Networking with other Course
Managers and Greenkeepers is of great benefit
The role of the Committee
This role should never be underestimated. Once members are elected to the committee they become the employer. As the employer they have the same responsibility as every employer. Not just the backing and support they should give, but they have a ‘duty of care’ to their employees. Major decisions made at the club are done so by the elected committee. I, together with the STRI, only advise and direct the committee and then implement their wishes. Here lies a problem. Continuity can be, and often is, difficult, especially when the decision makers leave office. Newly elected members full of gusto may have good intentions but they can also be unsettling. This is when the club’s Policy Document is helpful. I have also learnt that some have short memories and (excuse the pun) ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’. This is why it is important to document everything. All problems and successes are documented and I take as many photographs as possible. My point is this - we will perform operations that some will disapprove of; trying to please all the people all the time is a sure fire way of failure. The constitution of the club should be set up in a way that the greenkeeper is never the scapegoat, and over-zealous members are controlled. We all decide, we all move forward and we all work together. Sometimes we need evidence to help us along the way.
Good communication does not stop with our members. I am delighted to be involved with the Gingerbread Men. We are a small group of greenkeepers who are striving for the more sustainable golf course. Each case is different; we have different courses with different soils and characteristics to maintain and are on different rungs of the ladder. But we are all climbing the same ladder. Networking with other Course Managers and Greenkeepers is of great benefit. The opportunity to exchange ideas, views and methods with like-
44
minded experts helps
enormously. We meet on a regular basis and talk on the phone. We have now become friends as well as contemporaries. Everyone at some point needs support and encouragement from friends,
especially if going through transitional changes or carrying out unpopular operations.
Creating the right environment
I have never seen 100% Poa annuna (annual meadow-grass) across golf courses; only on greens. Why? This is down to the over-manicuring, high-input regimes we inflict onto our sterile putting surfaces on a daily basis. This type of attention is unnatural to the finer bents and fescues, whereas Poa annua thrives on it.
Changing regimes and the
environment is imperative for the desired grass; this may include tree removal, thatch removal, drainage, and even raising the heights of cut. Changing maintenance procedures will be necessary by limiting chemical, fertiliser and water applications - but not too quickly or we would find greens without any grass and some very disgruntled members. We need to be sensible. The most important thing is the pace at which change is implemented. It is obvious that we have a history of suffering with disease and thatch on the greens. The greens have been continually chemically sprayed, and they have also received an array of tonics to try to help fight the problem. This is part of the process we will have to contend with until the problem is under control. Continual aeration is the key. At the moment the greens have the perfect environment for disease attacks and we have the perfect host for attack. We are making progress, in just a few months, and in dreadful wet weather
conditions, the thatch/root structure is already showing signs of improvement. Maybe slight improvements, but we have stopped the rot! There are improvements in the root depth and thatch density. We plan to enhance biodiversity within our course as part of our sustainable approach. We are conscious that our maintenance strategies should enhance the environment whilst maximising the enjoyment of the game. We have started by developing an Environmental Policy Document in conjunction with an appraisal of the course, and an Action Plan. Again this information is communicated to the membership. Providing habitats for wildlife is critical for enhanced biodiversity. Log piles and sensitively managed areas provide homes for insects and butterflies thus providing food for other animals. Correctly maintained ponds enhance the aesthetics as well as the biodiversity.
Our main objective is to climb the sustainable ladder. Our desire is a course that no longer relies on expensive chemicals. Our aim is to have a course that sustains natural growth and not one being forced by excessive water and fertiliser. Our wish is to have a course that is allowed to change with the weather, and nature that is
allowed to flourish. But our Utopia is doing all this whilst keeping the golfers happy.
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