Tag Archive for: The

The countdown has started

/in /by

The countdown has started: Turf Matters catches up with Alan MacDonnell, who in six years time will join the elite club of turf managers who have prepared a Ryder Cup course.

Adare Manor has been chosen to host the 2027 Ryder Cup with the County Limerick club being the second Irish golf club after The K Club, in County Kildare in 2006.

The countdown has started

The countdown has started

While it is over six year away there is one man who is sure to use every day of the time between now and the Opening Ceremony to ensure the course is fit to match the occasion.

For Course Superintendent Alan MacDonnell the Ryder Cup will the be the culmination of many years hard work and preparation.

Alan took some time out to chat with Turf Matters about what the Ryder Cup meant to him and his team and the work that has already gone on and what is still to be carried out.

Turf Matters will follow Alan’s progress between now and 2027 and report on the various milestones along the way.

Turf Matters: How did you get into greenkeeping and to your current role at Adare Manor?

Alan MacDonnell: My career was meant to be something totally different – I was destined to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a member of the An Garda Siochana (The Irish Police Force) but my interest in golf started at a very young age and I was one of the very few children in our school in Kilgarvan Co. Kerry who used to play golf.

I played and very much enjoyed golf at my local course Kenmare Golf Club and further afield in Ceann Sibeal Golf Links in Dingle with my father and my brother. In fact, my first ‘paying’ summer work was on the golf course in Kenmare.

A job I loved, and it became in some ways my second career as I later turned down the opportunity to join the An Garda Siochana to pursue a greenkeeping career.

I studied Golf Course Management at Harper Adams in the UK for three years and part of my studies was a placement at Adare Manor, that was 22 years ago. I came as an intern, learnt my trade and was fortunate enough to rise through the ranks here at Adare Manor.

TM: Can you give a little insight into the nature of the golf course – strengths, signature holes etc?

AM: The course was originally a Robert Trent Jones Snr course which opened in 1995 and was redesigned in 2016 by Tom Fazio.

Set on an 840 acre estate The Golf Course at Adare Manor is a par-72 measuring 7509 yards off the back tees. The desire is that we produce firm and fast surfaces and offer superior levels of presentation for our members and guests.

The design is very much a classical design with two loops of nine and the 1st tee, 9th green, 10th tee and 18th green all within a pitching wedge of each other.

Each nine hole loop features two par-5s and two par-3s.

The front nine is very much anchored by a 15 acre lake which also acts as our irrigation reservoir. Water is again in play on the back nine where the River Maigue comes in to play on four holes. 14 of the 18 greens have elevated putting surfaces with Bent Grass surrounds which in my opinion is one of the standout features of the course; subtle but elevated putting surfaces with devilish surrounds that run as fast as some of the greens is probably the course’s greatest defence.

The premium is on accuracy of the second or third shot to the greens. During the construction 500,000 m2 of material was moved around the site to help to transform the fairways from a relatively flat terrain to being somewhat undulating.

The whole site has been sand-capped which assists in helping us produce the firmness that we desire. The course is wall to wall maintained grass with the highest height of cut being 25mm.

My favourite hole is the 9th which is a 633 yard, par-5 with an elevated green and Bent Grass surround that is like no other on the course. With regards to our signature hole, the 18th receives a lot of plaudits, again a par-5 with a real risk and reward factor, and of course the Manor House offers a stunning back drop.

While the course in its original or in its present incarnation is still relatively new – you never get that sense at Adare Manor. The old world ‘feel’ which is created in some sense by the Manor House itself is further accentuated by the matureness of the trees on the golf course/estate and the hand cut stone boundary walls and bridges.

The countdown has started

The countdown has started

TM: What grasses do you have on the course?

AM: The fairways and roughs are Dwarf Perennial Ryegrass with Creeping Bent putting surfaces and surrounds. We have a little bit of Tall Fescues in the extreme out of play areas to offer as a colour contrast. In total we have over the years put in eight different varieties of Perennial Ryegrass, each chosen for its different characteristic, be that wear tolerance, shade tolerance, colour or fineness of leaf.

With regards to the Bent Grass we have Pure Distinction putting greens and Penn A4 surrounds.

TM: Very few Golf Course Superintendents have had the opportunity to prepare a course for a Ryder Cup. What were your initial feelings when you won the bid?

AM: I would be lying if I said myself and the team weren’t a little bit daunted by the challenge when it was first announced – excitement coupled with trepidation and the realisation that the biggest show in golf was coming to Adare Manor.

