KEEPING ...


• Discharging contaminated water to groundwater is now illegal (under the Groundwater Regulations).


• Contaminated water includes dilute pesticide washings and elevated nitrate levels from grass clippings.


• To discharge water from your washdown facility you must have a discharge licence from the Environment Agency or equivalent national statutory body.


• Legislation is becoming ever more stringent in this area.


• Mechanical water recycling facilities and reed bed systems are the most effective solutions.


Composting?


• How do you currently deal with grass clippings?


• Letting them fly adds nutrients to the sward and, whilst in certain weaker swards it may assist growth, in the main this practice can promote thatch build up and coarse, undesirable species such as Yorkshire Fog, as well as increasing the potential for worm casts.


• Spreading clippings into rough grasslands again adds nutrients to the sward and creates grassland areas that are less attractive, less valuable for wildlife and, crucially, more difficult to play from. This results in a reduction in their acceptance on the golf course.


• Dumping clippings in non contained piles in areas out of sight of play is not permitted due to the potential for groundwater contamination.


• Best practice is to create composting bays, ideally covered, on a hard


standing with a sump to collect leachate. Pile the grass clippings in the bays, ideally mixed with some wood chip to allow air movement through the pile and speed up decomposition. Turn the piles every six months or so and viable compost should be ready to use within twelve months.


Water consumption?


• Do you know how much water is used annually to irrigate your golf course?


• Do you know how much the clubhouse is using?


• Would you say your water use was higher than it potentially could be through perhaps the presence of highly water demanding grass species or pressure from members to keep grass growth lush?


• Have you looked into management 57


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108