Pitchcare January/February 2025 Issue 118

PITCHCARE

TECH UPDATE

BRING ON THE ROBOTS

artificiaL TURF MYTHBUSTER

EDUCATIONALIST SUMMIT: what is being done behind the scenes to improve training and education ?

Precision performance for an even spread

A professional rotary spreader designed for precision and reliability. With SmartSpread™ technology and a durable stainless-steel frame, it ensures even application and long-lasting performance.

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Editor Kerry Haywood

WE ARE ONLY HUMAN

I’m sure you were all hoping for better weather in 2025! However, many areas of the UK started with severe flooding and snow.

Whilst the Met Office claim that 2024 was provisionally the fourth warmest year on record, in a series from 1884, rainfall saw exceptionally high figures. In his regular column, Mark Hunt reflects on 2024 and highlights that September’s rainfall hit 205mm, compared to a 55mm average between 1991 and 2020. This is nothing short of astonishing and we can only pray that 2025 brings a much drier climate, but I’m not hopeful. View the full stats and comparisons for last year on page 32.

I’m sure many of you made new year’s resolutions at the turn of the year and it would be hard not to make predictions for technology and advancements in the industry for 2025. Robotic mowers are sure to make a huge impact and our cover article showcases the compelling alternatives in turfcare maintenance. We investigate further from page 8.

Training and education will be another factor that many of you will explore this year and, with a general lack of awareness about opportunities in turfcare and career progression, I recently attended a Sports Turf & Greenkeeping Educationalists Summit at Leicester City Sports Turf Academy. I report on what is being done on page 34.

The BIGGA Continue to Learn programme at BTME in Harrogate is set to be the biggest one yet and myself and James look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones - probably over a drink or two... or three.

Many of you will have received our free 2025 wallplanner distributed with the last issue, and the eagle-eyed amongst you have noticed that weekends are slightly awry for January and February. We offer our sincere apologies for these errors and hope it doesn’t cause too many issues for your teams

We are a very small team and sometimes mistakes do happen (regardless of how many people proof something)! We all beat ourselves up about errors because we strive to do a good job, but we are only human - we’re supposed to make mistakes - according to Billy Joel anyway!

On that note, be kind to yourself and others in 2025.

Kerry

t: 07973 394037

e: kerry.haywood@pitchcare.com

Allscott Park, Allscott, Telford. Shropshire TF6 5DY t: 01902 440270

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Editorial contributions are published entirely at the editor’s discretion and may be shortened if space is limited. Pitchcare make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents but accepts no liability for its consequences. Images are presumed copyright of the author or Pitchcare, unless otherwise stated.

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Bring on the robots

Significant

New chapter

Down on the turf farm

The introduction of a Turf Farm has revolutionised maintenance and renovations at the Croke Park stadium. 48 Hybrid

renovations

Maintaining and renovating hybrid surfaces is still being developed, but could a new machine have the answer?

HOT TOPIC

Lee Strutt - Director of golf course and estates at Loch Lomond.

RUGBY

SHAPING THE FUTURE

BIGGA has thanked the individuals who participated in the association’s recent membership survey.

Responses were received from across the United Kingdom, with a further 7% of participants contributing from outside the UK.

The survey attracted input from professionals at every level of the greenkeeping and turf management industry, with 44% of respondents identifying as course managers or head greenkeepers.

Notably, just under 30% of respondents indicated they were not currently members of BIGGA. Their feedback was of particular interest to the association as it seeks to gain a well-rounded understanding of BIGGA’s reputation within the industry and explores opportunities to enhance its membership offering.

Survey participants were given the chance to enter a prize draw to win a £500 Amazon voucher. Craig Denton, assistant greenkeeper at Lindrick Golf Club, was announced as the winner.

Craig said: “I think we all have to stick together and BIGGA tries very hard, especially with the education on offer at Harrogate. They need feedback from us members if they’re going to keep improving.”

This survey provided the biggest opportunity in a generation for those working in the turf industry to share their views on the future of BIGGA. Work is now underway to analyse the results and explore how the findings can be implemented.

Further discussions about the survey’s findings will take place at the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition in January 2025, where Scott Reeves, BIGGA Head of Membership, will present the results to attendees of the annual trade show.

Scott said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in our survey. We’re delighted with the strong response –1,141 participants – which reinforces that BIGGA continues to play a vital role in the golfing industry. It’s also clear that greenkeepers are passionate about the association and the community it fosters. The hard work now begins as we analyse the results and consider how the findings can be adopted into the everyday practices of the association and our team.”

More information and free registration to BTME available at btme.org.uk

Playing field protection

Sport England’s role as a statutory consultee saw 94% of all concluded planning applications involving playing fields result in the protection or improvement of facilities.

The annual playing field statistics show that Sport England protected 1,007 in the year to March 2023, continuing their commitment to protecting and enhancing playing fields across England.

Director of planning and active environments, Nick Evans, commented about the continued efforts of the planning team: “Playing fields are a vital resource that offer flexible opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity, providing wide ranging health and wellbeing benefits to communities across England.”

It’s crucial we continue to protect these spaces to enable people to be active in their local communities.

Director of planning and active environments, Nick Evans

2024: climate statistics

Fourth warmest year on record

2024 climate statistics show the UK is heading outside of the ‘envelope of historical weather observations’.

With a mean temperature of 9.78C (0.64C above the 1991-2020 average) it follows 2022, 2023 and 2014 as (provisionally) the fourth warmest year for the UK according to mean temperature.

All top 10 warmest years according to mean temperature have been since the year 2000, with five in the most recent decade 2015-2024. Every year of the most recent decade has been warmer than the 1991-2020 long-term average.

Met Office Senior Scientist Mike Kendon said: “2024 has been another year with minimum temperatures well above average. We have experienced some particularly mild nights and far fewer frosts than normal, particularly in February and December.”

Eight of the 12 months of the year saw temperatures above the 1991-2020 average, including the warmest May on record, second warmest February and fifth warmest December.

2024 was also the UK’s 8th wettest winter and 6th wettest spring on record - as Mark Hunt reports on page 32.

For more information visit metoffice.gov.uk

George Legg

GROUNDSFEST EDUCATION FUND

HELPS STUDENT LAND CAREER IN GROUNDS MANAGEMENT

The GroundsFest Education Fund is already making a significant impact on the next generation of grounds management professionals, with several students already benefitting from its support.

The most recent success story is George Legg, a student studying Sports Turf NVQ Level 2 at Wiltshire College and an Apprentice at Stanley Park Sports Ground. Thanks to the Fund, George was able to finance essential qualifications that played a key role in him securing a fulltime position at Stanley Park Sports Ground after completing his Level 2 qualification.

One of the key certifications George was able to pursue through the Education Fund was the PA1 qualification in the Principles of Safe Handling and Application of Pesticides, as well as the PA6 qualification for the Safe Use

of Pesticides with Handheld Applicators. These qualifications are crucial for anyone working in grounds management, particularly when it comes to managing fertilisers and ensuring the safe application of pesticides—a vital aspect of maintaining sports turf and other landscapes.

“The Education Fund helped massively,” George explains. “Once I had those qualifications on my CV, it was a massive boost. It made me more qualified to do certain things and definitely made me more employable.”

The GroundsFest Education Fund is an integral part of the event’s mission to invest in the future of the grounds management industry. The Fund is helping to address the challenges facing the sector, from skills shortages to the declining number of young people entering the industry.

Changing the game for women and girls

The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation recently announced its game-changing commitment to providing women and girls with priority access to great places to play.

68,000 more girls are playing now compared to before the Lionesses brought home the UEFA Women’s EURO trophy in 2022. However, badly lit pitches and access routes, unsuitable changing facilities and late-night kick-off times can put women and girls off taking to the pitch.

Following the unprecedented growth in the grassroots game, the Football Foundation asked Kelly Simmons OBE to undertake an independent review of its investment and work in the women and girls’ game.

Kelly Simmons’ review has made several recommendations, which the Foundation has committed to implementing in full, including:

● require every large-scale project it funds to guarantee a share of priority slots to women’s and girls’ teams

● set up a new small grants programme, specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch, including changing rooms and toilets

● ensure its refreshed Local Football Facility Plans reflect the growth in women’s and girls’ football, with a new Plan for every local authority in England to be published by June 2025.

To read the review in full visit footballfoundation.org.uk

Bring on the

robots

Significant benefits and technological advancements in robotics now offer a compelling alternative in turfcare maintenance. We investigate further...

The pace of robotic mower development is quickening as major manufacturers introduce machines to fit the price points and capacities of ever more end users. Saltex provided, arguably, the clearest evidence yet that the transition to this mode of green space management is far more than a fad; Toro, Husqvarna, Wessex International, Kress all launching models to satisfy differing scales of turfcare.

Across Europe, uptake of robotic mowers is well advanced compared to the UK, particularly Scandinavia, where Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna introduced its first unit in 1995. Leading advocates of sustainable green management predict the creation of new specialties to oversee the growing application of robotics within the urban realm – “could we expect cities to appoint chief green officers, autonomous fleet managers and park resilience strategists?” asks the preface of Future Directions of Urban Parks, a pioneering book recently published in the SLU Movium Think

“The number of public green spaces is increasing in urban areas across Europe . . . also becoming more complex. Beyond aesthetics, parks are expected to improve ‘a wide array of environmental and social aspects of urban life,’”

The list is a long one – recreation, health and wellbeing, community development, mitigation of heat, reducing air pollution, providing wildlife habitats and urban connectivity for biodiversity. The workforce caring for green spaces “will need to evolve correspondingly”, it concludes,

Striving to answer that thorny question are thirteen specialists from academia, public and private sectors. Their common conclusion is that

Right Kress Mission Mega RTKn mower.

green space management relies on amassing quality, detailed data that will allow department and divisional heads to apply informed decision-making to meet the requirements of that list above.

Those specifying robotic mowers point to their rising use in freeing up groundcare and landscaping professionals to escape time-consuming grass cutting duties, allowing them to pursue a more diverse mix of tasks, especially so as sustainable sport and space management (golf particularly) rises up agendas.

Large landscape contractors, such as idverde, Mitie and Nurture, are already well invested in autonomous machinery, under their drive to an electric future and more efficient groundcare of business parks and corporate estates.

Concurrently, training content will witness nothing short of a revolution as professionals upskill in new disciplines with biodiversity and sustainability at their core, Future Directions of Urban Parks predicts.

Under that umbrella falls data collection, undergoing a transformation as satellite and ground-based technologies allow managers to assemble a far more complex snapshot of how sporting and leisure green spaces are evolving (see stats above).

The HUGSI.green monitoring system, for example, applies a mix of AI-powered satellite and other data to generate live updates of urban green spaces and how new construction is impacting them. Now covering...

CITIES

...the free service aims to contribute to the “protection, growth and maintenance” of urban green space.

Sensory and data collection systems fitted to robotic mowers are now part and parcel of increasingly sophisticated workhorses, coming to the aid of grounds, course and landscape managers, which can gather information on surface conditions and underground factors such as soil pH, texture, moisture content and infiltration rate and humus levels.

As such, they can be far more than mere time savers for hard-pressed grounds and landscape teams. In an increasingly connected sector, robotic mowers carry the tech to give operators valuable insight into not only where to apply turf treatments but also, just as importantly, where not to.

Intelligent semi autonomous machinery, such as commercial sprayers, is already reaping big

INDUSTRY

systems guided by AI promise similar advances in controlling where and when grounds need water – avoiding wasteful application.

Robotic mowers form part of this data driven network of connected groundcare. No longer reliant on grid guidance for autonomous operation, they carry the means, by radar and vision - to ‘know’ what obstacles to avoid, without human oversight – saving potential damage to the machine and charting a course around barriers such as fallen branches, golf balls, water, humans and animals.

Common across groundcare are the four key challenges of labour shortages, budget constraints, turf quality and sustainable practice. Robotic mowers are progressively tackling each of these as next generation machines appear, featuring stronger cutting motors to tackle denser sward and semi rough areas, more powerful batteries, remote charging capability to cut on-site checks, better performance on sloping terrain and ability to work on steeper inclines and wheel cleaning to reduce grass buildup.

The 10th Living City conference, held in Malmo, Sweden, in October, focused on how AI and data-driven ecosystems will transform green space management, “optimising city environments for health and sustainability”, said presenters Patrik Jagenstedt and Stefan Axelsson of the Husqvarna Group.

With AI as “the co-pilot”, they added that “the future . . . will integrate autonomous technologies, creating new roles that require a

Left

Above

synergy of advanced skills and environmental stewardship”, under the transition from “calendar-based area management to data-driven maintenance”.

They also expect new roles to emerge to take up the shift in working practices as green space management evolves “from upkeep to opimisation” to support cities’ sustainability targets.

By creating a “digital twin” of a city, decisionmakers will be able to “analyse and predict” city health to “optimise care, productivity, resilience and biodiversity.”

Such forecasting capability extends to predicting key metrics such as tree health and cooling effects.

Across Europe, the slice of green spaces is predicted to grow, the presenters added, “yet budgets are not expected to grow correspondingly” – a trend calling for “further and faster adaptation of autonomous solutions” that will save still more time cutting grass.

“Multi-level data from green spaces can be translated into task lists for autonomous solutions, freeing up teams from timeconsuming jobs such as mowing, edge cutting, watering, mulching, reseeding and fertilising – operating 24 hours a day, with minimal downtime for recharging.”

With council budgets in turmoil, management teams are under severe pressure to cut provision across leisure space, particularly parks, for what is a discretionary rather than statutory service.

Could tech ease the plight of this cornerstone

Sandbach RUFC made the decision to adopt the cutting-edge technology and officially installed Husqvanra robotics in March 2024.

The Husqvarna Automower® 580 EPOS™.

Autonomous solutions can free up teams from time-consuming jobs

of the urban realm? Tobias Emilsson of SLU, believes so. “Future parks and the park management of tomorrow will be smarter and decisions will be supported by new and emerging technologies,” he states.

Park teams will have “profound knowledge of the function, development and requirements of green, blue and hard surfaces,” he adds, “but their decisionmaking will be supported by direct measurements of performance through sensor use, different remote sensing-based tools and artificial intelligence.”

Collected data will guide decisions to improve the experience of parks and green

infrastructure to further boost operational efficiency and make better use of scarce resources.

In tomorrow’s “smart park”, technology might help visualise and present data to raise understanding of the potential of green spaces.

Some fear the advent of robotics and accompanying application of AI will sweep away a swathe of human resource on a scale to rank with the death of mining.

