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Royal Norwich looks to the future

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Royal Norwich looks to the future: Royal Norwich’s 2019 reincarnation has created a golfing environment like no other. Born out of a 350 acre, 400 year old parkland course, its clever new course designs and outstanding facilities are providing an inclusive, progressive place for the whole community to relish well into the future. Huxley Golf is proud to have been involved in its transformation. 

Neil Lythgoe, Director of Golf at Royal Norwich, explains: “We’re working to create a completely different experience here at Royal Norwich, one which is welcoming to established golfers, new golfers and non-golfers alike. Central to this ethos is embracing inventiveness but with an absolute focus on quality. To my mind, Huxley Golf surfaces embody this approach.”

Royal Norwich looks to the future

Royal Norwich looks to the future

In 2021, Royal Norwich asked Huxley Golf to supply 6ft x 6ft (1.8m x 1.8m) tees for its par 3, 6- hole course to make the most of a short course’s enormous potential to attract newcomers and juniors to the game. Recognising the need to offer year-round play and the impact that this would have in terms of wear and tear in a small, frequently-used space, Huxley Golf’s premium all-weather surface was the optimal solution. Critically, specifying Huxley surfaces also supported the Club’s direction to construct its short course to the same high standard as its 18-hole championship course.

Neil Lythgoe commented: “Managing environmental challenges and the customer experience is a hard balance to strike. When you’re working to maintain playability and quality and there’s no room for alternative tees, you need to consider all-weather surfaces to spread the wear – they’re clearly the future.

However, if you’re going to use artificial surfaces, the quality needs to be outstanding. If you lay a surface that you can’t get a tee peg into, players feel that it’s a poor alternative. You certainly don’t get that with Huxley Golf Premier Tee Turf: it’s great to play off and gives good feedback when you hit the shots. Honestly, it’s an amazing surface which members are more than happy to use. In fact, one member, a three-time Club Champion, recently told me how much he loved it. The greenkeeping team appreciate its benefits too. My view is that all-weather surfaces have a definite role in the future of golf in this country and that Huxley Golf is the only option worth considering.”

Building on the hugely positive reception to the short course (the Royal Norwich Junior Academy now has over 100 students), the Club returned to Huxley Golf for its practice area. Working with Premier Tee Turf once more, the new 56ft x 6ft (17m x 1.8m) practice tee was installed locally by members Mark Burton and Julian Poole, with expert guidance from Huxley to guarantee the end result.

Will Alsop, PGA Professional and Area Sales Manager for Huxley Golf, said: “From the moment you walk into the clubhouse at Royal Norwich, you notice that it’s clearly quite different. The place is full of character, comfortable and welcoming without compromising in any way on the quality of its provision. As a player, the Royal Norwich courses are young but outstanding in design and they’re really coming into their own. This progressive club is a perfect blend of new ideas and traditional quality, which we at Huxley pride ourselves on too. We have been delighted
to be a part of Royal Norwich’s future-focused plans.”

The Huxley name has been synonymous with premium all-weather golf surfaces and products. Endorsed by the UK’s leading golf organisations as well as many legendary golfers and celebrities and their coaching teams, the company’s artificial golf surfaces are in use all around the world at top-flight courses, resorts, and training academies. For more information visit www.huxleygolf.com or call 01730 829608. For more information about Royal Norwich, visit www.royalnorwich.co.uk

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Bowls Greenkeeper of the Year Announced

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Bowls Greenkeeper of the Year Announced: Graham Instone of Dunnington Bowls Club, York, has been crowned as the Bowls England Greenkeeper of the Year.

In the hotly-contested Greenkeeper of the Year category – sponsored by Dennis and SISIS – Graham took the honours, largely for his innovative roadshows, sharing his knowledge with local clubs.

Bowls Greenkeeper of the Year Announced

Bowls Greenkeeper of the Year Announced

He has been a member of his beloved Dunnington for over 40 years and has been looking after the green for the past 15 years. Graham, 80, and his right-hand man ‘Big’ Jim, 88, have a consistently busy schedule of fixtures and work hard throughout the year to keep the green in a superb condition. In fact, the impressive green has become the talk of the Yorkshire bowls community and it is for this reason that Graham decided to undertake a series of roadshows.

Graham visited various bowls clubs throughout Yorkshire to help other volunteer greenkeepers raise the standards of their greens. Following the roadshows, Graham continues to offer advice to most of the bowls clubs he visited.

The Greenkeeper of the Year Award received over 120 entries and Graham was one of five shortlisted finalists. Joined by family and friends, including ‘Big’ Jim, at the award ceremony, it was a moment that Graham will never forget.

“My name was called out; my picture went up on the screen and I was shell shocked. I can’t really put into words how I feel if I’m being honest. I normally get very emotional, so everyone was worried that I would get on stage to collect the award and cry. Fortunately, I kept it together!”

“It is the achievement of a lifetime, but this award just isn’t for me as an individual. It is for my team, for the club, and for my family.”

Award sponsors Dennis and SISIS have long supported the sport of bowls and are committed to educating greenkeepers and raising the standards of bowling greens. For over 20 years, they have been organising and hosting educational maintenance seminars throughout the country which are designed to ultimately help club greenkeepers and volunteers maintain their bowling greens.

Further information about the range of maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK and www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest Dennis and SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers and www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery.

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Start spring the Suståne way!