Once the excitement of the announcement abated, we began to focus on the programme of works and what we would need to do to truly successfully host such a prestigious event. There is not a day that goes by without a mention of the Ryder Cup from a member of the team. It is truly an honour to be here at Adare and to have such a huge sporting event in the calendar.

TM: Although the Ryder Cup is still a number of years away, how do you pace your course reconstruction work and generally working towards September 2027?

AM: We are, of course, fortunate that the course was reconstructed with the hosting of major golf events in mind and the Tom Fazio design team have vast experience in creating golf courses for such events.

So, the requirement or need for change is small. One of the key components of hosting the Ryder Cup is the size of the gallery and the requirement to move such large crowds around the course quickly, safely and at ease. With this in mind, particular emphasis is being placed on increasing our drainage on the ‘off golf’ areas, increasing our sand-cap on the entire site by 75mm over the next six years and widening some pinch points on the golf course.

Our normal agronomic practices will not change hugely – we are constantly monitoring the performance of the greens and surrounds, and we keep a close eye on our organic matter percentages, hydraulic conductivity etc to ensure we stay within specifications and we adjust our programmes accordingly.

TM: Have you been working closely with the European Tour in what needs to be done to make the course the perfect Ryder Cup/match play venue?

AM: We have a very good relationship with the European Tour and we have had extensive site walks with them. The Ryder Cup grows exceptionally at every staging of the event so the European Tour are assisting at every juncture.

TM: Have any previous Ryder Cup Course Managers/ Superintendents been in touch with you as yet with advice and will you be seeking them out closer to the time?

AM: Yes, indeed there have been many phone calls, text messages and emails from various Ryder Cup Golf Course Superintendents offering supporting words and wisdom. While I may not know some of them personally, it is a great honour to get such calls and messages from my peers. As the 2027 event draws nearer, I will indeed be leaning more and more on these peers for advice and input on the different scenarios that may face the team and I.

The countdown has started

The countdown has started

TM: Can you talk a little about the major projects which will be carried out on the course before 2027?

AM: A lot of the projects that we will be undertaking will be primarily to assist with people movement and allowing space for infrastructure to be erected, hospitality areas, grandstands and the like.

With regards to changes to the course these will be small, and this is testament to the work that was put in during the rebuild. There are no major changes planned for the course itself.

TM: To facilitate a major tournament, I expect you will build a larger team than usual. How do you manage such a large team and unique operation out on the course, is there anything you will do differently with the team before the Ryder Cup to prepare?

AM: Here at Adare Manor, we have a large, committed team, some of whom have been onsite for 25 years.

What our team brings to the course is dedication, desire and knowledge and with this we strive to give them ownership and responsibility. The Ryder Cup, like any major event, will require many volunteers and since the announcement there have been many messages from willing people looking to be involved and assist with the event, messages from Ireland, the UK, Europe and from the US.

A bit like the Ryder Cup itself we intend on putting a programme in place for our staff and volunteers that will reflect the quality of the course and the matches being played.

Lawn Association – the brand new ‘True Range’

/in , /by

Lawn Association – the brand new ‘True Range’: The Lawn Association is proud to introduce a new and exclusive, sustainable product range which will be available via their online shop from the end of May.

The ‘True Garden Range’ is a specifically designed fertiliser and soil conditioner range for domestic use. Formulated using composted food waste, this product will not only keep your plants happy and healthy but also your soils. The composted food waste, creates a stable humus, which is naturally high in organic matter, as well as rich in amino, humic, and fulvic acids and contains all the essential minerals, vitamins and N, P & K required to aid and increase the plant’s healthy growth, root development, disease resistance and overall function whilst also providing a food source for the beneficial microbes within your soils.

Lawn Association - the brand new 'True Range'

Lawn Association – the brand new ‘True Range’

Within the range are three tailored products, for specifically targeting certain areas of the garden:

• True Grass for your lawns
• True Bloom for flower beds, pots, and hanging baskets
• True Yield for the vegetable plots, fruit trees and bushes

The ‘True Garden Range’ offers a completely revolutionary and sustainable way to enhance and support all areas of your garden, including your vegetables and flowers as well as offering a truly unique lawn fertiliser for all year long care and all can be used as often as is necessary.

This exciting new sustainable product range comes in a compostable tube with a recyclable applicator and costs £16.99 per tube. See the whole True Garden Range on the Lawn Association link here: https://www.lawnassociation.org.uk/true-garden-range/ 

For more information or images please contact Francijn Suermondt at rabbitattackpr@gmail.com or on 07895184395.