Unprecedented change is blowing across groundcare, but the sector should embrace rather than fear the future, the Living City conference concluded. Those who take up

● Covers large areas in a few hours

● Replaces several small robot mowers

● Much cheaper than a garden tractor

● 10 times lower CO₂ emissions*

● 8 x lower energy costs*

● No noise pollution

● 100% ecological

● Impeccable turf in better condition

● Warning in case of theft or malfunction

● GPS guidance system

*Comparedwithadiesel ride-on mower

But new technologies come with a fresh set of challenges: Tobias Emilsson again: “Advancement of new tools and automation means the type and number of workers in the green sector will change, with less demand for low-skilled workers doing simpler tasks that can be automated.”

Greater use of smart tech and connected sensors also present challenges, he believes. Future sensors will be smaller and require less energy to produce and operate “but the total environmental cost could be large”.

With so much smart tech to hand now, green space managers also have to think smart about how and why they are measuring; and in the leisure realm if it is being used to improve its look and provision to make the public feel

ROBOTIC BALLPICKER

Designed to streamline your operations, Belrobotics BallPicker Robot from AMS, is a groundbreaking innovation that revolutionises the collection of range balls at driving ranges.

This advanced robot ensures precise and accurate collection of your range balls, eliminating the need for manual labour. It helps to standardise the workflow of our automated range ball management solution.

30,000M2 COVERAGE AREA

75

the RoviMo autonomous unit was launched by Wessex International at Saltex, following the company’s acquisition of the Italian manufacturer.

Now made in the UK, the fully electric unit is made to deliver “arrow-straight lines without the hassle of stringing guidelines” and operates in compliance with official UEFA regulations while offering various cutting patterns.

Currently trialling at a Premier League club, the RoviMo handles repetitive mowing tasks autonomously, allowing one user to manage multiple units.

Capable of mowing a full-size football pitch in 2.5 hours with its 34in cylinder mower cutting head, developed in partnership with Infinicut, it features high-tech 3D Lidar scanner for autonomous operation in populated areas.

The mower is managed via mobile app to allow users to select mowing patterns, control speed and monitor operations from their device.

Article by Greg Rhodes.

Colmworth Golf Club have been using autonomous mowers for just over 12 months and have seen significant benefits. Head Greenkeeper Brad Jones tells us more...

When did you start using robotic mowers at the club and what benefit have these had on course management?

We started using robotic mowers in Autumn 2023, initially just on our lawns and wedding venue, but now the fleet has grown to cover the majority of our rough and fairways on the 18 hole course. The robots have freed up greenkeeper hours for other essential works that otherwise they wouldn’t have had time for before.

Do the robotic mowers require a lot of maintenance to keep and run?

Not especially! They require blade changes and checks every now and again but, on the whole, they take care of themselves!

How much have the robotic mowers cost and do you think the price is worth it?

As a small team of four greenkeepers, the robots have been a great investment; reduced fuel, reduced wear on the big machines throughout

the year and they have enabled the team to up the standard of the rest of the golf course significantly due to the time they save in cutting.

Do you think there is a world where courses could manage with just robotic mowers, or do we need people on the ground?

We will always need people on the ground. The robotics just enable more efficient management of the simpler tasks.

We love the robots; they provide a much cleaner and more uniform cut than our old mowers, with almost no maintenance needed.

The quality of other (usually neglected) areas, have seen massive improvements. Our bunkers - which used to be one of the worst areas of our course - are now being regularly complimented and we have been told that they are some of the best around.

The course is a much more peaceful environment for both us and golfers - without the noise of diesel engines and tight reels constantly in the background.

The quality of other (usually neglected) areas, have seen massive improvements

Cranham Golf Club was

the first 18-hole golf course in the UK to be fully managed by robotic mowers

Maintaining pristine fairways is an essential aspect of golf course management, contributing significantly to the overall player experience.

There are several reasons why golf courses should consider embracing robotic mowing for managing their golf course, supported by the pristine running at Cranham Golf Club, the UK’s first full 18-hole golf course to utilise robots to manage the fairways and

A significant benefit of using robotic mowing is the increased efficiency and labour optimisation it offers. Robotic mowers are designed to operate continuously, offering the opportunity to increase the number of times the course is cut per week, without the need for

LINE MARKING

It’s not just robotic mowers paving the way for new technology... line marking innovations, along with promises to automate your line marking procedure and paint your pitches more efficiently and swiftly are also available.

The Turf Tank Two was launched at GroundsFest 2024 offering two motor drives for better momentum and new wheels for improved grip and traction. Robotic line marking technology means you can simply initialise the robot and let it handle the painting for you. As the robot operates, you will not only achieve flawless lines, but you will also gain the time to redirect your focus on other critical tasks around your premises.

● Pop in your paint, select your pitch layout and press start!

● Enhance efficiency & liberate your time for other duties.

● Enhance the overall standard of your facilities.

● Unexpected alterations in your timetable? No issue, with Turf Tank you have the flexibility to establish pitches in mere minutes.

extra resources.

Weather constraints can cause disruption to golf course maintenance. Robotic mowers are designed to navigate various terrains and adapt to changing weather conditions. For example, on a wet day, the decision not to cut may be made, as the course may not hold up to the weight of a traditional fairway mower – however, this is not the case for robotic mowing. At just 71kg, the risk of compaction and mud is heavily reduced. This adaptability ensures consistent results, regardless of external factors.

Environmental impacts are a huge worry for many businesses and facilities, but robotic mowers are electric and could save a facility five tonnes of carbon emissions per year. By adopting robotic technology, golf courses can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to environmental sustainability.

On robotic mowers, owner, Barney Cameron said: “We first got the Echo robotic mowers back in May 2023. The greens team love them and they have been highly beneficial to the course and are easy to manage. They require a fifteen minute clean once a day and then a deeper clean once each month which takes about an hour. We also have a ball picker from Echo which saves a lot of time.”

In the ever-evolving landscape of golf course management, embracing technological advancements is crucial for staying ahead. Robotic mowing presents a compelling case for its efficiency, precision, cost savings and environmental benefits. By incorporating this innovative technology into golf course mowing maintenance, golf courses can elevate their overall standards, providing a superior experience for both players and course

On the price of the robotic mowers, Barney said: “A like for like comparison on fairways between two robots and one fairway mower:”

£45,000 FOR 2 ROBOTS

RUNNING COSTS PER YEAR PURCHASE COSTS

£2,000

ROBOTIC MOWER

£70,000 FOR 1 FAIRWAY MOWER

£25,000 FAIRWAY MOWER

70 years of manufacturing the highest quality outdoor power equipment. improved now that the skilled groundsman have the time to maintain them.

Robots in the sky

Drones

cover

large

areas quickly

and offer a non-intrusive way to observe wildlife and natural landscapes, reducing the need for human presence that could disrupt habitats.

We all appreciate the use of drones to map habitats has become a widespread practice in environmental conservation. These unmanned aerial vehicles provide detailed and accurate data, allowing researchers to monitor changes in ecosystems with precision.

“England Golf’s proposed national habitat mapping project will directly support our wider sustainability aims,” stated Owen, “which will

cover a wide range of topics underpinned by three sustainability pillars.”

● Environmental responsibility

● Economic activity

● Social progress

“Within each pillar, there are several principles that will directly help clubs, which include managing and mapping biodiversity. They could also be used as a valuable tool to assist with other activities on the course,” explained Owen.

masterplans (often neglected)

A club needs to address their existing management practices

● Membership education of unique role golf can play in habitat management

● Reduction in management requirements of specific areas leading to fuel savings

● Future carbon gains through reduced use of machinery and sequestration in the soil

● Opportunity to help fund other habitat creation

● Opportunity to strengthen relationships with local community

● Local green assets offer wellbeing value to communities

“The creation of a habit map can assist clubs in assessing their current ecological value, which could be used to determine the potential for creating a more in depth Biodiversity Net Gain Credits (BNG) application,” clarified Owen.

Understanding Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Golf clubs can significantly benefit from understanding and creating their own Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) plan. By quantifying and enhancing biodiversity on their land, golf clubs can contribute to environmental conservation while potentially generating additional income. This approach not only helps in offsetting ecological damage caused by industrial or residential developments, but also promotes a healthier ecosystem. Enhanced biodiversity can improve the aesthetic and ecological value of the golf course, attracting more visitors and fostering a positive public image. Additionally, golf clubs can partner with developers to create biodiverse landscapes, further supporting conservation efforts. Embracing BNG can lead to sustainable management practices, helping both the environment and the golf club’s long-term success.

Burnet moths on knapweed at Royal Portrush Golf Club © Sophie Olejnik.

Owen James Sustainability Manager England Golf

How does it work?

Biodiversity Metric 4.0 is a standardised tool used to measure changes in biodiversity. It focuses on habitats rather than individual species and incorporates factors such as habitat type, condition, connectivity and significance. The metric then calculates the biodiversity value (in monetary terms) of habitats by assigning biodiversity units based on these factors.

Habitat

Medium distinctiveness grassland - other neutral

Medium distinctiveness woodland - broadleaved

Medium/high distinctiveness pond

Hedgerows

Biodiversity Credit Price (1 credit)

£42,000

£48,000

£125,000

£44,000

Example ofcurrent monetaryvaluefora selection ofbiodiversityareatypes

“In order to maximise the biodiversity units present on site, a club needs to address their existing management practices according to the National Biodiversity Metric condition,” explained Owen. “Assessment of the golf course during the optimal season (April-October) is best and will allow the club to pinpoint ‘out-of-play’ areas for improvement. You should use a qualified ecologist to help with this and later to help develop and implement a more accurate habitat management policy. This would also enable the club to strategically plan future redevelopments without affecting their BNG ambitions.”

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Having previously worked in both greenkeeping and sustainability roles, Owen has a natural understanding for the nuances we recognise in the sports turf industry. Owen is now combining all his skills and passions for both the game and sustainability for England Golf and helping to drive their vision of supporting turf managers and organisations to understand their environmental potential.

For clubs to sell biodiversity units to developers, a detailed thirty year management and monitoring plan should be produced for their site and should include specific management prescriptions which aim to achieve and maintain a specific condition for each habitat, based on the latest Biodiversity Metric condition criteria. The plan should include the methods and reporting processes to be used for checking the success of habitat enhancement and creation, along with options for remedial intervention, where needed, if a habitat is not achieving its targeted condition.

Launch date

“We have conducted extensive field trials of this system so far and are hoping to share progress soon,” concluded Owen. “It’s very exciting and we hope we will be able to help organisations plan and navigate a more sustainable path in the future, which will be for the benefit of all.”

Finally

It just leaves me to acknowledge the effort and enthusiasm of Owen and the wider England Golf team, and express the appreciation of sharing this thrilling update on this exciting project. Like many, I’m sure, I look forward to seeing the incredible impact it will undoubtedly make on our environment and industry!

For further information check out England Golf website www.englandgolf.org

Article

by Phil Helmn.

Brown hare at Ganton Golf Club © Sophie Olejnik.

Unmanne

The Kress RTKn robot mowers revolutionise pitch maintenance by covering larger areas with precision. Oper ating autonomously in parallel lines, they ef ficiently move from one area to another with zero emissions. Without the need for on-site aerials, they provide a cost-effective solution, reducing setup and maintenance costs. Their lightweight design also minimises soil compaction, preser ving turf quality, promoting healthier root grow th, and extending pitch lifespan.

The Kress RTKn robot mowers maintain areas of up to 36,000 m² each.

Ask for Kress at your local grounds main tenance machiner y dealer, or learn more at kress.com

Lee Strutt

Loch Lomond Director of golf course and estates

New chapter

Following his recent move 2,500 miles across the waters from the stunning Cape Bretton, Nova Scotia, I caught up with Lee Strutt - Director of golf course and estates - Loch Lomond, to begin his new adventure in Luss, Scotland.

The course, designed by the successful Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf partnership, opened for play in 1993. Measuring 7,100 yards from the back tees, this is a tough and long course. Each hole, except for the linked 2nd and 4th greens, is isolated from the next. None of the hazards are hidden from view, either from the tee or from approach shots, but not so the Loch which players can admire from at least half the holes on the course.

History

The Colquhoun Clan built Rossdhu House in 1773 (now the clubhouse) and Mary Queen of Scots wrote her love letters in Rossdhu Castle, the remains of which overlook the 18th green.

Loch Lomond Golf Club is set in more than 660 acres of sheltered seclusion, sandwiched between the mountains and the historic Lochside. The golf course contains two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, protecting rare plants and unusual woodland and is designated as a National Scenic Area.

The experiment

For as long as I have known Lee (our paths crossed back in January 2001), I have always admired his thirst for knowledge. He has one of those inquisitive brains that thirsts for understanding, and if I had a pound for every time I heard him utter “what if?” I’d be a millionaire by now! So, it was no surprise when I discovered that he and his team are about to undertake experimentations into

turf establishment, continued growth and sustainable best practices, with a goal of understanding future sustainability for our management of our fine turf surfaces.

“With future turf management practices becoming more environmentally challenging,” Lee explained, “I want my team to discover what agronomic establishment and maintenance strategies we need to adopt to ensure surface playability and performance are not affected (or possibly improved).” He continued, “We want to learn what will happen if we begin to reduce or eliminate traditionally trusted resources and inputs in order to create great surfaces, and what we must do to overcome these deficits.”

Lee revealed, “We start preparations this winter with removing turf from our turf nursery,

We want to discover what cultural practices influence

sustainable turf management

Above

ready for spring next year. There will be seven ‘plots’ in total, one being 800-1000m2 in size which will also act as our Poa/Bent nursery green, while the other six will be each 250m2 Fescue/Rye blend”. When asked, he mentioned all areas are within sight of the maintenance facility, the rootzone is straight sand (as are all playing surfaces on the golf course) and fully irrigated.

50/25/25% Dwarf

Rye/ Chewings

Fescue/ Creeping Red

Fescue

Top performer*

50/25/25% Dwarf

Rye/ Chewings

Fescue/ Creeping Red

Fescue

Top performer*

50/25/25% Dwarf

Rye/ Chewings

Fescue/ Creeping Red

Fescue

Lowest performer*

50/25/25% Dwarf

Rye/ Chewings

Fescue/ Creeping Red

Fescue

Lowest performer*

Key points

“The plots will be prepared and developed by six individuals in the team, which is a huge learning opportunity for them,” he explained. “Each plot will be divided, representing the control area where no trials will be conducted. We want to discover what cultural practices influence sustainable turf management. There are significant challenges looming in the industry regarding disease management and we want

50/25/25% Dwarf

Rye/ Chewings

Fescue/ Creeping Red

Fescue

Top performer* Hollow tine cores collected from existing greens predominantly poa species

50/25/25% Dwarf

Rye/ Chewings

Fescue/ Creeping Red

Fescue

Lowest performer*

The Clubhouse at Loch Lomond.

to see what efficiencies can be made in resources, such as nutrient inputs, wetting agents and dew suppressants in the battle against disease thresholds.”

