and we are thrilled to have him back at The Grove.

“His industry experience and goal-focused approach to his work will be of huge benefit to our operations and he will undoubtedly help us to further enhance and develop what is an already exceptional, award-winning product.”

The Grove boasts one of the finest golf experiences in the UK thanks to its Top 100-ranked golf course and impeccable customer service. It also recently announced a host of investments in its golf experience that will be completed for its celebratory 2023 season.

These include an extension to the much-loved Stables Bar, enhancements to the outdoor terrace and courtyard, and significant renovations to the Locker Rooms, Stables toilets and Halfway House.

The Grove is also one of the first venues in Europe to unveil a grass-tee TrackMan Range solution on its practice facility, and is set to become the first venue in Europe to offer golf cars with music when a new fleet of high-spec Club Car vehicles, complete with Bluetooth speakers, is delivered.

On re-joining The Grove, William Evans said: “I relish the opportunity to manage such a vital part of The Grove’s business and I know I will be blessed with a truly fantastic team around me to reach even greater heights. One of The Grove’s USPs is the year-round pristine conditioning of its golf course and this will continue to be a key objective as we move forwards.”

Situated 18 miles from central London, The Grove is the only venue in the UK to have hosted a World Golf Championship (WGC) event – won by Tiger Woods in 2006. It also hosted The British Masters in 2016.

Beyond its pristine fairways and greens, The Grove’s 18th-century Mansion houses 25 rooms and suites as well as the uniquely-designed Lounges. There is also the thoroughly modern West Wing with a further 189 deluxe, superior and family rooms. Many of these rooms have balconies and terraces looking over immaculate formal gardens.

For further information: www.thegrove.co.uk

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