Our core mission at the Lawn Association is to make accurate lawn care information readily available via our website and through our Free Membership Scheme for gardening enthusiasts. Go to the @LawnAssociation Facebook page to join the Lawn Enthusiasts Group, and get free association membership via the website, www.lawnassociation.org.uk

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.

Gator helps keep the coast clean

/in , /by

Gator helps keep the coast clean: A John Deere Gator utility vehicle supplied by dealer Seamus Weldon Groundcare Equipment to Ireland’s largest Clean Coasts group is adding extra muscle and pulling power to beach cleaning efforts along a 25-mile stretch of the east Cork coastline.

The multi award-winning Clean Coasts Ballynamona Group bought the XUV 855M Gator to help step up its ongoing fight against the scourge of marine litter. Group founder Proinsias Ó Tuama says the vehicle is an essential piece of equipment in tackling the tonnes of litter that wash up on their coastline every year.

Gator helps keep the coast clean

Gator helps keep the coast clean

The Gator has a towing capacity of 680kg and can carry over 450kg of cargo. It is mainly used for helping to pull heavy marine litter such as old, abandoned fishing nets and ropes that wash up on the shore, as well as carrying anything from bags of plastic rubbish to rubber tyres.

Founded in 2015, Clean Coasts Ballynamona is now part of the Sea and Land Trust. It has over 300 regular volunteers that clean and maintain an area representing 1.5 per cent of the total Irish coastline, including two Blue Flag and three Green Coast beaches.

Alongside this effort, the group manages 34 acres of meadowland spread across the county, which is grown to encourage pollinators and wildlife. This is maintained by a John Deere X950R rear discharge/rear collect diesel lawn tractor, also supplied by Weldons. In addition, the group consults with businesses and landowners on biodiversity plans covering a further 600 acres of private and public spaces, so these can be managed more sympathetically to benefit the environment – all free of charge.

“In our first year as a group we lifted 12 tonnes of marine litter on less than a mile of beach at Ballynamona – multiply that up by the entire Irish coastline and you can see the scale of the problem,” says Proinsias Ó Tuama, who is a teacher with the Cork Education and Training Board. “We were using a quad bike and trailer before, which were adequate for the job, but the group is very health and safety conscious so we set about looking for a more effective replacement.

“Having had a good experience with the lawn tractor, it made sense to go back to Michael Weldon at the John Deere dealership, so we sold the quad bike and also got Fisheries Local Action Group funding to help pay for the new Gator and a wider trailer. I’m proud to say we have a 100 per cent safety record to date in the volunteer beach cleaning operation, so the Gator’s proved to be an ideal solution.

“When you’re picking up plastic bottles for example, very often they’re full of sea water, sand and other debris, and this can make the collection bags very heavy to carry safely along a long stretch of beach. This is not ideal, particularly for very young children, so it makes sense to use a four-wheel drive vehicle with a load bed and a decent capacity to carry the full bags back to the beach car park for safe disposal.

“Over the years the group’s been active, we have brought more than 1000 people beach cleaning voluntarily. We’ve always tried to be as inclusive as possible of everyone that wishes to help, and we find kids of all ages get hooked from the start. Educating young people about the environment is a key element of our work and effort, so we liaise with local schools and colleges and are very much engaged with the community.

“Pristine coasts are essential. They are not just very important ecosystems, they are also crucial for the local economy. The addition of this new John Deere Gator has really expanded our beach cleaning capabilities, as well as making the job more efficient and safer for our volunteers.”

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.

Gold standard for the white cliffs

/in , /by

Gold standard for the white cliffs: With a patch that covers 123 square miles, it’s no surprise that Dover District Council opted for Reesink Turfcare’s ReeAssure maintenance scheme for ultimate peace of mind.

Dave Terry, supervisor at Dover District Council, simply couldn’t afford to have his Toro fleet out of action – especially since each mower was required to be in operation for 25-30 hours each week.

Gold standard for the white cliffs

Gold standard for the white cliffs

Having Gold cover meant that Dave could expect routine maintenance and servicing along with unlimited call outs for vehicle breakdowns or repairs.

Dave explains: “When you’re working with machinery it’s inevitable that from time to time you’ll experience glitches or need to make repairs – it happens. Yet whenever I need assistance, I know I’ll have a Reesink representative on the doorstep the next day.