Data points:

Rate of establishment

Nutrient inputs

Seeding rates

Disease resistance

Organic matter build up

Rooting depth and mass

Infiltration rates

Firmness

Trueness

Species dominance

Visual appearance

Colour value

Watch this space

This sounds like a fantastic opportunity to explore the intricacies of fine turf management and, as industry professionals, what we must discover to support our future management regimes. Sustainability is challenging and, in the

future, this type of experimentation will provide knowledge we may all benefit from.

It just leaves me to thank Lee for the thoughtprovoking discussion and thank his team for undertaking this interesting challenge.

Article by Phil Helmn.

HIGH SEED PURITY

TOLERANCE FOR CLOSE CUTTING AND HIGH WEAR

UNIQUE BLEND OF TOP-RATED BROWNTOP BENT CULTIVARS

OUTSTANDINGDENSITY AND VISUAL MERIT

IMPROVED FUSARIUM TOLERANCE REDUCING CHEMICALCOSTS

GROMAX COATED FOR IMPROVED ESTABLISHMENT

requirement for chemical inputs.

TOP TIPS

James Matthewman is Deputy Head Greenkeeper at Maesteg Golf Club and welcomes topics for future Top Tips.

Dew diligence

Commonly seen in the morning, a dew will form when the temperature of water vapor in the air decreases and will turn to liquid form. This is known as the dew point. In scientific terms, this process is called condensation.

Where do you see dew?

You find dew near enough everywhere you look, whether it be on your car, a spider’s web or park benches, but more commonly to see it in its vastness form you only have to look at large grass areas - especially fine turf.

If it’s only water, why can it be so harmful to fine turf?

Dews will form all year around, but you will see them more and heavier in the autumn/ winter months. When the dew forms, it creates leaf wetness and if not removed in the mornings it can potentially be harmful to fine turf. You have something I like to call the 12-hour cycle - if this cycle is not broken, it can lead to damaging effects. These effects can be disease (especially fusarium), where pathogens will attack the cell walls and cause a disease outbreak. Having fusarium in the winter months can lead to serious consequences in fine turf.

HOW CAN DEW BE REMOVED?

What other reasons does dew need to be removed?

Disease pressure is the main reason you remove dew, but there are other reasons why dew is removed:

● It relieves stress from the plant itself. The best thing you can do during the autumn/winter months is to keep the plant as healthy and stress free as you can

● Aesthetics. Be it a football pitch, bowls green or a golf fairway, to give the player the best conditions possible, it’s always best to remove the dew and show off those beautiful manicured areas

● Quality of cut. Any experienced groundsman/greenkeeper will know to get the best quality cut the leaf needs to be dry. Moisture in between the cylinder and blade will not give you the best cut. Try cutting a wet piece of paper!

When removing dew from a golf or bowls green, usually a large dew brush will be used and also a switch cane (good also for removing worm casts). Cutting and rolling are very common practices in dew removal. When it comes to larger areas (such as fairways), there is a method used where a large irrigation pipe is used between two staff either side of the fairway driving the pipe at the same time. The last known control to remove dew is chemically. There are some good products on the market which will hold dew off for a certain number of days, or even weeks.

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The discovery of a

Legendary architect plan

Faversham’s Course Manager, Rob Clark, has recently undertaken extensive research into the history of the course to discover old design features… and his findings were pretty exciting!

The club now needs to rewrite the history books because Rob has found and proven that the course plan was in fact designed by none other than Dr Alister MacKenzie! Where and when did you first discover the plans and what were your first thoughts?

Dr Alister Mackenzie’s plan was found on a rainy

day when I decided to search through some old club documents which were stored away in a cupboard in our men’s locker room. The plan was stored in a box with other historical research - used to write our club centenary book in 2002. The plan was in immaculate condition and folded inside a wallet titled: Ordinance Plan 1907 Edition Faversham Golf Club. It was clear that the plan was the basis for the course we

We will explore the possibility of routing the course much more how Mackenzie intended

play today, and the proposal also had our original 18-hole routing marked in blue pen, proposals marked in red pen and new green positions, tee positions with bunkers and mounding heavily shaded in an unusual style.

Who designed the original plans?

Faversham originated in 1902 on Nagden Marshes near Graveney. In 1911, the club moved to Belmont Park, which was the Estate of the 4th Baron Lord Harris. Lord Harris was a colonial administrator and Governor of Bombay but was best known for developing cricket. He captained Kent and England from 1870-1889. Belmont Park estate was situated on chalk rolling terrain and the golf club hired the services of James Braid to set out a 9-hole routing. Braid was then unable to attend to finish his proposals and the club then hired the services of JH Taylor, who endorsed the routing of Braid but with the addition of 25 grass bunkers without sand.

The course then evolved through the years and extended to 18 holes after the first world war, around 1922.

Have the plans been verified as Alister Mackenzie’s work?

The plan has been verified by several Alister Mackenzie experts - which include Joshua Petite from the Mackenzie Institute and Neil Crafter from the Mackenzie society. Neil Crafter has created a timeline of Mackenzie’s life and Faversham will now be added to this timeline.

What are you planning to do with the discovery?

The club are now looking to create a history room inside the clubhouse where the plan will be presented, along with club minute book snippets which show the communications with Mackenzie and his brother Charles Mackenzie during 1924-25.

How have members reacted?

The members have in general been excited that their course had such an influence from Mackenzie - especially once they understand that he designed Augusta National. This has given our course an identity which can now be used for future design work and, potentially, restore or instate features which Mackenzie

Rob Clark Course Manager

Above Top Original 9-hole course.

originally intended. Members have seen the value in this and can now fully understand the reasoning behind any future projects and course changes.

What are the next steps and who is involved?

The club have now invested in a modern course architect - Martin Ebert from Mackenzie and

WHO IS DR ALISTER MACKENZIE?

Mackenzie was renowned for his ability to blend design features seamlessly into the natural beauty of his sites.

Harry Colt stayed with MacKenzie on his visit to Alwoodley Golf Club in 1907, and he was impressed by MacKenzie’s greens and bunker models. Colt immediately encouraged him to assist with his work at Alwoodley, and over the next few years, MacKenzie gradually abandoned his medical practice to pursue his passion for golf course design. His first accomplishment was earning first place in the CB Macdonald’s Country Life magazine competition for the finest twoshot hole design for the projected Lido GC on Long Island, New York. This achievement earned Mackenzie a lot of attention on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 1926, MacKenzie made his first journey to the United States, when he joined forces with Harry Colt and Charles Alison, which is unusual given that they had ended their collaboration in 1923. This was the beginning of MacKenzie’s global expedition, with his first famous design, Cypress Point, commissioned in 1926. In the years that followed, MacKenzie designed some of today’s most prominent courses, including Royal Melbourne in Australia (1926), New South Wales GC in Australia (1928) and Pasatiempo in California (1929), before collaborating closely with Bobby Jones to create Augusta.

Ebert. Martin was given a brief to restore or instate the course to the original plan by Dr Alister Mackenzie, but also ensure that the course remained relevant for the modern game. From the Mackenzie plan, we could see that six holes were not routed from his proposals because the club didn’t acquire the land needed at the time. Since then, the club acquired that land in the early 1990s, and this was then used for the current practice ground. Martin has now drawn up a draft masterplan which explores the possibility of routing the course much more how Mackenzie intended and adding more length to the course. The plans include moving the current practice ground to a new piece of land which is adjacent to the clubhouse and owned by Belmont Estate. This will then allow the new layout to incorporate the old practice ground and significantly improve and lengthen this section of the course, which wasn’t possible when Mackenzie proposed the idea back in 1925.

The early negotiations with Belmont Estate have been positive and Martin will soon be completing a full detailed final course masterplan. This will hopefully give the course an exciting long-term project for future generations to enjoy and see the course progress to its full potential, but also give the course a true identity as a Mackenzie coursealong with a world renowned modern architect.

Other changes: Grass species conversion

The course is part of a broader parkland area and, due to its location on chalk, it drains effectively across much of the course. The fairways are naturally rich in fine fescue/bent grasses, as previous greenkeepers left them

alone. However, Faversham had faced some challenges with short cutting lengths and tree covered areas; as a result, these stressed grasses were disease-ridden and expensive to maintain, necessitating copious amounts of water, fertiliser and pesticides, which is not effective greenkeeping.

On those challenges, Rob said: “It was always a struggle with the pressure of anthracnose disease and also the long summer droughts that this part of Kent would experience most years. With the disease attacks and the moisture stresses, the short rooted annual meadow grass

This has given our course an identity which can be used for future work

(Poa Aannua) suffered.”

“Fusarium disease would always be a big problem throughout winter - even when we could use the chemicals that are now banned. The greens complexes had become extremely shaded over the years from tree planting and the ingress of native woodland that was always unmanaged and been allowed to grow close to playing surfaces including tees.”

In 2021, after returning to Faversham, Rob and his team had a revolution of tree removal and agronomic change to fine grasses. His first appointment was Gordon Irvine as a consultant. On this Rob said: “Gordon was someone who I had followed for several years. After getting into contact with him, it was clear that his methods (learnt from Jim Arthur in the 1990s when he was course manager at Mill Ride) would subsequently help with advising on the turn around of our fine grasses.”

Rob started as an apprentice greenkeeper in 2006, after a brief spell trying to play professional golf. Rob wanted to remain in the golf industry and loved the thought of learning what goes into maintaining golf courses; what better place to learn than his home club Faversham?

Faversham employed Rob for ten years and, in that time, he completed a level 2, level 3 and eventually a level 4 in Sports Turf Management Diploma. In 2017, Rob left Faversham after an opportunity to join the team at Royal St. George’s came up. He spent two years under the leadership of Paul Larsen and learnt about the importance of fine perennial grasses. During his time at St George’s, he was amazed at the yearround quality of all surfaces

ABOUT ROB

- with little input from fertiliser, water and fungicides. After completing just under two years at St George’s, Rob felt that he had reinvented his greenkeeping knowledge and he took an opportunity to join Littlestone as first-assistant under the leadership of course manager Malcolm Grand. He commented:

“The move to Littlestone allowed me to further improve my knowledge on the running game and Malcolm had a profound influence on my understanding of fine turf.”

“After 18 months at Littlestone, I then had the opportunity of moving back to my home club as a course manager. I felt that I was ready for the challenge and my experience over the last four years certainly influenced my plans on how the course could be improved agronomically.”

Rob knew there would be challenges in the changes he wanted to make to the grass: “Due to many issues arising from trees, it meant that many greens were extremely shaded and they were almost 100% annual meadow grass (poa annua). Gordon highlighted many trees which would need to be removed around playing surfaces to allow enough air and light to support fine grass surfaces. This has been an extremely difficult and sensitive subject at the club, as many specimen feature trees were lost during the storm of 1987 and, with concerns about global warming, was perhaps a reason no tree management was carried out over the years.”

“Nevertheless, we have gradually educated our members on the benefits and, after many tree removal projects, we are now getting much more positive comments from this work. After years of failing annual meadow grass greens suffering from disease and upheaval from invasive practices to remove thatch, members were keen to break the cycle.”

Going into the sixth year of the programme, Rob summarised the results so far: “We have seen an unbelievable change; from nearly 100% annual meadow grass greens, to most greens now being dominated with fine grasses. These are cut no lower than 4mm and run at the ideal speed for recreational golf of between 8.5’ and 9.5’.”

“At the start of the project, browntop bent was the initial grass of choice, to give an edge with dominance over the annual meadow grass; although now, we are slowly moving over to fescue on a number of the most successful greens. Our eventual goal is to achieve a balance of fescue/bent greens over the whole course, and it will be so much more of an enjoyable playing challenge.”

Article by James Kimmings.

2024 A reflection as turf managers

I think it is a good time to reflect on 2024 and the year we endured from a weather perspective as turf managers. As a basis for this discussion, I collated data from a Davis weather station located in Wheathampstead, Hertsfordshire.

First up is their monthly rainfall compared to the local 30-year average;

Now, I have discussed rainfall and rainfall patterns quite a bit this year, but I won’t apologise for doing so again, because it has been such an unpredictable one from this perspective. I mean, just look at the variability between monthly rainfall and the the Met Office 1991-2020 yearly average! There have been 4 months when we had over double the 30-year average and one (September) when it was quadruple! The excessive variability in our climate from a rainfall perspective is plain to see.

Is this a trend though, can we say that? I don’t think so because for it to be a clearly-defined trend, we would have to have a consistent pattern of weather responsible for it, and there’s the rub. For example, September’s monumental figure was the result of a cut-off low pressure system that wandered over from central Europe, gained potential from the Bay of Biscay and then slowly moved across the south of England (and Midlands) depositing three times the monthly average rainfall in just 2 -3 days. Predicting the formation and ‘behaviour’ of these cut-off low pressure systems is a meteorological challenge and one where I think we are playing catch up.

Here are some more interesting stats from the same weather station…..

If we look at the maximum rain rate recorded during the month in column 2, we can see that we have some pretty ‘fruity’ rain rates in July, September, October and December. Part of the reason for this, I believe, is due to low pressure systems tracking across warmer-thanaverage seas and gathering energy and the potential to deposit more rainfall in the process. From a practical perspective, if you conduct infiltration rates, these are the current levels your surfaces (and infrastructure) need to cope with.

Moving along, we received nearly 95% more moisture from rainfall than had been lost from the soil and plant by evapotranspiration (E.T). It is normally 40%, so this particular turf manager has had to deal with significantly wetter surfaces in 2024.

Growth-wise, as denoted by G.P (Growth Potential), the start to the year was dire with January to April contributing only 15% of the total yearly growth, but 36% of the yearly rainfall. Recovery from the ravages of the 23/24 autumn/winter was hard to come by, as was some dry days. Of course, growth peaked in July and August, but a very wet July meant that higher-height-of-cut areas just kept

growing rather than slowing down as they experienced lower soil moisture levels. That summer growth flush continued into September and October with only November showing a cool down. More cutting means more wear and tear on machinery, more man hours and more fuel used.

Finally, I added up all the daily Smith Kerns Probability totals to see which month had the most significant disease pressure (I could have averaged the month as well, but I found the cumulative figure more interesting). So the highest disease pressure month using this somewhat unorthodox measurement? September, with big peaks in activity of Microdochium nivale and Clarireedia homeocarpa (Dollar Spot) at the beginning and end of the month.*

So, turf managers, that was 2024. Sit back and give yourselves and your team a pat on the back for coping with it. It was, without doubt, a tough one!

*There was no Smith Kerns data for December because the air temperatures were below the model parameters, but there was significant disease pressure over the christmas week!

EDUCATION RECRUITMENT PROGRESSION

With a general lack of awareness about opportunities in turfcare and career progression through education and training, what exactly is being done? Kerry Haywood investigates...

