Tag Archive for: golf

BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf

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BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) and the Golf Club Managers Association (GCMA) have welcomed today’s announcement regarding the reopening of golf courses in Wales following an easing of restrictions and it is heartening that the Welsh Parliament has recognised the incredible role golf can play in maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle in a COVID-safe manner.

As welcoming as the relaxing of restrictions are, the incredibly short notice of just one day presents a significant challenge for the golf facilities of Wales to achieve readiness. There are many logistical challenges to opening a facility at short notice and a number of facilities will be part-way through significant on or off course projects that may take time to complete.

BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf

BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf

Golfers will no doubt be eager to head back out on the course as soon as they can get an available tee time and we look forward to golf clubs becoming thriving hubs of activity once again as people enjoy the many benefits that golf can bring.

However, on behalf of our members, both BIGGA and the GCMA ask for consideration from golfers and an understanding that courses may not be able to open immediately and, when they do, they may not be prepared to the usual standards golfers have come to expect. It can be reasonably anticipated that limitations on winter maintenance and renovations caused by an exceedingly wet winter, restrictions on activities due to COVID safety measures and the potential placing of staff onto furlough to protect the golf club business will have restricted what the team have been able to achieve. Additionally 2020 saw participation at unprecendented levels which reduced maintenance opportunities and created more wear and tear on turf and other areas than usual.

The preparation and maintenance of a golf course is a year-round process; as life returns to the golf club following the reopening, so too will life return to the course itself. Spring will hopefully bring drier and warmer weather aiding turfgrass plants to come out of dormancy, meaning they recover from damage quicker. While drier conditions will mean less damage from divots or compaction of the turf. As golfers return to the fairways, we ask for patience and consideration of the activities of the entire golf club team, from managers through front-of-house staff and the greenkeepers who have, like each of us at some time in the past year, worried about their livelihoods, their personal health and wellbeing, and who take great pride in their work but due to circumstances beyond their control have perhaps been unable to achieve the high standards they set for themselves.

If you have any questions about the maintenance of the course, please contact your club manager, course manager or head greenkeeper, who will be able to offer more information about the site-specific activities that have taken place at your golf club.

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EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

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EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley: Built between 2007-8 by architect David Krause, Golf Valley is a major development, around 35km south of Munich.

Created by developer Michael Weichselgartner with the aim of hosting major tournaments and the Ryder Cup, Golf Valley was built in a links-style, with over 3,000 sq m (32,000 sq ft) of bunker sand area and, according to Andy Matzner, the club’s first course manager, who now works there in a consulting capacity, has always struggled with the impact of rain on its bunker faces.

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

“With such a massive area of sand, it was always a huge workload every time there was serious rain,” says Matzner. “In Bavaria, in the early summer, there are regular lightning storms, and every time there was a rain event, the whole greenkeeping crew would be occupied pushing sand back up the faces. And then the next day, it would happen again! I had real difficulty motivating my staff to keep shifting sand, and obviously the impact on our maintenance costs was huge.”

Matzner, by then consulting at Golf Valley, met Richard Allen, founder of synthetic bunker edging solution provider EcoBunker, in 2017. “By that time, I had realised that the bad weather, and the consequent washouts, were just something we had to deal with,” he says. “Golf Valley has no trees, and the course is quite links-like in look and feel, and it occurred to me that revetted walls, sensitively installed, would fit in nicely, and would give the place a more authentic links character. Richard visited and assessed the bunkers, and agreed with me that revetting would improve both their appearance and their performance, so we commissioned EcoBunker to install its product on an initial 200 sq m of bunkerfaces.”

That project, in spring 2018, was handled by EcoBunker construction manager Llewelyn Matthews. Covering thirteen bunkers, Matzner and the Golf Valley team were impressed by the results. “A revetted wall in sunlight and shadow looks very impressive,” he says. “But the most important thing was the prevention of washouts. A flat sandy bunker never washes out. It may fill up but so long as the drain operates effectively, the bunker will always work.”

In late 2019, Golf Valley was hit by a huge rain event. Almost every bunker, apart from the ones that had been rebuilt by EcoBunker, was virtually destroyed. The EcoBunkers survived the storm completely intact. At this point, owner Weichselgartner decided that as many as possible of the course’s bunkers should be rebuilt using the EcoBunker solution. The EcoBunker team came back on site in October 2020 to build the next set of bunkers. That project was substantially completed in December, and Matzner says the results are impressive. “The course looks much more like a real links now, and the bunkers perform far better,” he explains. “And that is all down to EcoBunker.”

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Phil Anderton reveals golf participation levels

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Phil Anderton reveals golf participation levels: While golf is experiencing a boom at the moment, based on the game’s ability to be played within Covid restrictions, participation levels are still below where they were 20 years ago.

That fact was revealed by Phil Anderton, the R&A’s Chief Development Officer, speaking at the virtual Golf BIC conference.

Phil Anderton reveals golf participation levels

Phil Anderton reveals golf participation levels

Phil has carried out research since he took up his role at the R&A which uncovered the hurdles golf has to overcome to increase playing numbers and become more popular.