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Start spring the Suståne way!: In the pursuit of rapid root development, superior growth and ongoing plant protection from drought, pathogens and stress factors, Bolster Granular 4-4-4 + 3Fe has proven itself to be the perfect partner for recovery from spring renovations.

Ideal for application following aeration, hollow coring or tining to incorporate the product into the profile, Bolster Granular forms part of a collection of soil builders and spring starters from Suståne – the world’s most comprehensively researched organic fertiliser range.

Start spring the Suståne way!

Start spring the Suståne way!

Bolster Granular 4-4-4 + Iron provides a formulation of organic nutrients, beneficial microbiology, plant bio-stimulants and a powerful blend of mycorrhizae to promote greater root access to soil nutrients and water. The addition of 3% chelated iron enhances colour and rapid root development, while seaweed extract, humic acid and compost-based microorganisms deliver plant health and strength for all turf grass situations including fine turf and golf green renovations.

Derived from biologically stable ingredients and containing both water soluble and slow-release sources of nitrogen, Bolster Granular has a near-neutral pH level, low salt index and low ammonium nitrogen percentage so can be safely applied without risk of burn or discolouration. Following quick green-up, even growth and performance can be expected for six to eight weeks.

Specifically for greens, tees and low-cut fairways, Suståne 10-1-4 granular is a spring turf starter, rich in quick-release water-soluble nitrogen for fast uptake and green up when soil temperatures are cooler than optimal. 75% of the total nitrogen being water soluble means nutrients are readily available, while the renowned Suståne organic base carrier will help to build up carbohydrate reserves in the soil for increased plant metabolism and supply all essential elements necessary for enhanced photosynthesis during the crucial early part of the season.

Thanks to the N in 10-1-14 granular being in ammonium sulphate form, this is also known to lower soil pH and thereby aid in suppressing certain types of turf grass diseases and – as with Bolster – 10-1-14 will not cause fertiliser ‘burn’ or seedling stress.

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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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The Scots Turf Show a success

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The Scots Turf Show a success: The 1st of March 2023 was the date everything changed for Turf Professionals in Scotland. The first Scottish turf event for almost 15 years, opened its doors at Hamilton Park Racecourse, and the visitors began to pour in an hour before official registration had even opened.

Connecting the industry

The trial show was devised by 17 of the industry’s most influential companies, to give something back to the Scottish turf community and to connect with the Industry, by providing a local turf event, accessible to a vast swathe of groundsmen and greenkeepers from all areas of sport, that had never had the opportunity to attend a local industry event.

The Scots Turf Show a success

The Scots Turf Show a success

David Roxburgh – Head Groundsman – Rangers Football Club

“Something needed to happen here in Scotland, I think it’s been great. The fantastic turnout here hasn’t surprised me because I think Scotland has been desperate for something like this. It needs a big show, and I think this could possibly be the forerunner of something great.”

The number of registered visitors had risen above the target of200with 287 attending on the day.

The itinerary of early morning bacon rolls, and coffee was a welcome diversion while the visitors signed in and was followed by an introduction to the idea behind the show by Alan Thomson of AllGrass and Richard Heywood of Campey Turf Care Systems. The guests were immediately engaged with two 20 minute speakers, Gary Smith senior agronomist from the STRI, quickly followed by Joe Shaw from SIS Pitches, before heading out into the spring sunshine for the outdoor exhibition area.

After a couple of hours of interaction with the exhibitors, the group enjoyed a lunch in the hospitality suite overlooking the magnificent race track at Hamilton Park. Then it was back to the marquee for two more short seminars, one from Kelly Marie Clarke agronomist from Origin and finally an introduction to Hamilton Park itself by Ashley Moon, Managing Director of Hamilton Racecourse who said, “We are delighted to welcome the Scots Turf Show to Hamilton Racecourse and work alongside such excellent partners”.

It is important to the companies behind this event to gauge the response of the visitors going forward, with a view to expanding the event significantly next year.

Barry McCulloch – Course Manager Caldwell Golf Club commented “It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time and hoping that it did happen. It’s been good to come along and support the event. The venue they have picked is probably one of the best areas in Scotland because it’s very easily accessible, you can come from all over the country. You just have to look at the numbers that showed up today to see why it’s a great venue. 50% of my workforce has never been to a turf show, so that is another reason we came along today. It’s good for the younger guys to come and see some of the machinery and get a different perspective of things.”

Jim Dawson – Head Groundsman – BT Murrayfield

We would usually have to travel to events down South to see machinery or even have a chat with other groundsmen. So, today has been good for networking. I’ve met a lot of people here, from football to rugby, golf and horse racing.

I think this could take off. We are all very positive about the event, and I’m very happy for them to be talking about expanding it. I like having the option to attend the seminars, then getting to see some of the machinery in action and meeting the reps as well.”

Alan Thomson from AllGrass is absolutely delighted with the response on the day. As one of the main drivers he explains “From a concept back in 2019 over a McDonald’s Coffee to seeing the reality of such a fantastic event. Don’t get me wrong we are not reinventing the wheel here but simply putting it on a different path and a path that can continue to build excitement for the Scottish and beyond markets. ‘Connecting the Industry’ this is something that Richard and I believe we can do and hopefully with the many ideas for the future we can achieve this.”

So, The Scots Turf Show appears to have been an overwhelming success and looks like it may be here to stay.

Save the date – 6th March 2024

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