In my foreword last issue, I wrote... ‘I encountered many discussions at Saltex surrounding the topic of recruitment, and whilst dialogue and seminar sessions are raising awareness, when we walk away from them - what is actually being done?’

Cue a call from Dr. Jonathan Knowles, Leicester City Head of Sports Turf Academy, who invited me to attend the Sports Turf & Greenkeeping Educationalists Summit –where over forty individuals with roles in turf education met during December. Jonathan commented: “I view this initiative as a crucial step in addressing the challenges facing our sector, such as recruitment, and adapting to the fast-evolving technologies and practices shaping the industry. It’s vital that education keeps pace with these changes.”

The inaugural Summit lay the groundwork for greater emphasis on, and recognition of, the critical role of education in sports turf and greenkeeping, and offered a chance to highlight the exceptional work being done behind the scenes to support meaningful careers in this sector.

The format consisted of working groups, focused on reviewing the current state of

education in the field, with a particular focus on apprenticeships, while also considering other qualifications in turf management. The workshops included:

1: How to ascertain the current state of education for a needs analysis

2: Best teaching practices to attain higher assessment grades

3: Routes to developing unified learning materials

Most of you have undertaken courses to progress your skill-set and further your career, but it seems the challenge lies with standardising courses and training, to ensure the expectations of students (at all levels) is the same across the country. Does every student have access to the equipment required (for instance a clegg hammer, robotic machines etc), video resources/toolkits and, most importantly, the support and understanding from their employer to successfully pass each course?

As a media that advertises recruitment positions, here at Pitchcare we receive numerous job adverts which feature a requirement for NVQ qualifications in the job description. Attained NVQ levels remain

Sports Turf & Greenkeeping Educationalists Summit

relevant to holders and employers but have not been offered in horticulture, sportsturf, or greenkeeping for about fifteen years. They were replaced by Work-Based Diplomas, which followed a similar assessment framework under a different name. Since 2017, greenkeeping and sportsturf qualifications and apprenticeships have adopted an end-point assessment (EPA) model. Unlike NVQs, which relied on ongoing assessment and pass-only grading, EPAs involve independent assessors (unconnected to the apprentice) and graded outcomes (fail, pass, merit, distinction). Many of these changes, implemented around the time of the pandemic, may still be unclear to some employers. This all suggests there may be still some confusion for employers regarding modern qualifications in sports turf and greenkeeping. Therefore, could that lack of understanding be one of the reasons why grounds and greenkeeping staff are underpaid? (#justathought). Changes have impacted not only the titles but also the content, funding, and opportunities for qualification progression. Employers would also benefit from more information about the off-the-job training commitment and strategies to support apprentices in meeting the required hours. But, it doesn’t just fall on the employer to provide better training… It was also discussed that tutors are sometimes trying to deliver

Education

and

training is paramount to the development of our industry

something they do not understand themselves. For example , it was discussed: where mathematics may be integrated for calibrating different types of materials, green speeds and the use of new technologies such as robotic markers and mowers, LED lighting, UV-C on turf etc. Tutors can also often be quite isolated. How do we standardise training so that all tutors, and therefore, all students follow the same path?

The Greenkeepers Training Committee Ltd (GTC) presented on the day and have many resources to help and guide greenkeepers on what that next career step could be. It also

INDUSTRY

offers a central location for learning material, leaflets, course finders etc… Rob Phillips, Learning and Development Manager (Technical) for BIGGA and The GTC commented: “Trainers and educators are the unsung heroes of the industry and we are pleased to be a part of these events to increase the focus on the sharp end of education, and the improvement of recruitment and opportunities in the industry.”

It was also discussed that BIGGA and the GMA could release adaptable, skill-level-appropriate materials for all training providers to work with, with a goal to enhance resource accessibility and standardisation across the sector.

The turfcare world is constantly changing and weather conditions are determining the way sports surfaces are managed. People also have new obligations in relation to golf and nature, so groundspersons and greenkeepers must adapt to this new era and their own future development.

BIGGA will address some of this changing dynamic as part of the Continue to Learn Conference on Monday 20th January at BTME. The Day 1 conference will include Greenkeeping 4.0 and the following topics:

● How greenkeeping is constantly changing and improving

● Prepare for changes in the upcoming years

● Understand the part technology and data have in greenkeeping

● See how education and communication are essential in greenkeeping

There is no doubt that education and training within our industry is paramount to the development of our industry and crucial to both recruitment and retention of staff. It will be exciting to witness how fundamental improvements to educators and their toolkit will pave the way for future courses and success.

Candidates need to have an edge, and being properly qualified in the appropriate areas can provide a necessary advantage for career progression.

Future focus works called for students and/or graduates to offer their advice and insight, and if you would like to be involved, get in touch with Jonathan.Knowles@lcfc.co.uk

OVERALL PRIORITIES WERE IDENTIFIED AS:

● Comprehensive needs analysis of education: Utilise tools like AI and collaborate with industry partners to assess the current state of turf education.

● Alignment of training with industry standards: Regularly consult with BIGGA, GMA, and employers to ensure qualifications meet evolving industry needs and establish industry advisory boards.

● Accessible entry-level training: Develop and promote a Level 1 course focusing on fundamental skills and career progression for new entrants.

● Enhanced awareness of qualification pathways: Create centralised platforms and launch marketing campaigns with partners to improve understanding of available education options.

● Improved teaching practices for higher grades: Introduce storytelling, scaffolding, and theory-practice integration into lesson plans to enhance educator skills and boost student outcomes.

● Centralised information hub: Create and maintain an online portal with filters and regularly updated content to simplify navigation of education options.

● Professional development for educators: Provide CPD workshops, industry days, and advanced certification programmes to keep educators updated on industry and pedagogical advancements.

● Digital and AI resource innovation: Use AI for resource creation and increase access to digital tools for teaching and learning.

● Mock exams and EPA simulations: Integrate mock exams and practice End-Point Assessments (EPAs) with assessors unfamiliar to learners to mimic real conditions.

● Contextualised learning with industry-relevant examples: Integrate real-life case studies, workplace scenarios, and industry challenges into lessons to enhance learning outcomes.

Playing in the UK to course management in the USA

Pitchcare spoke to former professional goalkeeper, Josh Lennie, after he switched the gloves in goal for the gloves of the green.

Joshua had originally moved to the USA to coach college students, but he could never have imagined becoming a superintendent at Edgewood Golf Club.”

As a goalkeeper, Joshua always had admiration for those maintaining the pitches, he said: “Despite not thinking too much about the

amount of work that had gone into the playing surface, I always recognised the work required to maintain a nice playing surface. As a goalkeeper, to see a well-maintained goalmouth is fantastic; no keeper wants to be stood in a muddy puddle waiting to make a save.”

“The industry has come a long way from my playing days - a few of the stadiums back then were slightly tricky to play on due to the standard of pitch. However, in those days, budgets and technological advancements weren’t what they are now. As a player, you appreciate a groundsperson’s work, but the industry is underappreciated by those who are not in it. As I got into greenkeeping, my appreciation for the job increased.”

Changing

perspectives

After stepping into turfcare, Josh soon realised the common misconceptions about the trade: “Whenever I say that I am a Superintendent, people will immediately say to me ‘oh, so you cut grass’. They don’t understand the chemical and biological understanding about soil, grass and fertilisers; it is very intense to learn all of the information in a short space of time.”

Over here, the pay is quite lucrative for those working on golf courses

“The golf industry in America is huge and therefore everyone has a nice lawn or back garden; they think, why is the golf course not as nice as their back garden? If I put 200 people on that lawn every day and drove golf buggies on it, will it be as nice as it once was?… probably not.”

“It seems there is a lack of understanding from members all over the world. They see five guys on mowers and they believe that’s our job. Even when we are doing important jobs like aeration, and the

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TALKING TURF

greens become quicker, the members will complain about that because it isn’t what they are used to.”

An introduction to America and turfcare

Josh explained his decision to move to America and told us about his first taste of greenkeeping: “After I finished my football career, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I could have played non-league football for a lot longer, but I wanted a new challenge. I took an opportunity to visit the US to coach at a division one college and where I first took an interest in turfcare. I would help the grounds team out after training, as the coaching wasn’t fulfilling me.”

But why greenkeeping? “I knew I wanted to work outside because that is something that I have done throughout my career. I knew I was not the type to go and sit in an office all day.

THE PLAYING DAYS

Josh joined Brentford Football Club as a junior and started playing on a scholarship at the start of the 2002–03 campaign. During October 2003, he was called up to the first team squad to play Barnet in the Football League Trophy first round and made his professional debut in a Football League Trophy first round match versus Milton Keynes Dons in September 2004. He went on to have a career playing for the likes of AFC Wimbledon and Chester FC.

My wife is a scientist who works long hours, and I didn’t want to be sitting around whilst she is at work. This has given me the perfect opportunity to do something I enjoy.”

“I fell into my first position as a 2nd assistant greenkeeper at Hop Meadow Country Club, which happened to be conveniently situated next door to where I lived. I stayed there for four years, and I learnt a lot about greenkeeping. My Superintendent at the time won the Emerging Leader Award and he taught me a lot about the job, different types of seed and how to manage these, all of the chemicals that you have to be careful with etc… but, the biggest thing I learnt, was the number of things that can go wrong with turf and the number of things that aren’t an easy fix.”

With just four years of experience under his belt, Josh became the Superintendent at Edgewood Golf Club. He commented: “I have only been here for a month, so I am still quite new to the role and the management that comes with it.”

Josh had to complete his degree in Turf Management before becoming a superintendent. “I attended The University of Massachusetts, which is where I first learnt about soil science, chemistry, biology and turf management - I was surprised how much you needed to learn about turfcare.”

“In New England, our weather is very similar to England. We experience the snow and ice that you get in the UK in extreme formats… last year, we had six feet of snow. The weather changes quickly though; today it is 28 degrees and lovely weather and we haven’t had any rain for 45 days. However, that can turn to very strong winds and hurricanes that tear through the course.”

“Another similarity is the recruitment crisis. I have a small team here and most of them are over 50 years old. The issue that we have is that no one wants to wake up at 4am to go and work on a golf course, especially if the weather isn’t being kind. Having said that, sometimes the hot weather can be worse to work in than the rain!”

One major difference though is US salaries compared to the UK: “Over here, the pay is quite lucrative for those working on golf courses. A Superintendent job is a six-figure role, and I know of people who are making up to a quarter of a million dollars a year. That was part of the reason I wanted to get into the job, because I knew it could support mine and my family’s needs.”

On budgets, he said: “There is a massive golfing culture over here in the US and, when we are in open season, we could get over 200 golfers per day. This equates to a lot of footfall and wear of the turf, so budgets need to be high; it is always upward of $100,000 a year (which is on the low side compared to other courses in the States).”

The difference between UK and US course management

Left Top: Josh enjoys some drainage work with his son.

CROKE PARK

Down on the turf farm

The introduction of

a

Turf Farm has revolutionised maintenance and renovations at the Croke Park stadium.

Kerry Haywood recently visited the turf farm with a contingent of leading UK stadia turf managers, where Pitch Manager, Stuart Wilson, told us how the farm has been a positive revelation for the Dublin stadium and the wider industry.

In years gone by, the farmer’s field had been used for cows to graze. Fast forward to present day and that is now Croke Park Turf Farm, utilised for providing turf - not only for the stadium, but also distributed around Ireland for Gaelic games, football and golf. Stuart commented: “We purchased the land six years ago with the objective to turn it into a turf farm, which is what you see today. The old farmer passed away and the land was put up for sale which was a fantastic opportunity for us and one

we couldn’t pass on. We have 70 acres in total which includes a large water tank; in theory, we could water every acre with the water supply that we have and we wouldn’t run out.”

“Initially the turf growth was difficult, as we found that there was too much organic material within it. We addressed that pretty quickly, but I had to learn that this was a farm and not a pitch. Sometimes I would look and think ‘we need nutrient on it’ but, in reality, it just wasn’t needed. We’ve also had to learn about the amount of work that it takes and the number of staff needed to manage a farm - which is probably the biggest challenge. I have one person working up here full time and three in the stadium, plus two at the training facilitythere is a lot of pressure on the team.”

He continued: “We have additional help from

a contractor because we wouldn’t be able to meet deadlines without them. The amount of work has grown significantly; we started with one field, then two and they both needed drainage and irrigation before installing the 5000 square metres of hero hybrid carpet. Six months later, we had the first batch of turf ready for Croke Park.”

Stuart re-tufed the full pitch in September and the first match was Leinster and Munster n the URC. “We had four weeks from moving the turf from the farm to then hosting the event at Croke Park, which provided enough opportunity to get the turf to look and play as good as possible. We held off with the nutrient (as we wanted it to substantially root) however, we knew that the scrums could affect the turf rolls, so we laid it length ways to allow less movement. I was worried, but it performed well and didn’t budge.”

Before the farm, it was challenging to source

turf quickly after concerts. Stuart added: “We had to import turf from UK companies, but this posed huge risks because of things going wrong in transportation. Sometimes the turf would go black after a few days because it had been transported after harvesting it during warm conditions from the UK and/or been sat on the ferry for too long. There were no turf farms in Ireland which could produce the quality of turf that we needed, so it proved easier to grow and move our own turf.”

The turf cycle

“The hybrid turf at the farm starts out as a 2.5m wide x 100m long carpet which gets stitched together. Next, there is a gentle process of filling the carpet with sand starting with 5mm, whilst using the Campey UniRake to finely groom the surface and keep the fibres upright until we get to 40mm. That equates to 25mm of fibre on show at the top, which we seed into, and allow

6-8 weeks growth time.”

“We use Goldcrop Champions pitch seed as it grows exceptionally clean. Stuart uses prohexadione active ingredient on the turf farm and points to Attraxor® plant growth regulator as a beneficiary at the stadium: “We work to 250 Growth Degree Days (GDD) and, within 24 hours, we are controlling what’s going on which promotes much more consistency. On the farm, we will slightly increase the amount we use to reduce mowing hours and keep organic matter to a minimum.”

“When the turf is ready to be lifted, it is cut and the base of the carpet is cleaned to remove the soil. This is an important process to avoid

which takes about 45 minutes and then it is transported half an hour down the road to the stadium… as simple as that!”

When asked if Stuart thinks his project could be emulated in the UK, he said: “In Ireland, we don’t have as many turf growing companies, which was part of the reason for us to start this farm for ourselves. Clubs have good choices of turf growers in UK, compared to Ireland when it comes to hybrid turf. It is nice to be selfsufficient and even turf growers have visited the farm set up and been impressed with the turf quality. When you are growing your own, you can have a groundsperson eye on it - as opposed to the business and profit eye. It is a great business model for a multi-use venue.”