“The most used word in relation to golf when the general public were asked was ‘boring’,” he revealed.

“When asked if ‘Golf was for people like me’, 8% of those polled agreed, a figure which is far lower than for tennis or cycling. In polling golf was beaten by tennis and cycling in all counts apart from ‘Good for the Environment’.”

The research also revealed that 37% perceived the game to be “exclusive”; 24% that “equipment was expensive”; 48% that the “game was too expensive” and 37% that “it takes too long”. The better news was that 54% of lapsed golfers wanted to return to the game.

He also revealed that while the R&A regularly got 50,000 social media clicks when the announcement that Modest Management, One Direction’s Niall Horan’s company, would be working with the R&A there were over two million clicks.

Having identified the issues the game is dealing with the R&A have introduced a series if initiatives aimed at making the game more accessible and changing the perception that golf is only for a small section of the population.

Among these is the purchase of Lethamhill, in Glasgow, which will be developed by the R&A to become a golfing experience venue for the whole family, with a view of returning golf to its roots as a community game.

“We are also encouraging different formats of the game, including Golf Sixes which allows children to play golf in a game which takes no more than an hour.”

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Golf greenkeepers ask for support

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Golf greenkeepers ask for support: BIGGA has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement regarding the timetable for the reopening of golf.

As the members’ association for golf greenkeepers in the UK, BIGGA is acutely aware that golfers are eager to get back out on the course and start enjoying the limitless physical and mental health benefits of our wonderful sport.

Golf greenkeepers ask for support

Golf greenkeepers ask for support

However, as golfers have found in Scotland, where courses have remained open for limited play, this has been an incredibly wet and difficult winter and many greenkeepers have reported being able to do very limited maintenance throughout the colder months.

As such, while disappointed that the restart of golf will not be until 29 March in England, BIGGA welcomes the notice period as it will enable golf facilities to complete any essential winter maintenance and prepare the course for play to a standard that will not be detrimental to the long-term health of the facility.

Over the coming weeks BIGGA will be working alongside the governing bodies in golf to provide information regarding reasonable expectations of course presentation, so that returning golfers are aware of the challenges greenkeepers have faced with regards climate, staffing and COVID-19 restrictions and to ensure a safe, happy and prosperous return to golf for everyone.

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Vattanac opens night golf

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Vattanac opens night golf: The Troon-managed, Vattanac Golf Resort, celebrates the opening of the spectacular “The Dragon Turn” night golf. The night golf is an exciting addition to the recently opened “West Course” and offers golfers a unique opportunity to play in the breathtaking surrounds of Phnom Penh under the cover of darkness.

“The Dragon Turn” is aptly named by the lake’s shape that sits in the middle of three holes of this exciting 9-hole floodlit course. Inspired by ownership’s vision to create a venue with significant character, this lake is yet another unique feature that this resort plays host to. Night golf will be available for play from sunset with the last tee time at 9PM, creating a very special addition to Vattanac Golf Resort.

Vattanac opens night golf

Vattanac opens night golf

The launch of “The Dragon Turn” night golf comes after a successful end to 2020 for the resort following the opening of the second Faldo Design course, the “West Course”, and the “East Course” being named ‘Cambodia’s Best Golf Course’ at the 2020 World Golf Awards.

With imposing character and striking identity, the “East course” has received high praise from golfers the world over. Set within captivating natural surroundings, the “East” is a strategic golf course that utilizes dramatic water features, creative bunkering, and various forms of native fauna to challenge golfers of all levels. Over and above the highly enjoyable golf experience, the “East” pays homage to the marvels of Khmer architecture and the country’s rich history, with magnificent scale replicas of the world-renowned Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple and Preah Vihear Temple.

The “West Course” will certainly contend with the “East Course” as not only one of the best in Cambodia, but also one of the best in Asia. The West Course has distinctive differences from the East Course, of which are defined by narrower and more undulating fairways, a variety of unique water features and testing Paspalum greens. Cultural sculptures and stunning landscaping attribute to the striking scenery of Cambodia’s newest golf course. The “West” is a rewarding test of skill for players of all levels, featuring 5 sets of tees, starting at 4,935 yards, right through to 7,249 yards.

Karl Whitehead, General Manager at Vattanac Golf Resort, commented: “It’s been an incredibly exciting end to 2020 and start to 2021 for us at Vattanac Golf Resort. The announcement of the 9-holes of night golf on the West Course showcases how we, not only want to compete to have the best championship courses in Asia, but we also, under Mr Vattanac’s vision, want to offer golfers a fresh and exciting approach to the game. The dramatic landscape of “The Dragon Turn” under the night sky will hopefully provide golfers this.”

Cambodia’s luxury golf resort continues through the next phase of the integrated resort development to soon include a world acclaimed Golf Academy.

To view imagery of the “East Course” and “West Course”, click here.

For more information on Vattanac Golf Resort, visit www.vattanacgolfresort.com.

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