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2020 Vision On Soil Biology

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2020 Vision On Soil Biology: A new generation of greenkeepers are promoting the huge benefits that soil biology can bring to course management.

That was a key message soil specialist Joel Williams delivered to course managers, head greenkeepers and grounds professionals attending Soil Biology Ltd’s seminar ‘Getting Ready for 2020’ at Harpenden Common Golf Club on 14 November.

2020 Vision On Soil Biology

For too long, greenkeepers had focused on the chemical and physical dynamics of turfcare, he stressed, in some cases without sufficiently considering the third key element – biology.

It is now clear that by nurturing relationships between grass plants, bacteria, mycorrhizae and other soil life such as nematodes, greenkeepers can dramatically improve course conditions year-round, he argued.

By adopting a soil biology approach, clubs can attract greater usage and more members, while enabling greenkeepers to deliver course maintenance more efficiently – a message chiming with young greenkeepers rising through the ranks.

“We are beginning a transition from a mainly mechanical approach to soil and turf health to a balanced focus as part of an integrated system that includes biological processes and systems,” Joel stated.

Mounting pressure on greenkeepers to find alternative applications amid tougher EU controls on applied chemicals had moved soil biology up the agenda, Joel told the audience.

Harpenden Common head greenkeeper Sean Brocklehurst, who sits on BIGGA’s Young Greenkeepers Committee, revealed how soil biology practices and processes using applied products such as zeolites, had transformed “extremely wet, unplayable greens” into golfing surfaces sustaining year-round playability.

“The club has attracted more business because of the improved playing conditions, which in turn allowed us to invest further in improving aesthetic appearance right across the course,” he said.

The greens team works closely with a consultant from Soil Biology Ltd, who visits the club regularly to ensure the strategy is working optimally.

Attending the seminar in his role as course manager at The Richmond Golf Club, BIGGA Chairman Les Howkins added: “No longer is soil biology on the edge of course management as perhaps it was 20 years ago.

“Soil biology has always been vital to turf health but what is critical now is greenkeepers’ understanding of it, enabling them to manipulate it for the benefit of course conditions.”

Outlining the principles of soil biology, Joel discussed the functions, roles and interactions of soil life in golf greens – introducing key groups of organisms in the soil ecosystem.

Delegates learned how to advance soil biology and leverage the most from turf soils by understanding total, exchangeable and soluble nutrient pools, including the biological link to foliar-applied inputs.

Integrated pest management concluded Joel’s overview as he peered into the frontiers of soil biology, turf health and sustainable, resilient golf greens.

Sponsored and developed by Soil Biology Ltd, `Getting Ready for 2020` also included overviews of the products and programmes the company provide for sportsturf maintenance.

Email Paul Adams at paul@soil-biology.co.uk or phone Hillery Murphy on 07342 640650 to learn more about how to introduce soil biology into a course management strategy.

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Germinal Focus On Disease & Stress Resistant Bentgrass Mix At BTME

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Germinal Focus On Disease and Stress Resistant Bentgrass Mixture At BTME: Grass seed and turf care specialists, Germinal, will be showcasing its latest greens-specific seed mixture at the BTME show in Harrogate from 23rd to 25th January 2018.

Designed specifically for use on soil or sand-based golf greens, FOREFRONT GREENS is a blend of three bentgrass varieties, all of which have been selected to offer increased wear and heat tolerance, vigorous growth and good all-round disease resistance for hard-working, modern golf greens.

Germinal Focus On Disease & Stress Resistant Bentgrass Mixture At BTME

Comprising 35% AberâRegal (Browntop Bent), 35% AberâRoyal (Browntop Bent) and 30% 007 DSB (Creeping Bent), Forefront Greens produces a sward with enhanced disease and stress resistance and which retains a superb year-round green colour.

AberRegal and AberRoyal are the latest UK-bred bentgrass cultivars to come out of the IBERS (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences in Aberystwyth) breeding programme: bred from material originally sourced from Kent and west Wales respectively, AberRegal and AberRoyal boast superb disease resistance, particularly to Fusarium, as well as excellent shoot density, fineness of leaf and unrivalled winter and summer greenness.

007 DSB was developed in the US using 24 parent plants to produce a single cultivar with a wide genetic base.  It is this background which enables it to deliver all the qualities of a top-rated Creeping Bentgrass (prostrate growth habit, high shoot density and good wear tolerance) in a range of conditions – from the extreme heat of Morocco to the harsh cold of Western Siberia.

