have to treat the sward like you would treat yourself... you are what you eat!”
Not just a GOLF COURSE
By RICHARD MURRAY Head Greenkeeper and Instructor, Reaseheath College
My role at Reaseheath College is quite unique. I manage a number of sports facilities including football, rugby, bowls and a short nine hole golf course. These facilities are not only used by members of the public and our students for recreation, but are actively used for teaching purposes at the college too. We annually have over 300 students carrying out NVQ levels 2/3 in sports turf management. The golf course, built twenty years ago, was designed to provide a
practical teaching environment for students. Each green is constructed using different methods covering a range of soil composition, ranging from total sand construction to total soil pushed up greens. Therefore many of the greens on the course differ in performance and playability. Now in my third year at
Reaseheath, I am beginning to see the quality of our work come into fruition. Many of the greens were in a poor condition when I arrived. By implementing some tried and trusted traditional cultural practices, we have managed to improve sward quality and the porosity of the greens. I was previously Head Greenkeeper at Sandbach and Izaak Walton Golf Clubs where I began my philosophy on the organic management of golf courses. Fundamental to this policy was restricting the use of pesticides whilst actively promoting and increasing cultural practices such as topdressing and aeration.
I usually apply about 0.5 tons of material
per green using a 50/50 ratio of sand to soil dressings throughout the growing season and then apply 100% sand dressing in November. My aim is to increase microbiological activity in my rootzones and thus help to sustain a healthy environment for the grass plant to survive all the stresses that occur, during a busy playing season. I believe that you have to treat the sward like you would treat yourself - feed yourself on a healthy diet and do not indulge or be excessive in your intake (You are what you eat). With that in mind, I am a great believer that you must utilise quality products, carry out mechanical operations using the appropriate machinery and ensure you are aware of contemporary advances in education and the practice of turf management. A second
“I believe that you
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