Left Leading UK stadia turf managers got the opportunity to visit the Turf Farm and Croke Park stadium in conjunction with Agrovista Amenity.

Above Brian O’Shaughnessy, Product Specialist for Campey Turf Care was delighted to present their range of turf farm equipment to the group.

Concert and events

Croke Park Stadium is one of the largest in Europe, with a capacity of 82,300 hosting an array of field sports and concerts. “The average life of a pitch at Croke Park will last for ten years, but it really depends on the amount of concerts. We are almost guaranteed to replace 20-30 metres of the pitch after the Bruce Springsteen concert and, now that we have the turf farm, we can justify replacing some - if not all the pitch.”

“I don’t always know what concerts are coming up; I could be told six months in advance that

I had to learn that this was a farm and not a pitch!

we need two full pitch replacements, so we always have to have two pitches on standby. The challenges come when you have a concert one weekend and then a match the next. It is hard to turn the pitch around and have it ready for play within days. We are dealing with over eighty fixtures a year, plus fifteen kids Go Games days and sponsor days. Every year we have close to 100 events on the pitch. including concerts and Go Games days with four or more pitches set out - natural turf couldn’t deal with that.”

Stuart touched on other sports played at

expertisepassion.

Left

A range of SGL lighting at the Stadium.

Below

The turf harvester at the farm works at rapid pace.

It is a great business model for a multi-use venue

Croke Park: “Gaelic games are the main sports that we host here; the speed of the sport is phenomenal and that has a huge impact on turf management due to wear and tear. The players will go into a corner and do 180 degrees in one spot which can really tear the grass apart but, most importantly, we don’t want players to fall and injure themselves; if someone slips over at Croke Park, I will know about it quickly. For everything other than football and rugby, we play the pitch slightly softer so that the turf has a little bit of give for the players going at extreme speeds.”

Stadium fixtures and challenges

“The fixture schedule is a huge challenge and games come thick and fast from January

through to mid-August when the concerts start. There is a never a single game in a week – we always have a double, triple header or even four games over one weekend. Obviously, this poses its own issues with additional warmups and wear, but we always manage to turn things around. We were under pressure back in June due to the number of games, but we managed to get it back. From a groundspersons point of view it was tired, but no one else would notice.”

“As for most groundspersons, weather is another challenge and, the weather in 2024 was brutal. We had warm temperatures and wet conditions which isn’t often a great mix, but I think we managed the stadium quite well. Moisture levels were high, which saw some Fusarium creep in, but we are fortunate that the big Championship games come during summer, so recovery of the pitch was often a lot faster.”

“We have a standard Hunter irrigation system at the stadium with sixteen perimeter heads and eight in-fields. We have a John Hewitt Pollard system which went in a while ago, that is still functioning very well, but the hybrid pitch has increased the irrigation requirements.”

Additional revenue

Stuart concluded by telling us about external turf sales from the farm: “We sell the turf to stadia and golf clubs around Ireland. One day in November, we harvested for ten clubs - which accumulated to around £40,000 in sales and it keeps the farm ticking over. It is a separate business and we have received only positive feedback from clubs utilising the farm services.”

It was a pleasure to visit the farm and it will be interesting to see if UK clubs consider this option in future years… watch this space?

Article by Kerry Haywood.

Hybrid renovations

While hybrid systems answer the problem of pitches that need to take more games and maintain their quality, the secondary question of maintaining and renovating these surfaces is still being developed.

Innovations into the turfcare market are leading the way in removing organic matter without causing damage to the synthetic fibres, but refining the renovation process to get the most from these machines has led Redexim to the Scarivator, particularly on hybrid carpet systems.

The name of the machines comes from scarification and renovation. Put those two together, and you have the Scarivator, a machine that’s purpose is to loosen and lift organic material, teasing it out from the synthetic fibres on hybrid surfaces to allow safe removal while levelling the surface as it goes. Crucially, it achieves this without causing any damage to the synthetic fibres because it doesn’t use a rotor. Instead, spring tines and lateral movement that overlaps do all the work, leaving nothing for the synthetic fibre to wrap around and cause damage.

Primarily, this machine is aimed at a gap in the contractor sector because they are the ones carrying out the work, and the involvement of contractors from the inception of the Scarivator through to testing has led to the machine that is now available.

Unique to the hybrid maintenance market

Redexim Product Specialist, Rhys Evans, has been closely involved in the development and testing of the machine and explains what makes the Scarivator different from anything else currently on the market.

“The unique feature on the Scarivator is the way that the tines are etching into the surface,” Rhys explains.

“Renovations are not carried out by end users; they’re carried out by contractors. What contractors find is once they’ve stripped the surface off, they’re left with a hard, almost concrete pad, and the hybrid surfaces are just

inherently difficult and challenging to maintain because they can be like concrete.”

“So, they found they could take a spring rake like a Verti-Rake or similar across, but it’s not aggressive enough to get into the layer that’s been left behind. It needs some sort of rotavator to get in there, but you can’t use a rotavator because it’s way too aggressive.”

“Having this machine is something that is needed in that process. What does that do? It fluffs up the bed, so you’ve got a nice tilth to put a top dressing, or a root zone to put down into.”

“If you take other machines on the market that contractors use, these tend to have rotors. Because the rotor spins, synthetic fibres can get caught around the rotor and be pulled from the surface, which can mean costly repairs.”

“With our machine, the movement is only 50 millimetres on either side. It is unlikely, but If a fibre was to get caught around the

It’s important to gain experience in knowing when and how it should be used

tine, it’s only going 50 millimetres, so you’re not going to damage the synthetic fibre or the carpet that’s below.”

A machine years in the making

An interesting aspect of the Scarivator is its origin. While this machine is new to the market, an iteration of it has been used at Premier Pitches for several years, as developed by Carl Pass.

Premier Pitches is a leading contractor for hybrid pitches and successfully used and refined its own version of this machine before working with Redexim to develop the Scarivator.

As part of the development stage, Redexim gave Premier Pitches a unit to use for an entire season, and Team Leader at Premier Pitches, Mick Taylor, was the man to put it through its paces.

“The machine’s main purpose is to be used during renovations to loosen any surface debris,

ABOVE

Left Renovation on a no infill synthetic touch line. Grass clippings build up from cutting equipment on the main surface, algae then accumulates within making it slippery to walk on.

Right Before/after the Scarivator during renovations on a SIS hybrid stitched system at Chelsea F.C, Kingsmeadow Stadium.

Left Renovation on an uneven hybrid carpet reveals high spots in some areas making renovation inherently more challenging on hybrid surfaces as damaging the carpet is both timely and costly in repairs.

TECHNICAL

and the Scarivator does exactly that,” Mick explains. “Typically, we use it after the first pass of the Koro to loosen the profile, then you don’t have to be as aggressive on the second pass.”

“For me, the main point is understanding the machine and knowing how it works before you put it on a hybrid system. Every pitch is constructed slightly differently with varying materials, so it’s important to gain experience in knowing when and how it should be used.”

Left Before use of the Scarivator on an uneven hybrid carpet system that had a rotary machine pass over but, was getting too close to the carpet backing, risking damage to the carpet backing due to the unevenness of the surface.

company, we’ve used a version of it for years and got a good system going with it, so I think other people will see a benefit.”

More than a renovation tool

Below After both the Turf-Stripper and the Scarivator made their first pass on a hybrid stitched system.

Although the Scarivator has a strong origin, Redexim wanted to test the machine thoroughly. Different versions have been trialled in the US, The Netherlands, various Premier League clubs and UK-based contractors.

This process informed changes to the tine shape, the addition of a PTO stand and, most importantly, a change to the gearing to give more crossover between the front and back tines without sacrificing forward speed.

South Wales Sports Grounds (SWSG), a familyrun company celebrating sixty years in business at the end of 2024, used the opportunity to test the Scarivator in other areas.

Initially, SWSG Contracts Manager, Matt Dennison, took the machine to use on Swansea City A.F.C’s hybrid carpet pitch and soon found other valuable uses for it.

“At the time, we hadn’t renovated a hybrid carpet, so we decided against using any of the traditional machinery,” Matt explains. “Redexim gave us the Scarivator to use, and the first point of call was, can we renovate a carpet hybrid with this, and what does it do? Truth be told, you can’t do it with just that bit of kit, but it certainly does help.”

“We were using it on every pass, so we had a Maredo Scarifier and a Turf Tidy from Redexim that would come behind to clean up the trash

Above Close up of the Scarivators results on a hybrid stitched system, digging down reveals its true effectiveness.

The unique feature is the way the tines are etching into the surface

that the Maredo left. We utilised the Scarivator after that, and what it did well was just loosen the head of the grass plant off to make life easier for the scarifiers to remove the organic matter and the grass leaf from the pitch.”

“We then took it to the Swansea City Stadium, where they have a stitched hybrid. They had a concert that year, and where the stage had been, they had really buried a lot of the stitched yarn and pressed it in.”

“Usually, we’d use the traditional spring tine rotor rake, but what we actually found is the Scarivator did a much nicer job of bringing that yarn back up. So, it had already been renovated, and we’d taken it back down; all the grass plant

Barpersie

was out, but we used the Scarivator to go over the pitch very quickly, and what used to probably take two or three passes with the rotary rake, the Scarivator did in one.”

Having tried it on the stitched hybrid, Matt

bits of kit that Redexim have, like the Extreme Clean, but it’s one of those things, especially as a contractor, if you’re going to invest in a bit of equipment, you always want it to do more than one job.”

“So, over the three months we had it, we were trying to find what those other jobs could be as well as providing feedback on the machine’s performance.”

The culmination of testing and development has resulted in a machine featuring two horizontal beams equipped with angled spring tines to work into the surface at adjustable depths of up to 35mm (1.38”) and a 2.13m (83.9”) working width.

The Scarivator has so far lived up to its claims, proving itself a versatile and effective tool for hybrid pitch renovations. In time, it has the potential to become as common as using a turf stripper and a staple of the hybrid renovation process.

Article by Blair Ferguson.

Below Hybrid carpet system showing the challenging conditions faced with renovations.

Right Hybrid carpet system showing the results after a single pass with the Scarivator.

Below Hybrid stitched system showing the results.

THE 65th

Weeds and stingers

are not as bad as you might think!

We look at the benefits that nettles and other weeds can bring to the golf course. We see how some of the more ‘nuisance’ species can, in fact, be of huge benefit to all manner of wildlife, both large and small.

There has been an emphasis in recent years to bring beauty and improved biodiversity to the golf course in the form of newly created wildflower areas. During summer, there is a mass of colour and nectar rich plants for our bees and other pollinating insects, such as butterflies. This can only be a good thing to halt the decline of our pollinating friends.

But, there is a whole family of plants that go unnoticed, that are just as important for our

insects and other animals creating valuable wildlife habitats. These plants are most commonly known as ‘weeds’!

There can often be instruction to direct staff to strim those nettles, cut down those thistles or get rid of that bramble - but it doesn’t have to be like that. Whilst some areas need to be kept tidy, perhaps close to a green or tee, other areas could be set aside for these plants to flourish.

The stinging nettle is one of the most common weeds on a golf course, enjoying soils that are rich in phosphates, and it can often

Above Scottish Thistles.

be seen growing in woodlands, rough areas and along hedgerows. It is a stubborn plant to remove and can appear unsightly, but it is a vitally important food plant for the caterpillars of many of the UK’s declining butterfly species. Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Painted Lady all rely on the stinging nettle as part of their breeding cycle. Nettles are not only useful for insects, but can also be a food source for humans in the form of nettle soup.

Weed examples

Left

Top A common urtica dioica or stinging nettle.

Bottom A European goldfinch feeding on the seeds of thistles.

Pause for a moment and give some thought to weeds

Moth, Goldenrod Pug Moth and the Sussex Emerald Moth.

Garlic Mustard is a biennial flowering plant in the Mustard family (Brassicaceae). It looks similar to the stinging nettle, but without the sting, and has white flowers. The leaves and stems smell like garlic when crushed. It likes shady places, such as hedgerows and the edge of woodlands. It is a food plant for the caterpillars of the Orange Tip (one of the first butterflies to emerge in early spring) and Small White.

Ragwort has bright yellow daisy like flowers and is usually found in dry open places. It is an important food source for around thirty species of invertebrates, including butterflies and moths. It is particularly important as it is the sole food plant of the Cinnabar Moth; other moths that use it include the Ruby Tiger

Brambles are often the cause of someone saying “ouch, that hurt” or similar out on the course, due to its notorious thorns. This can be an extremely invasive plant, with long trailing stems and hooked thorns enabling it to scramble over anything. It can often completely overtake some areas and has to be controlled. It thrives in most soils and light conditions. It sounds like a nightmare, but bramble does have its uses as it provides a home for a lot of different animals. The flowers (May to September) provide a useful source of nectar for many pollinating insects, such as bees, wasps and butterflies, whilst spiders spin webs to catch insects.

Moths, such as Buff Arches and Peach Blossom, lay their eggs on bramble as it is the food plant of their caterpillar. Various animals, such as blackbirds, robins, foxes and small mammals, eat the fruits (August to October). It also provides a protective home from predators

Above

Left Small Copper Butterfly on a yellow ragwort plant.

Top An adult Buff Arches moth (Habrosyne pyritoides) settled on a leaf.

Bottom Garlic Mustard plant.

for many species of birds and small mammals. It is probably one of the most wildlife friendly weeds on the golf course.

Thistle has numerous species, but two in particular can be a problem in a grassland habitat - the Creeping Thistle and Spear Thistle. Thistles are often considered unsightly, and the first thought is to cut them down, but think again; even thistles are good for wildlife. Birds like the Goldfinch and Siskin will feed on the seeds, the caterpillars of the Painted Lady Butterfly use them as their foodplant, and the Peacock, Meadow Brown and White Letter Hairstreak use the nectar from the flowers.

The wonderful world of turf

Turf is probably the most common plant on the golf course, covering most of the course, but it can also be a weed - especially if you get the wrong species growing on a green or tee. Yorkshire Fog can be a particular problem for golf greens and has to be controlled in that scenario but, like other grasses, if it is allowed to grow then it provides a food source for several species of butterfly, such as Speckled Wood and Small Skipper.

Fescues, Bents and Meadow grasses provide a food source for the Meadow Brown. The rather striking Marbled White is often found in a grassland habitat; Red Fescue, Sheep’s Fescue and Tor-grass provide suitable food plants. Other grasses used by butterflies include Cocksfoot and False Brome (Large Skipper) and Tufted Hairgrass and Common Couch (Ringlet).

Allowing areas of rough grass to grow long might be annoying to some golfers if they lose their ball, but it provides a valuable home for insects, small mammals and, in turn, a food source for birds such as the Spotted Flycatcher

So, when you’re thinking about providing a wildlife habitat on the golf course, pause for a moment and give some thought to weeds. They’re not as bad as you think!