007 has won plaudits wherever it has been used, including Ryder Cup and US Open courses, and has recently been announced as the variety of choice for the greens renovation ahead of the PGA Masters at Wentworth.

“AberRegal, AberRoyal and 007 DSB work well together by providing greenkeepers with a low input seed mixture with improved genetic diversity and a sward with higher resistance to key disease threats such as Red Thread and Fusarium,” explains Richard Brown, Amenity Sales Manager for Germinal.

“As such, Forefront Greens is the perfect solution for progressive greenkeepers who are currently managing browntop bents, but who are seeking extra performance from the same management inputs.  The unique combination of cultivars ensures soil and sand-based golf greens remain verdant throughout the year and, thanks to the inclusion of three top-performing varieties, avoids the risks associated with creating a mono-culture of grasses.”

AberRoyal, AberRegal and 007 DSB are available exclusively in the UK via Germinal.  The recommended sowing rate for Forefront Greens is 8 to 12g/m2 (80 to 120kgs/ha).  The recommended overseeding rate is 5 to 8g/m2 (50 to 80kgs/ha).

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Woburn Golf Club Stays On Par With Sportag

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Woburn Golf Club Stays On Par With Sportag: World renowned golf facility, Woburn Golf Club is all set for whatever the weather may bring thanks to Sportag, Aggregate Industries’ revolutionary drainage material.

Established in 1974, Woburn Golf Club, which is located in Little Brickhill, Milton Keynes, is widely reputed as one of the finest golfing settings in Europe. Throughout the years the prestigious club has played stage to the European Tour’s British Masters, The Heritage, The Ricoh Womens British Open, The Open Final Qualifying, Ladies European tour, and more.

Woburn Golf Club Stays On Par With Sportag

Although the club already had a primary drainage system in place, it was decided that an additional one was required to optimise the performance and playability of the fairways.

As such, when it came to the material of choice, drainage contractors, Shelton, recommended their longstanding supplier, the Lytag® team who in turn recommended Sportag.

Launched earlier this year, Sportag is a lightweight, sustainable aggregate made from Lytag’s ground-breaking secondary aggregate, which offers the ideal solution for land drainage applications, particularly sports in grounds, pitches or golf courses, due to its rounded shape and material properties.

Core to the specification, Sportag is absorbent and gives excellent hydraulic conductivity thereby reducing the risk of flooding. It is able to transmit water up to 10 times faster than gravel, therefore making it the ideal choice for use in fairways on golf courses where firm dry surfaces are critical.

Completed during August 2017, Sportag was installed within trenches 25mm wide, spaced 2m apart and at a depth of 300mm, using the Shelton team’s advanced machinery. Quick and simple, the course was immediately available for use, damage to the course was minimal, therefore keeping disruption to a minimum.

John Clarke, Courses Manager at Woburn Golf Club comments: “We aim to provide first class playing surfaces year round, therefore when it came to investing in a new drainage system, it was important to ensure playability is possible regardless of the season or weather conditions – but also, a quick turnaround was key to minimising any disruption to the golfing calender. We were delighted with the solution provided by Lytag and Shelton Drainage equipment, having already experienced very wet spells we can really see the difference in terms of keeping the surfaces to a high standard.”

Steve Fisher, business development manager for Lytag at Aggregate Industries, commented: “With the UK weather more erratic than ever, it’s important that golf courses, football pitches and the like, have adequate drainage measures in place. Get it wrong and the water content of the turf can affect performance in terms of ball bounce, while poor drainage can also result in waterlogged greens and fairways. As demonstrated at Woburn Golf Club, Sportag ®, can make a huge impact in combating this with benefits that include effective drainage and high moisture retention while also being incredibly sustainable.”

For further information about Lytag or Aggregate Industries, visit www.aggregate.com

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Luscombe Plant Hire Double Up On Their GreenMech Fleet

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Luscombe Plant Hire double up on their GreenMech fleet to meet demand: Luscombe Plant Hire, based in Ulverston, Cumbria, stock a wide range of site machinery and tools available for daily, weekly, or long-term hire. After noticing that their GreenMech Arborist 130 woodchipper was hardly ever in the yard, owner Simon Luscombe decided to add a second one to his hire fleet to meet the consistent demand.

