The Director of Agronomy at The Royal Golf Club in Bahrain, Mark Hooker, shares his experiences of greenkeeping in the Middle East
A Desert A
fter nearly ten years working as an agronomic consultant, firstly in his native New Zealand and then
throughout Asia and the Middle East for the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute, Mark Hooker accepted the position as Grow-in Manager for Braemar Golf Developments/NASS Construction (JV) Golf Developments at Riffa Views in The Kingdom of Bahrain in December 2007. After the grow-in was completed in October 2008, Mark was approached by the Royal Golf Club to head the team as Director of Agronomy. This was a natural transition as, throughout the grow-in period, he had been responsible for the management of the greenkeepers and maintenance team. The Royal Golf Club is a Colin Montgomery designed 18-hole, par 72- championship course, plus a 9-hole par 3 academy course affectionately known as the ‘Wee Monty’. The Club has full driving range facilities and is floodlit to allow for night golf on the back 9 of the championship course and the ‘Wee Monty’.
In 2010 the club will also open an
exclusive Country Club, which includes gents and ladies gyms, multipurpose
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sports facilities, a large pool area and a family restaurant. The Royal is Bahrain’s only public access 18-hole grass course. The island is also home to two sand courses that offer a unique experience of golf in the desert. A team of thirty-eight greenkeepers manage the ongoing maintenance of both courses, and a separate landscaping company (BIGC Landscaping), with a staff of ten, are regularly utilised for golf course related work as well as external projects around the island. The course (approximately 38
hectares) was established (wall to wall) with salt tolerant Seashore Paspalam (SeaIsles Supreme). Of that, 1.7 hectares constitutes the greens, the tees are 1.8 hectares and the fairways and rough are approximately 31 hectares. The balance is made up of the driving range and the turf nursery.
In general, the greens are maintained at 3mm, the tees and aprons at 10mm, the fairways at 12mm and the rough at 45mm. However, the cutting heights are adjusted as and when required according to golfing events and/or environmental issues.
As paspalum copes well with high
salinity, the most challenging aspect of growing and developing the course has been extreme temperatures throughout the summer months, preventing early dormancy in the winter, and managing disease outbreaks whilst trying to push the turf development with high nutrition. As the grass is still relatively young, the course has suffered regular outbreaks of brown patch when humidity levels peak around the change of the seasons. Once the course matures, and nitrogen applications are further reduced, the club is confident the incidence of this disease will decrease.
Greens construction
The entire golf course was constructed with imported sand. The fairways and tees were built using double washed marine sand, and the greens with silica sand imported from Saudi Arabia. The greens were amended with 5% ZeoPro to help retain nutrients and water, which is an important aspect in extreme temperatures. The greens were constructed using California design, not USGA; these systems suit arid climates. California greens consist of a full 300mm rootzone
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