“We probably rely on them a couple of times each month and the security of having dependable, high-quality support more than pays for itself.

“If you don’t opt for cover then you could be subjected to hundreds of pounds of maintenance on a totally ad-hoc basis and we can’t take that risk or threaten having machines out of action for long periods of time.”

This is why the Reesink maintenance plan is so integral to large grounds teams or estate management organisations, as Peter Clarke, service manager at Reesink’s Sheffield Park branch, explains: “A monthly fixed-cost means there’s no hidden extras and with three packages to choose from – gold, silver and bronze – there is something to suit all budgets.”

Dave and his team at Dover District Council opted for the Gold maintenance plan and they continue to value the relationship they have with Reesink more than four years on.

Dave continues: “Reesink is a proper dealer. They don’t cut corners and they’re reliable and professional. When you have lots of public space to take care of, be it green spaces around housing estates or parks in the district, it’s important for us to partner with an operator we can trust.”

Thanks to Dave’s relationship with both Peter Clarke and Peter Biddlecombe, aftersales manager at Reesink’s Sheffield Park, he has peace of mind that his teams are able to do their job as efficiently as possible.

Reesink take care of everything from winter servicing, replacement parts or general upkeep. Knowing that components such as labour and parts to consumables and disposal fees are all covered within the cost of the Gold package provides straightforward cost managing and budget control.

With Reesink’s ReeAssure plans there’s the option for warranty programmes and the guarantee that buying Toro comes with buying into a support network like no other. The parts backup is second-to-none and as a Toro customer you are never more than a maximum 72-hours away from the part you need, for minimum downtime and maximum productivity.

Call 01480 226800 or go online at reesinkturfcare.co.uk to find out more.

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.

The Naturelle effect

/in , /by

The Naturelle effect: Agrovista Amenity has announced the launch of Evolution Naturelle – a unique range of fertilisers which replaces the popular Marathon portfolio of products.

For a number of years, turf managers reaped the benefits of the Marathon range of fertilisers – and they can certainly expect no less when it comes to the improved Evolution Naturelle range.

The Naturelle effect

The Naturelle effect

Evolution Naturelle is a premium range of organo-mineral fertilisers designed with a unique mode of action. Poultry based Evolution Naturelle contains essential nutritional elements such as phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium oxide (MgO), sulphur (S) and iron (Fe) which are compounded to the advanced granulation making them available for plant uptake.

Key features

  • Low carbon to nitrogen ratio
  • Provides healthy balanced growth due to phased release of nutrients
  • Complexed potassium for slow release
  • Promotes stimulation of bacterial soil life helping reduce thatch build
  • Hardens turf due to cell division and cell extension as a result of ammonium take up
  • No scorch risk due to low salt index when applied at the correct rates
  • Increased tillering for a denser sward
  • Ammonium produces large volumes of root hairs which ensure active up take of micronutrients

No matter what the time of year, or the requirement, the Evolution Naturelle range offers a solution, and below is just a snapshot of what customers can expect.

The Evolution Naturelle Micro range consists of Spring – to optimise consistent grass plant response at the start of the growing season; NK – which produces a consistent plant response during the growing season; Summer – for phased release and a steady growth response throughout the core of the growing season; Renovate – to support sports turf surfaces post renovation with the aim of promoting rapid recovery back to expected playing conditions; and Autumn – for steady resilient growth at the end of the growing season.

The Evolution Naturelle Sport range: Spring – which contains three nitrogen sources blended to optimise consistent grass plant response; Summer – a zero-phosphate analysis for phased release; Autumn – for consistent growth and healthy natural colour; and Allsport – designed for application throughout the growing season with a balanced formulation of plant essential elements.

The Naturelle effect

The Naturelle effect

The Evolution Naturelle Base range: 4-3-2 – designed to be used across a range of horticultural applications including turf surfaces, landscape constructions, amenity and ornamental plant borders; 7-6-14 which contains slow release, organic components to provide consistent nutrition for reliable growth; and Preseed 8-12-8 – a balanced analysis of primary and secondary macronutrients designed to support strong and consistent rooting.

The result of following an Evolution Naturelle fertiliser programme is a sward with firm, shorter leaf blades brought about by the increase in tillering and improvement in leaf cell structure.

The new Evolution Naturelle range of fertilisers are available with immediate effect. Contact your local technical advisor for more information on setting up your programme.

For more information about Agrovista Amenity, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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.