Simon and wife Beverly, along with their son Dan, started Luscombe Plant Hire in 2001 and this year they were proudly awarded the “Outstanding Single Depot Hire Company” at the EHN Passionate Hirer Awards. “We have a full range of tools and machinery from a wallpaper stripper right up to 8-tonne excavators as well as an onsite shop selling fittings, workwear and smaller tools” explains Simon. “The arborist side of things is quite a large part of our business, so being able to offer good quality, reliable chippers that work well is very important for us.”

Luscombe Plant Hire Double Up On Their GreenMech Fleet

They first came across the machines at the annual Executive Hire Show. After initially purchasing just one, the client base of tree surgeons, land owners and grounds managers meant the demand was more than they could supply so they added a second unit. “Since we’ve switched over to the GreenMech chippers, we’ve not had one bad report on them – our customers seem much more satisfied. They go out on hire for anywhere between one day to one month and everyone who hires them, say they’re really good machines to use. There has been no down-time due to breakdowns which, when you’ve got a packed hire schedule, is crucial.”

The Arborist 130 is a simple-to-use, cost effective, compact road tow chipper, featuring a generous 970mm x 790mm in-feed hopper, which aids bushy brash reduction, coupled with a 150cm x 230cm letterbox-style throat. The 23hp Honda petrol engine is protected with a steel bonnet, helping to reduce the noise level. It comes with a hand brake, overrun braking system and GreenMech’s patented Disc-Blade technology as standard.

For more information, visit: http://www.greenmech.co.uk/

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Oxford United Groundsman On A Career In Grass

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Pitch perfect: Oxford United’s groundsman on a career in grass: There is a sign stuck to the whiteboard behind Paul Currier’s desk which reads ‘Every day is a holiday for a man who loves his job’.

Five minutes with the head groundsman at Oxford United is enough to know it is not a hollow statement.

Currier, 58, is in the 40th year of a career which has taken him from school pitches to a host of Football League clubs – including tomorrow’s opponents Northampton Town – via a spell tending the lawns at Northamptonshire Police’s headquarters.

For someone who is quick to admit he was not the most academic at school, it has been quite a journey.

“I’ve always had this philosophy that if you get up in the morning and can’t wait to get to work then you’re enjoying your job,” Currier says, leaning back on a desk chair in his office, tucked under the East Stand.

“You’ve got to be dedicated. It can be seven days a week, it can be 12 hours a day and it’s not one of the best paid jobs in the world.

“But I’m passionate about my football and I’m passionate about my grass.”

Those who look after pitches tend to have a gruff demeanour, forever barking at people to ‘keep off the pitch’.

 But then they have plenty to worry about.

Currier, who reckons he walks 15 miles on a matchday to prepare the pitch, said: “All groundsman are the same, we’re all classed as grumpy sods.

“You have to police it because otherwise everybody will go on.

“They’ll think ‘it looks all right, I’ll go on it’, but you don’t see the damage until Christmas, so you’ve got to keep the traffic to the minimum.

“I have a checklist that I do pre-match, everything’s done, but you’ve still got that worry at the back of your mind.

“You wince when players go into the back of the net and they pull themselves up with it. It just pings everything off.

“The worst nightmare for any groundsman is to be called on while the game is going on.”

Then there are pests and diseases to lose sleep over, but his main obsession is the weather.

Pitch technology has improved markedly in the last 20 years, with the Kassam Stadium among the increasing number of surfaces in the Football League to mix the grass with artificial fibres.

Currier, brought in when the pitch was completely relaid by GreenFields in 2015, checks the forecast every four hours in the winter months.

And here, the Kassam Stadium’s open western end can be either a benefit or a hindrance.

He said: “I’m pretty confident you won’t get a game called off here for waterlogging.

“Because the pitch is so wide open to wind, it can dry twice as quickly as anywhere else.

“You can get a downpour while you’re playing and it won’t affect it, barring the odd splash.

“Temperatures drop and there’s constant shade down one side – because of the South Stand – which is two degrees colder than the other side.”

While he is a West Bromwich Albion supporter, spending so much time at a club tends to create a bond.

But United have had a stronger pull than most, as the first club where he is invited into the manager’s office after games.

He said: “I’m lucky here at Oxford because they treat me as one of the team, there’s a good rapport with the managers.”

Given the expertise built up over four decades, you might presume Currier has a perfectly-tended lawn at home in Northamptonshire.

“No, mine’s artificial,” he grins.

“When I’m at work I’m constantly thinking about grass, so when I’m at home I just like to chill out and relax and go ‘I shan’t be cutting that today’.”

Even for a man who is always on holiday, there are limits.

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