Climate change delivers a googly

Shifting patterns of weather continue to play havoc with sporting provision across the UK. Head groundsman at Durham Cricket, Vic Demain, tells us about the challenges.

Becoming the latest victim of this year’s record rainfall, a waterlogged square and outfield at the Chester-le-Street ground and poor germination on the square this spring, prompted Vic to act in a bid to avoid a repeat next season.

“We carried out end of season renovation last year, as we had always done,” Vic explains,

“scarifying, clearing out and reseeding as usual.”

“But it never stopped raining all winter. The seed rotted, leaving no growth in spring and very little growth of existing grass. Weed grasses such as Poa did, however, and they are not good for cricket because they tend to grow in clumps and also don’t produce the roots which hold a cricket pitch together.”

“Also, we encountered a massive ingress of

We have to improve the public perception of groundspeople

algae, due to the wet conditions, which again is a massive problem when producing pitches.

All of this resulted in us delivering pitches which were inconsistent in grass coverage and, on a couple of occasions, practically no grass coverage at all. The essential pre-season rolling period had also been missed due to conditions making it unsuitable to get a roller onto the square, resulting in the pitches never being consolidated properly.”

Then, a second dose of disaster struck. “The coldest, longest spring. We planted again in March/April time, but it was so cold, the soil temperature failed to rise to the 8C required for germination. So, the seed lay dormant. Also, as the weather was beginning to get drier, the algae started to crack off, resulting in an unstable playing surface. Only by mid-June did we start to see the grass growing.”

Starting the season on the back foot was not ideal. “The pitches were poor,” Vic recalls, and this in an era of unprecedented pressure on playing surfaces. “There’s far more games and training now – all on the same number of surfaces. Something has to give, and it’s standards sadly.”

The recent 100 competition, and Tier 1 women’s cricket entering the calendar this year (2025), will only serve to aggravate the groundstaff’s plight. Fixture pressure in the professional game is not Vic’s only worry.

“Our outgrounds stage recreational cricket, these are grounds owned by local recreational clubs. They can be hosting up to four games a week. Also, if the Chester playing surfaces are recovering, and we need to take a second XI to an outground, that’ll cost the club a great deal of money.”

Above Excessive rainfall this year has caused the square and outfield to flood.

Right International umpire Richard Kettleborough, was in charge for the first Championship game of 2024, which was called off without a ball bowled.

SUMMER SPORTS

Vic (pictured above) broke with tradition at the end of the 2024 season in an effort to counter climate change impact on his 24 strips. “We finished on 30 September – after the England/Australia One Day International on the 24th, and a four-day fixture after that - two weeks later than many other clubs, and that makes a massive difference to germination.”

“We didn’t scarify at all but seeded with our usual J Premier Wicket 100% ryegrass mix and topdressed with the same quantity of Ongar sand loam as usual, although I was tempted to go with a lighter grade. If we see masses of grass next spring, that’ll allow us to start the season on the right foot. We can always thin out and take grass off, but we can’t add it on.”

Durham installed drainage to their outfield between 2009 and 2012, with four inches of sand laid over the local heavy clay. “The system is working, and we bring in machines to cut channels and punch holes in the outfield when necessary, but the problem is if the level of the river Wear, which runs alongside the ground, rises sufficiently to cover the drain outlet from the outfield, then drainage off the turf isn’t possible.”

“We’ve been lucky not to have suffered more extensive flooding, although we did lose an entire four-day game last season.”

Storm in a teacup

The recent outcry across the sector over comments made about groundcare by presenters of a rugby league podcast has left lingering questions about how the status of groundcare professionals can shift on to a more positive footing among the general population.

Vic was clear about the problem and how to resolve it. “We have to improve the public perception of groundspeople. One way to help achieve this is to raise their profile,” he explains.

“The general public seem to see groundspeople as grumpy old men who hate people walking on their hallowed turf, and that annoys me as it’s a view we have brought on ourselves to some degree.”

“I saw that podcast as three youngsters having a bit of a laugh, then their comments were taken too seriously and out of context. The attitude of ‘how dare anyone criticise us’ has to change. We shouldn’t let such comments get under our skin.”

When climate change brings challenges to playability, the grounds team’s turfcare choices will always bring one or two dissenting voices, but it’s best to ride the comments.

Vic, a longstanding member of the Grounds Management Association, points out:

“Groundspeople are soft targets for ribbing, about taking our work too seriously,” says Vic, but this has to change. “We all love our grounds, of course, but in cricket, if batsmen and bowlers want to scratch about on the pitch, that’s up to them.”

“The aim is not to turn out the head teacher’s presentational lawn. My job is to create a safe surface for sport to allow cricketers to play to

their full ability.”

“We also have to have a higher opinion of the worth of what we do. I was approached recently by the club’s commentary team about speaking during live streaming of a game on the state of the pitch before the match.”

“I thought, ‘Why would online listeners and viewers be interested in that?’ but the 10-minute talk I gave brought great feedback, much to my surprise, and told me that people

Speaking

with people is such an important part of our role

are interested in what groundspeople do. I really enjoyed doing it, after being scared stiff at first.”

Vic has earned himself a regular commentary slot, part of a growing trend among the 18 top-flight cricket clubs in the domestic game, seeking expert opinion and input from groundstaff, he believes.

The idea of a grounds manager as a media personality may be an unfamiliar one, but presents a key way for those on the ground,

The attitude of ‘how dare anyone criticise us’ has to change

literally, to rub shoulders with the great and the good of radio, television and new media such as podcasts. It’s all about schmoozing.

Vic questions the value of presenters asking non-experts about pitch quality. “Why should we listen to what ex-players say about the pitch, but you often see them on TV making such statements? Unqualified people do speak out, but surely the groundsperson knows best what things are put in place before a match.”

The Saltex Managing Up presentation saw Vic sitting on a panel of grounds professionals and consultants exploring how communications

skills presented one of the keys to practitioners gaining more influence at management level.

“Speaking with people is such an important part of our role,” he voiced, “above us or below us (in rank). Yes, it can be terrifying but the more you do it, the easier it becomes to gear your delivery to your audience.”

Soft skills are what are sorely needed, the panel concluded. “When I started at Durham as head groundsman ten seasons ago, I had no experience, no support, no training in these skills. We have to ensure those rising up the ranks receive that kind of training,” Vic told the audience.

Traditionally, few grounds professionals were required to present, but “times have changed”, Vic says. “We can all be trained to make pitches, but how many of the team know how to present budgets?”

“There are endless courses on what makes grass tick; perhaps there should be a stand alone course covering social and media skills for managers to train them in teaching their teams to be able to communicate more effectively at all levels.”

“Managers don’t need to know everything, and part of being a good one is to give team members roles that they take responsibility for, and that includes soft skills.”

Article by Greg Rhodes.

James

Kimmings spoke to groundsman, Joe Mecke-Davis, about dealing with extreme flooding at Westfields Football Club.

He gave us an insight into how to save a pitch in seven days. Sadly, the pitch floods at least twice a year. This is due to it being on a flood plain, with a small brook running about 15 metres from the far touch line.

Most of the time the brook is dry, but after heavy rain the Elan Valley dams are opened - which subsequently causes issues further down.

How did you rescue the pitch?

I have plenty of experience of what is needed during the clean-up process. The pitch naturally drains quite well, as most of the water recedes back into the brook, so it is usually a waiting game. There is no proper drainage as such, no pipes underground or anything. I do as much as I can to help drainage by applying sand each year and I Verti-Drain every two weeks through the wetter months.

How much work was involved?

A fair amount of work had to go into turning the pitch around. I gave myself seven days to get it ready, as we had a game the following Saturday. The plan was to get rid of the water within two days, using pumps to get it back into the brook. I was out with the pumps most of the first night - refuelling them and moving pipes. On the third day, I let it dry out as we had quite nice weather. Then, day four, all the debris was picked up, we cleared the pitch and it was ProCored. On day five, we cut the pitch and put the pattern in and let it dry out on day six. Then, on the morning of day seven, another cut and fresh white line and it was ready for match day!

What would your advice be for others who are suffering with flooding?

It’s never easy to see your beloved pitch under water, but sadly there’s not much you can do about it; you can never beat Mother Nature. The best thing to do is get your clean-up plan together, so that when the water does go you can get straight to work and get it back to normal standards.

TALKING TURF

Apprentice

distinction

Worcestershire County Cricket Club Luke Stynes has recently passed his Level 2 Sports Turf Apprenticeship Version 1.0 with Distinction. He has enjoyed turfcare from a young age and wants to become a head groundsperson one day.

When did you first think 'I want to join the turfcare industry?'

I actually started in turfcare at the young age of 11 when I started helping at my local cricket club during the summer holidays. When I started university, I took on the job there and fell in love with it.

How did it feel to get a distinction in your Sports Turf Apprenticeship?

Getting the distinction was an amazing feeling! It proves that all the hard work and effort I have put in over the years has all come to fruition, and it makes me feel proud. When my tutor (Dave Coutts from Pershore College) called to tell me I got distinction, I was in shock. Dave and Pershore have been a massive help in me achieving the accolade; all of the resources and guidance they provided to develop my turfcare knowledge has led to my distinction.

Where does the love for turfcare come from?

The love for turfcare has definitely come from playing sports and having a passion for cricket, rugby and golf. I really enjoy being able to provide surfaces for professionals to play on.

Can the industry do anything to attract more young people?

I think to attract more young people into the industry, the career path should be more advertised and recognised. While sports are watched around the world, the pitches (in all sports) are quite often talked about in a negative way by commentators and pundits - so why would anyone then see it as a job prospect?

What gives you the motivation?

I know where I want to go in the industry and I'm always working towards that goal. I think being at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, with its unique problems of flooding from the River Severn, certainly gives me a lot of drive and determination to success. Last year, the team overcame eight floods, and to see cricket

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I really enjoy being able to provide surfaces for professionals to play on

Below

The team had to deal with eight floods last year and Luke says it gives him motivation to return the pitch to all its glory.

being played after such a difficult time is quite thrilling. To see spectators back and witness how happy everyone was to be back at New Road makes it all worth it.

Can you tell us about one of your biggest achievements so far?

One of my biggest achievements has been getting a distinction in my Level 2. For me, it proves that all the time and effort I have put into my career is paying off, and now I can look at progressing my knowledge and experience further. In addition to my distinction, I was

extremely proud to be nominated for the Worcestershire Apprenticeship Award and the Land Based and Environment Learner Award during the course of my apprenticeship.

What are your plans for the future in turfcare?

My future plans are to develop all my skills and knowledge further, advance my training by completing my level 3 qualification and then look at doing my level 4 and 5. In terms of my current role, I want to develop enough to push for a deputy position.

Do you want to go on to be a head greenkeeper or groundsperson?

I would love to be able to go on to be a head groundsperson in cricket. Having played for a number of years and now involved in the game through turfcare, becoming head of one of the eighteen county cricket grounds would be a dream come true.

Article by James Kimmings.

IT ’S THE COMPLETE PACKAGE

“We needed a tractor to carry out a wide range of tasks, the TG6675 had the lift capacity of 1,680kg and big 67hp engine so we could use all of the current implements. We now also run a blower on the front of the tractor along with woodchipper

“The PTO switch on the outside of the tractor stops you having to keep jumping in and out of the cab, great feature for us. Front loader moves all our loose materials easily and the pallet forks can be attached to keep everything neat and tidy in the yard

“It is a solid yet compact tractor which is perfect for getting to every area of the golf course. It has been invaluable since day one, the complete package and the best tractor we came across.”

Pete Allen, Gerrards Cross Golf Club

Frost protection

The advantages of products and the reasons to use them for stadiums and sports clubs in the UK

In the UK, where winter frost and freezing temperatures are common, frost protection products

have become an essential tool for stadiums and sports clubs.

Maintaining the condition of sports pitches is vital for the longevity of both the playing surface and the performance of athletes.

Frost protection products serve as a safeguard, ensuring that pitches remain in optimal condition throughout the colder months, preventing frost damage and reducing disruptions to games and training schedules.

The advantages of frost protection products are plentiful:

1 Preventing frost damage to pitches

Frost can be highly damaging to sports pitches, particularly natural grass surfaces. When the ground freezes, the playing surface becomes hard and brittle, increasing the risk of injury to athletes and making the pitch unplayable. Frost protection products, such as pitch

covers, heated tarps and thermal blankets act as an insulating layer that prevents frost from penetrating the soil and freezing the surface. Data shows that pitches without frost protection can remain frozen for up to seven days during periods of prolonged cold weather, leading to significant disruptions in match and training schedules. For example, thermal pitch covers are specifically designed to trap warmth and regulate ground temperature, ensuring that frost does not settle on the surface overnight. By shielding the pitch from frost, these products keep the ground soft, playable and safe for athletes. This is particularly crucial during winter months when freezing temperatures are most frequent. Lower league football and amateur rugby clubs can lose up to 20% of their seasonal revenue due to winter-related disruptions.

2. Reducing match cancellations during winter months

Match cancellations due to frozen pitches can have significant financial and logistical consequences for sports clubs and stadiums. Cancellations not only result in lost ticket sales and reduced fan engagement, but can also disrupt fixture schedules, impacting both players and fans. Frost protection products are invaluable in preventing these disruptions. By using thermal pitch covers, heated ground mats, or even under-soil heating systems, stadiums can ensure that their pitches remain match-ready even in freezing weather conditions. For example, heated mats can be laid directly onto the pitch to provide targeted warmth, thawing any frost that may have started to form. Clubs, such as those in lower league football or amateur rugby, can particularly benefit from affordable thermal coverings to avoid costly disruptions.

Left

Match saving at Notts County - Polyethylene Cover protects to -5 C.

Below

Tildenet’s Air Roller Frost Cover System is quick and easy to deploy.

According to recent studies, clubs implementing frost protection systems reported a 70% reduction in cancellations during the winter months, enabling more consistent match scheduling and fewer financial losses.

3. Ensuring player safety and consistent playing conditions

Frozen or frosty pitches pose a significant safety risk to athletes. A hard, frozen surface increases the likelihood of slips, falls and injuries, which can be detrimental to both players and the reputation of the club. Frost protection products help to maintain a softer, more consistent playing surface, reducing the risk of injury and ensuring safer playing conditions for athletes. In football, rugby and other outdoor sports consistent pitch quality is essential for optimal performance. Frost protection solutions prevent the formation of uneven, frozen patches on the surface, ensuring a stable and level playing

TECHNICAL

BENEFITS

Made from porous material, frost covers encourage grass to breathe and stay green and are available in weights up to 150gsm but for ease of use a 120gsm cover is a manageable and practical solution to protect in temperatures as low as -10°Creinforced hems and eyelets are best to ensure longevity.

Available either as flat sheets or on inflatable rollers which allow the covers to be deployed quickly by a small team, covers can be used on heated or unheated pitches.

As well as their widespread use in stadiums and sports grounds, bespoke covers can be supplied for racecourses, equestrian facilities and non turf surfaces.

field. This consistency enhances the quality of the game and minimises disruptions caused by adverse weather conditions.

4. Cost-effective maintenance and long-term savings

While investing in frost protection products may seem like an upfront cost, the long-term financial benefits are significant. By preventing frost damage, clubs can avoid costly repairs, reseeding or complete pitch renovations. Frost can cause the grass to die off, leaving patches that require intensive maintenance and restoration once temperatures rise. Frost protection solutions mitigate this risk by preserving the pitch throughout the winter months. For example, the use of thermal pitch covers has been shown to reduce the need for reseeding by 30-40%, as they prevent frost damage to grass roots.

In addition, by reducing match cancellations, clubs can maintain steady revenue streams from ticket sales, sponsorships and other events. Frost protection products also reduce the cost of urgent pitch repair in the spring, as healthier, frost-free turf requires less time and resources to bring back to a playable condition.

5. Extending pitch longevity and health

Repeated frost damage can weaken the health of natural grass pitches, leading to long-term deterioration. Frost protection products help to shield the turf from freezing temperatures, preserving its integrity and allowing it to thrive even during harsh winters. By maintaining a consistent soil temperature, thermal covers and

heated mats promote healthy root growth, which is essential for the durability and resilience of grass pitches.

Clubs that implemented frost protection products reported up to a 25% increase in pitch lifespan, saving on costly replacements and repairs.

6. Flexibility for training and match scheduling

For many sports clubs, winter weather can be a major obstacle to maintaining consistent training schedules and match fixtures. Frost protection products provide clubs with greater flexibility by ensuring that pitches remain usable, even in freezing conditions. This allows for uninterrupted training sessions and match preparation, which is vital for player development and team performance.

With a well-maintained, frost-free pitch, clubs can maximise the use of their facilities during winter, ensuring they remain competitive throughout the season. This flexibility can be particularly beneficial for grassroots clubs that need to make the most of limited resources and field availability.

7. Environmental benefits of targeted frost protection

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration for sports clubs and stadiums. Frost protection products, such as thermal covers and heated mats, offer targeted solutions for maintaining pitches, reducing the need for large-scale energy consumption. For example, using heated mats to thaw specific

Complete Pitch coverage using Tildenet Heavy Duty Pitch Covers at Preston North End.

areas of the pitch is far more energy-efficient than operating full-scale under-soil heating systems. Additionally, by preventing frost damage, these products reduce the need for water-intensive reseeding or repairs in the spring, helping clubs to conserve valuable resources. As sports organisations continue to prioritise sustainability, frost protection products represent an eco-friendly and efficient solution for winter pitch maintenance.

8. Options for frost protection solutions

Each solution provides a tailored approach to frost protection, allowing clubs to select the most appropriate option for their needs and budget.

Conclusion

In conclusion, frost protection products offer numerous advantages for stadiums and sports clubs in the UK, particularly during the colder months. By preventing frost damage, reducing match cancellations, and ensuring player safety, these products play a vital role in maintaining the quality and usability of sports pitches. They provide costeffective, sustainable solutions that help clubs save on maintenance costs, extend pitch longevity and generate steady revenue throughout the year.

By incorporating targeted solutions, like thermal pitch covers and heated mats, clubs can ensure consistent playing conditions, improve player safety and maintain financial stability. Ultimately, these products ensure that pitches remain in optimal condition, allowing clubs to focus on delivering excellent sporting experiences for players, fans and communities alike.

Do you suffer from anxiety?

Have you ever thoughts of worry and panic? Do you sometimes feel stressed or flustered when completing a task? This could be a sign of anxiety. We take a deep dive into what anxiety is and how you can manage it.

Anxiety is typically a normal reaction to stress, fear or danger, and it can manifest as physical, mental or behavioural symptoms. It can range from mild to severe, and is commonly described as a sensation of dread, fear or unease. If we start worrying excessively about trivial matters or situations that seem innocuous, anxiety might become a problem. Anxiety typically begins to interfere with our everyday lives or have an impact on our relationships when it feels really strong or overwhelming.

How can we manage it?

• Change your attention - By concentrating attention on the here and now, mindfulness and meditation (which includes breathing techniques and relaxation techniques) might help some individuals feel less stressed and anxious.

• Recognise your anxiety - It may be possible to better understand the causes of your anxiety and discover strategies for managing or eliminating it if you keep a journal of your activities and feelings at various points in time.

• Slowly confront your worries - Our anxiety may worsen if we avoid events or rely on behaviours we believe would keep us safe. It may be helpful to confront an issue gradually; eventually, it will feel fine.

• Try self-help methods - By solving problems in novel ways and fostering resilience, practical approaches to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you manage concerns, anxiety and harmful ideas.

• Allow time for your concerns - Try scheduling a daily ‘worry time’ to discuss your worries if they are taking over your day. You can focus on other things if you do this at a certain time each day.

• Consider the complete picture - Anxiety can cause us to become fixated on the specifics and lose sight of the bigger picture. Considering your issue or circumstance from a unique perspective can help you devise a strategy for dealing with it. Which piece of advice would you provide a friend?

Part of having anxiety is being unable to manage fears

What causes anxiety?

Since everyone experiences anxiety differently, it can be challenging to pinpoint the precise root of anxiety issues. There are most likely many elements at play.

1. Childhood or prior experiences

Anxiety disorders are frequently brought on by challenging events that occurred throughout childhood, adolescence or adulthood. Being exposed to stress and trauma at an early age is likely to have a significant effect. Among the situations that can lead to anxiety issues are:

• Abuse, either physical or emotional.

• Neglect, losing a parent, being teased, or shunned by society, or encountering prejudice.

• Another contributing factor may be having overly protective or unloving parents.

An example from MIND - “I was sent to boarding school and suffered acute separation anxiety, being away from home, and my brother nearly died when I was 12. My mum had an acute breakdown for a period of about a year and had to be home-nursed.”

2. The state of your life at the moment

Anxiety might also be brought on by ongoing issues in your life. For instance:

• Fatigue or an accumulation of stress, a lot of change or uncertainty, feeling under pressure at work or while studying, lengthy workdays, being unemployed, or financial difficulties

• Homelessness and housing issues

• Concern over the environment or natural disasters (sometimes known as eco-anxiety or climate anxiety)

• Losing a loved one (often referred to as bereavement)

• Encountering racism, being mistreated, harassed, or bullied, or feeling alone or isolated

Everyone experiences anxiety differently

3. Physical or mental health problems

Other health problems can sometimes cause anxiety or might make it worse. For example:

Physical health problems – living with a serious, ongoing or life-threatening physical health condition can sometimes trigger anxiety.

Other mental health problems – it’s also common to develop anxiety while living with other mental health problems, such as depression.

What is the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response?

Like all animals, human beings have evolved ways to help us protect ourselves from danger. When we feel under threat our bodies react by releasing certain hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can be helpful.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY INCLUDE:

• Feeling tired, restless, or irritable

• Feeling shaky or trembly, dizzy or sweating more

• Being unable to concentrate or make decisions

• Trouble sleeping

• Dry mouth

• Worrying about the past or future or thinking something bad will happen

• Headaches, tummy aches or muscle pain

• Pins and needles

• Noticing your heartbeat gets stronger, faster, or irregular, or you get short of breath when you start feeling anxious

These hormones:

• Make us feel more alert, so we can act faster

• Make our hearts beat faster, instantly sending blood to where it’s needed most

After we feel the threat has passed, our bodies release other hormones to help our muscles relax. This can sometimes cause us to shake. This is commonly called the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response – it’s something that happens automatically in our bodies, and we have no control over it.

How can you help others?

Avoid pressuring people to do more than they are comfortable with. It’s crucial to exercise patience, pay attention to their desires and proceed at a pace that suits them.

If you want to learn more about anxiety and other mental health and wellbeing issues visit:

NHS: nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/anxiety MIND: mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/ anxiety-and-panic-attacks/causes/ No More Panic: nomorepanic.co.uk

While it seems sense to want to support someone in facing their fears or producing workable solutions, it may be quite upsetting for someone to feel as though they are being pushed into situations before they are ready. Their anxiety can worsen as a result.

Try to keep in mind that they aren’t deciding how they feel, and that part of having anxiety is being unable to manage their fears.

Is artificial turf being banned?

Tackling the misconceptions

The impending introduction of new EU legislation concerning microplastics has caused much confusion around the use of synthetic turf systems as a whole. To help address these misconceptions, ESTC has chosen to debunk some of the most common myths.

Synthetic turf, commonly referred to as artificial turf or artificial grass, has been a widespread product in the sport and landscaping industries since it first came to market in the 1960s.

Myth #1: Synthetic turf is being banned

Reality: The European Commission’s impending ban on the sale and use of intentionally added microplastics from 2031 has led many to incorrectly assume that synthetic turf itself is being banned. However, only the sale and use of polymeric infill such as EPDM, TPE, and SBR (3G pitch rubber crumb) will be restricted from this date.

Myth #2: Rubber crumb infill is being banned due to safety concerns

Reality: Rubber crumb infill is not being banned for any health and safety-related concerns, and remains safe for use. This is evidenced by the 2019 European Risk Assessment Study on Synthetic Turf Rubber Infill (ERASSTRI), which concluded that there were no relevant health concerns for sportspeople who play on synthetic turf pitches using polymeric infill.

Rather, the upcoming ban on rubber crumb infill forms part of a wider move from the European Commission to restrict intentionally added microplastics. Notably, this will also affect other major industries such as cosmetics and detergents.

Myth #3: The rubber crumb ban will not apply in the UK

While the European Union’s new REACH legislation will require all member states to comply, non-members states such as the UK will be able to make their own decision on whether they will implement these rules. In this sense, it remains to be seen whether the rubber crumb ban will apply in the UK, though the expectation is that the Government will move to mirror the actions of continental member states.

Myth #4: Sports fields containing rubber crumb will not be able to be used following the implementation of the ban

Incorrect. While the sale and installation of new rubber crumb infill will be restricted from 2031, use of fields already containing these substances will remain fully legal. Following this date, synthetic turf fields will remain critical to the provision of sport in the interests of aiding public health and creating accessible outdoor spaces, particularly in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

Myth #5: there are no alternatives to rubber crumb infill

On the contrary, a number of alternatives to polymeric infills are already available for purchase, with many more being actively developed with the support of ESTC during this vital transition period in the run-up to 2031. These include a number of natural infills such as cork, processed olive stones and

Stefan Diderich Director General CEO

renovated all-weather gallop with detail of coarser sand material.

INVESTING VALLEY RACEHORSE

IN THE OF THE

It’s hard to draw a parallel with other sports to describe the scale of Jockey Club Estates’ Lambourn racehorse training grounds.

Perhaps it’s akin to expanding St George’s Park to offer training grounds for all of Derby, Leicester, Birmingham and Nottingham’s clubs combined.

Set high up on the Berkshire downs, Lambourn is home to 750 racehorses which run under both ‘codes’ – flat and national hunt. The horses are trained in 30 yards managed both by established names and those starting out on their training careers, such as Edward SmythOsbourne and Oliver Signy.

Instead of owning and maintaining their own

exercise and training facilities, the trainers pay a monthly fee to access the 600 acre Lambourn Training Grounds, which includes grass gallops, all-weather or synthetic gallops and a wide array of jumps suitable for horses beginning their careers to seasoned steeplechasers.

Most of the local trainers have direct access onto the training grounds via a network of walkways, a major benefit in terms of safety and convenience; while for those from further away or for casual hires, there is an adjacent horsebox park.

Jockey Club Estates purchased the training

Below

Newly

Right Head of Operations, Will Riggall.

grounds for the benefit of racing in 2006, when the industry in the town was in decline, and has since renovated the seven miles of all-weather gallops and made significant improvements to the extensive grass training areas which offer a further eight miles of gallops.

Head of Operations Will Riggall explains:

“The training ground is open seven days a week, twelve months of the year and we utilise the gallops depending on the season and ground conditions. Generally, the jumping gallops open in October and the flat gallops close in November with the end of the British

We’re heavily reliant on fescues to provide the structure and cushioning

The shift in weather patterns presents some challenges, he comments, “We are opening the flat gallops earlier and finding that the ground is too firm for jumpers to gallop on grass, even into November.”

Lambourn’s location means that not only does it get ‘London’ weather with less rainfall than the west of the country, but the shallow soil over chalk downland dries out quickly.

“Trainers don’t want firm ground, so much of the work with flat racing horses is done on the all-weather and we aim to prepare that to

turf flat season.”

EQUESTRIAN

Above Lambourn Training Grounds includes 350 acres of grass gallops, mown using a 6.2m Spearhead Multicut. GPS autosteer on the John Deere 6120M tractor has been a ‘game changer’ reducing the time taken to mow by a third.

Below Levelling a woodchip gallop before topping up with fresh material.

replicate ‘good’ turf going. There’s a trend on some private gallops to use deeper surfaces to get the horses fit, but we let the hills do the work.”

The eight all-weather gallops - including two on outlying grounds rented from local landowners - are refurbished in rotation, and Will is constantly reviewing materials and maintenance to offer the optimum training surface.

“No synthetic surface can entirely replicate the slight slip and cushioning of natural turf which keeps a galloping horse in balance and minimises the risk of injury,” he explains, “But we are working with our suppliers to progressively improve the gallops and considering how best to maintain and prepare them.”

Woodchip is the traditional surface material

and is still in use on one rented gallop.

“It breaks down and needs topping up periodically; it’s very popular in Ireland where there is the wet weather to keep it riding well, in summer it can be deep and dusty. Synthetic materials have replaced it in many cases, but the environmental credentials of these have come under scrutiny recently.”

Waxed materials have become popular as they don’t require watering, perform more consistently and need less maintenance, but Will feels that they can be improved upon.

“We’re starting to incorporate a coarser sand into our surfaces to make them more granular in nature and increase the ‘slide’ or slip of the hoof on impact, to try and replicate what is so popular about woodchip. There are some calls within the training and veterinary world to move away from heavily waxed surfaces for training, but given the changing climate and longer dry periods, we feel we will always need wax-based synthetics and they cope very well with the demands of a training centre.”

New developments on the schooling grounds have been made to help train young horses and hopefully compete with the increasingly dominant Irish trainers.

After initially renting an all-weather riding arena where trainers could teach horses to jump, Jockey Club Estates has now built its own 50 x 30m school, encircled by an oval jumping track to allow progression towards a racecourse debut before going up onto the main schooling grounds.

“Choice of the surface material here was key,” explains Will. “We’ve used the coarser sand, which doesn’t bind but helps to slow an inexperienced horse down so that it jumps safely. The mixture is lightly waxed and only has

Below Narrow Nokian tyres minimise run down of the sward ahead of the mower.

No synthetic surface can entirely replicate the slight slip and cushioning of natural turf

a small percentage of fibre so that it’s similar to ‘Wexford Sand’ used by the Irish trainers.”

Maintaining the all-weather surfaces is a yearround job for three groundsmen, using a pair of Martin Collins Gallopmasters, plus a power harrow or cultivator to decompact the surface.

“Terry and Toby Fish are two generations of the same family who work together on the all-weather,” explains Will. “We’ve purchased a new Gallopmaster this year which has a larger, 30mm diameter roller at the rear and new track eradicators to help remove wheelings. Tractor tyre choice was also re-evaluated – Nokian

Groundkings have a flatter profile than most traction or grass tyres and avoid creating compaction or ridges in the surface.”

Power harrowing is an established technique for decompacting all-weather surfaces, but Will is cautious of its impact on the surface material so aims to minimise its use and has also come up with an alternative tool.

“I found an old Simba Toptilth cultivator on ebay – the heavy spring tines go through the surface well and it runs on tickover. It could do with some modification at some point as it would be better linkage mounted than trailed.”

An excavator is used to grade the tracks to keep them level, and every two to three years to mix the surface material. It’s the turn of the woodchip gallop to be refurbished this year, with fresh clean woodchip applied using a muckspreader after grading.

“We’re currently hiring a five-tonne excavator, but will purchase one next year as they can

is to cut a minimal amount of grass on a regular basis to produce very small clippings. It’s just one pin to change the height across the whole deck, no need to handle heavy castor wheels or set collars.”

The 120hp 6120M John Deere tractor is shod on narrow Nokian tyres to avoid flattening the sward ahead of the mower, and Will comments that the real game changer has been its Greenstar GPS autosteer.

“The increased accuracy offered by using autosteer when mowing has reduced the working time needed to cut the same area by a third, as there are no overlaps or misses, and thus reduced the hours on the tractor over its working life by the same amount. Fatigue for the driver is also much less and I can’t imagine life without it now.”

Mowing is just a small part of the picture when it comes to maintaining turf for discerning equines.

“We’re heavily reliant on fescues to provide the structure and cushioning, as well as tolerating the dry conditions, so it’s 60% fescue and 40% ryegrass which offers the quick growth

Above and below Jumps are in sections or have been modified by the Lambourn team to sit on a wheeled chassis for easy manoeuvring on and off the track.

avoid over-mowing and over-poaching with the horses’ hooves.”

The action of the hoof, he explains, creates

From April to October, 350 acres of grass is mown

a slight mark as it meets and slides along the turf surface.

An unusual renovation tool comes into play – the Guttler grassland renovator harrow.

“This uses harrows, paddles, spring tines and a prismatic roller at the rear, working against the horses’ direction of travel to lift out the hoof marks, pull out damaged grass and then consolidate to encourage some lateral growth.”

An Aerworx slitter is another tool borrowed from the farming industry, using shallow fins to open up the surface and allow air and moisture

Left The five-rotor design and ease of adjustment on the Spearhead Multicut are praised by Lambourn Head of Operations Will Riggall, who tried several other mowing systems before choosing the rear mount batwing.

EQUESTRIAN

Above

Two generations of the Fish family take care of maintenance on the allweather gallops; updates to one of the two Gallopmasters include a larger diameter rear roller and new wheel track eradicators.

into the ground. It also controls excessive lateral growth.

“On the shallow soils, Vertidrain tines would snap, plus we need to go at a higher working speed to cover the ground, using the GPS for accuracy.”

There are several other grass areas used for schooling, including a field with replica ‘Grand National’ fences which are dressed by the Aintree team each season to give southernbased horses a taste of the distinctive birch obstacles. A mile long oval grass track also allows hurdling practice on natural turf.

A 3m Major rotary mower, pulled by a John Deere 5075E, is a handy combination for smaller areas, along with Toro Groundsmaster 7210.

One piece of kit that can’t be seen at Lambourn is an irrigator.

“We did consider the installation of a borehole, but it wouldn’t be practical or environmentally acceptable to water the turf area. If restrictions on synthetic materials meant that we needed to return to woodchip, then it might be a consideration purely to maintain those gallops,” Will explains.

The significant investment made by the notfor-profit organisation, the Jockey Club, in the Lambourn Training Grounds, both with the initial purchase, the ten-year renovation that followed and its ongoing evolution, has benefited not only the sport but also the racing community.

One in three people in the village work in racing and an economic impact study showed that racing brought gross added value of £22,636,162 to the Lambourn Valley in 2017.

Part of Will’s role includes considering the suitability of training yard locations in an increasingly urbanised society, and negotiating with developers to ensure that suitable housing for stable staff is included in their plans.

Racing is unique in sport in that success

Below

Handy pieces of kit: The harrow with Guttler roller to address hoof marks on the grass gallops (top), the heavy slitter (middle) and the Simba Toptilth with spring tines to decompact all-weather gallops (bottom).

depends on an animal, and the way it is trained and ridden; and having such state-of-the-art facilities available to the community should help to ensure that Lambourn remains the ‘Valley of the Racehorse’ for many years to come.

Article by Jane Carley.

New look, same great products.

Aquatrols® has a fresh new look, but you can continue to rely upon the same tried, trusted portfolio of soil surfantants and dedicated team you’ve always known. We’re committed to delivering top- quality solutions for turf managers everywhere and we’re thrilled to share that exciting innovations are on the horizon for 2025.

TALKING TURF

Thewonderful winter

With winter conditions becoming more challenging for those working in turfcare, we sat down with Hamilton Golf Club Course Manager, Neil Hogg, to discuss how people can utilise this period to implement important projects.

Neil started by telling us how he manages the winter schedule… During the playing season, we tend to undertake small projects which we can complete in a morning or an afternoon and then we utilise this time of year for the larger projects.

The last two winters, we have had contractors in to relocate bunkers around fairways and, this winter, we have started working on a few tees by applying 400 tonnes of soil to balance them out. Work has also commenced on the ladies' 15th and 18th tees to make them slightly bigger and level them off.

Bad weather in the past has meant we had to close the course a few times, so we have looked into the drainage on a few of the holes and fixed some of those issues. The problem holes were way on the other side of the course to our greens shed, so it meant we had to carefully plan when we moved the digger to avoid tearing up wet areas.

How important is the winter period to undertake projects and maintenance?

This time of year is particularly important. When the season starts to slow down in September and October, it is massively important to get in and get those jobs done while we have the chance. It is important to keep the course open, clean and cut, but it is also important to have time for the maintenance programme.

We have three competitions a week during the season, which makes it very hard to maintain the course. Tasks such as basic coring and topdressing are difficult to fit in when the golf course is busy; we can’t get the sand into the canopy quick enough, which means that the following day cut isn’t as good.

When the course occasionally closes due to bad weather, does this give you and the team the opportunity to work without disruptions?

We try and stay open as much as possible, however, sometimes you have to put things in

In this regular column, we talk all things turf along with the projects and challenges you face on a regular basis.

place like temporary greens and tee/fairway mats to protect the course. Thankfully, our members are very understanding about these things; more often than not, they just get on with it and play on what we provide. During winter, we want them to play golf, but we also want to protect the course for the summer months. Members need to understand the course needs a rest.

When the course does close, that allows us time to look at the drainage on a particular hole or look at an issue that might not be accessible when it is busy in peak season.

Has this year’s weather caused any disruptions so far?

Being on the Scottish border, we have had continuous rain, but that isn’t exclusive to winter! We aren’t getting the hot and dry summers that we once had, so I have a dry plan and a wet plan; we just have to adapt to the

Above

Top Construction work on the ladies tees on the 10th.

Bottom Measuring and analysing tee work.

Left

Finished tee construction

You finish one project and you are onto the next job; it is demanding work all year round!

TALKING TURF

Left

New drainage lines on the fairway.

Below

Another winter project with new drainage on the practice area.

Members need to understand the course needs a rest

conditions we are being given. This summer was horrendous due to the amount of rainfall that we have had, which held us up slightly, and the course struggled to recover properly. I have a tree management programme that I focus on when the weather is stopping us from maintaining the course.

Is there increased pressure on greenkeepers to manage expectations?

Absolutely! Disease pressure is over a longer period now because we aren’t getting as many frosts, meaning the ground is damp for longer, causing diseases to thrive. During November, we experienced a few disease issues because it was mild and wet, with heavy dew. Worm casts are now popping up and getting caught in the rollers. Our focus is to keep the greens as clean and dry as possible to prevent dollar spot and other diseases creeping in.

It is a really challenging time of the year; despite it slowing down in terms of the amount of cutting you are doing and the number of bunkers you might have to rake during the summer season, you are still up against it. You finish one project and you are onto the next job; it is demanding work all year round.

It is important for staff to go on holiday and recharge their batteries during winter. I often ask staff to take a week off to be away from the course and focus on themselves. BTME and Scots Turf and are both important dates in the calendar for greenkeepers, because it allows them to get away from the day job and enjoy some rest while still learning about their trade.

Colm McGuinness, Course superintendent Roganstown Golf Club, Dublin

DEALING DISRUPTIVE WITH

The difference between can’t and won’t

As leaders, we must appreciate not everyone is in love with their job! Regardless of whether employees are, or are not, passionate about their role, most days are at least tolerable.

Aday at work can get much worse when a member of the team won’t stop complaining about how bad it is.

Workers who grumble about how their holiday wasn’t approved, how bored they are, how much they hate the jobs they are given and so on, eventually influences those around them. Before long, you start to notice how this person’s constant complaining makes you and your team’s workday get actively worse. Over time, this negativity radiates, and others may also begin to view the company in a negative new light. It is a proven fact that one person’s vocal discontent at work is contagious. Constant griping can worm its way into the most positive brain.

Negative behaviour is a huge cause of stress, reduces trust and lowers collaboration in the workplace. Negativity can create environments where people just want to work on their own and not cooperate with one another. Negativity

impacts creativity and innovation, and affects every aspect of the workplace culture, happiness and energy of everyone in the team. Negative employees can take the focus away from projects and responsibilities and, often, the disgruntled employee becomes the topic of conversation rather than the work!

I have built teams from scratch (new builds usually), but have inherited more teams in my career. By the law of averages, I have therefore inherited some exceptionally good individuals and some with disruptive behaviours.

in 5 ratio rule (Heaphy and Losada 2004)

Over the years, I have discovered a set of five questions I ask myself, which has helped me distinguish individuals who are willing or unwilling to contribute to a healthy environment. Do they or are they:

THOUGHTS

FEELINGS

BEHAVIOURS

PHYSICAL REACTIONS

1. Think about the solution or Think about the problem

2 Never short of ideas or Always have excuses

3. Help others or Expects others to help them

4. See solutions for every problem or Sees a problem in every solution

Dealing with disruptive “won’t” behaviour

Of course, your first step as a manager should be to avoid hiring toxic people in the first place. However, once they are on your team, it can be difficult to get rid of them if you later discover they have disruptive tendencies. Unfortunately, disruptive staff members often take up a lot of time and resource, which can prevent both yourself and the team from achieving set goals. That is why it is important to identify the issue and rectify it quickly. Typical disruptive behaviour can include several communication and emotional issues:

• Creating cliques and stirring up trouble

• Undermining the team leader behind their back while playing innocent

• Being constantly negative – especially about change – and infecting the team with dissatisfaction and resentment

• Not working as hard and expecting others to pick up the slack

• Hostility, aggressiveness, rudeness or disrespect to colleagues

• Reluctance to take accountability or responsibility

• Actions or statements that undermine team motivation or organisation goals

• Resistance to participation, feedback or coaching

Interestingly, negative individuals tend not to believe they are either negative, cynical or disruptive. They do not recognise that they undermine everything and everyone, instead they tend to see themselves as being a realist, or someone who is simply being truthful and honest. They believe their ‘candid’ opinions just highlight all the problems and pitfalls of life that others do not see. They see themselves as a ‘truth warrior’ and ‘representative’ of the group, often using phrases such as “I’m not the only one, I’m speaking for the others who all think the same as me.” It is not necessarily that they do not buy into an initiative, it is simply that they try to point out all the things that prevent it from being perfect! Therefore, working towards something better is not worth pursuing. The following are tried and tested methods to adopt which will help combat the disruption:

• Listen

To stop the said employee from being disruptive, you must find out what the problem is. Call a meeting and have an informal chat about their life, thoughts and opinions.

• Be clear and to the point

If talking to the disruptive employee on a casual basis doesn’t work, you might have to take a more direct approach. Putting your foot down and giving them honest,

Your first step as a manager should be to avoid hiring toxic people in the first place

behavioural feedback might give them the kick up the backside they need.

• Stay professional

This is obvious, but it is so important that it is worth remembering. Bad mouthing disruptive employees behind their back will simply create a toxic environment and breed resentment within the team.

• Do not get distracted

Managing a toxic person can eat up your time, energy and productivity. It is extremely easy to fall into the trap of spending so much of your energy on one individual that your other priorities fall by the wayside.

• Try not to overly please

Being indecisive and eager to please a disruptive person is a ‘green light’ to a negative individual. They will see this as a weakness, taking everything and paying back nothing in return!

However, if all else fails, you must start to look to remove the disruptive employee for the good of the team and organisation. In this case, be strong and professional from start to finish. Keep detailed records of any feedback meetings and reviews. A written record of meetings is a strength if the situation escalates later.

Article by Phil Helmn Author of The Power of People.

As a manager, it is reasonable to expect the basics of good attitude. Workplace attitudes influence every person in the organisation. Attitudes help to develop the prevailing workplace environment that determines employee morale, productivity and team building abilities.

Every manager should be entitled to ask each member of the team (and themselves) to ‘buy into’ the following:

10

THINGS THAT REQUIRE ZERO TALENT

1. Being on time

2. Making an effort

3. Being high energy

4. Having a positive attitude 5. Being passionate 6. Using good body language 7. Being coachable

8. Doing a little extra

9. Being prepared

10. Having a strong work ethic

To conclude, you must be strong in your mind-set and confident in the decisions that you make. A good manager will tackle the issue immediately and have the courage to make decisions. Always keep a positive attitude when approaching a disruptive employee, approaching with a negative tone and series of criticisms never ends well. It is important to show faith in the individual, offer goals for them to strive towards and balance the harsh consequences with a positive outlook. Always remember to communicate and never moan about an employee behind their back. The fact is, you and your team are in this together, and you have the power to make them click and achieve fantastic things.