sitting there feeling 100% confident that you are 100% correct in this opinion, then that, in itself, is probably an indication that you are in fact, quite possibly wrong. As a result, I sincerely wish you all the very best for the long term.


However, should there be an element of doubt, however small, then it might be worth considering the following:


• There are grasses available with superior characteristics in pretty much every category – other than producing seed heads under 5mm – whose natural habitat happens to be more similar to your greens than block paving


• If you had a repeat prescription for antibiotics from the doctor as a “preventative” or even a regular curative, you would probably be fairly concerned that there may actually be some underlying factor more wrong with you, other than your apparent unfortunate susceptibility to infections


Simon Hewitt taking stimpmeter readings “It is


• Contrary to popular opinion, a bunch of chemists boiling up rocks sometime during the 19th century, and thereby inventing synthetic fertilisers, was not an occurrence that necessarily trumped the last six billion years of soil biology evolution. Not to mention that, like coal, mineral based mined fertilisers are in fact finite resources


probably an indication that you are, in fact, quite possibly wrong. As a result. I sincerely wish you all the very best for the long term”


114


Fundamentally, there are no absolutes; one thing Mr Mortram also said that stuck with me was, that, in greenkeeping, there is no right or wrong - what works for one may not necessarily work for another. Incidentally, another of Dennis’s classics was ‘always keep the clubhouse gardens tidy, it goes a long way with the lady members’. It was 1996, after all.


Personally, what I believe is important is to keep an open mind, to not be afraid to try new things, and challenge one’s beliefs and practices whilst, at the same time, try and keep a fix on good basic honest methods. Some call it traditional greenkeeping, but I find that this assumes that the past was more defined and correct and, therefore, somehow better. I accept the above is not always easy, especially with all the pressures the job entails, but do not, for one minute, think that, just because this is a golf course at a college, then it’s somehow easier to be like this, or that it is not the real world. I have spent most of my career in private industry and I can tell you it is no different. With the work we have undertaken over the past twelve months, these principals and objectives have been the standpoints that have underpinned it. So, one golf course, ten greens, we’ve made observations, identified the issues, and addressed the ideology. What are we going to do about it? The answer is simple and straightforward.


Contact people and companies who share that ideology, who are prepared to put their products on the line, and run them in a collaborative pooled trial for the benefit of all. Get the STRI on board to provide some independent assessment and observation, and there you go, one trial ready to go. Two such companies or, more


precisely, two such individuals, were Graham O’Connor of Symbio and John Handley of ALS. I had dealt with Graham and John whilst at my previous course and had found them both to be ideal reps. The sort who are willing to stand there and listen to you rant and rave when the world seems against you and, more importantly, the ones who don’t arrive with the latest product release leaflet trying to sell you this season’s ‘best ever washing powder’. Fundamentally, they are gentlemen who are passionate and enthusiastic about turf and solving the difficult issues that they encounter at the places they visit. Having to sell things is just one of the solutions. In late 2009, we got together and


agreed on the issues that were present in the greens. Graham and Symbio were prepared to put their programme into action, in an effort to address, in the first instance, the thatch. John decided to play devil’s advocate and, having a portfolio of products to choose from, decided to try a new addition to the ALS range, the YARA Liquids. This meant that we would have two completely different approaches. One - Symbio - fundamentally biological and focused on the soil life, the other - YARA - synthetic- but in a completely chelated liquid format that was specifically tailored to the site specific soil requirements, following detailed chemical soil analysis. Right from the start, we all agreed that the thatch was the major issue that had to be overcome first and, whilst it wasn’t the deepest anyone had encountered, it was very dense and tough. In fact, the different characteristics of some greens construction meant that the 1st, whose inherent wetness was compounded by severe compaction, had a high concentration of cellulose thatch from the Poa annua, whilst the putting green, which is inherently dry and containing plenty of festuca spp., had a higher concentration of lignin thatch. As a result, the 1st green was like a soggy wet sponge with all the water being held at the surface, and the putting green was like the bonnet of a waxed car and dry as a bone. These were two extreme examples, but the remainder all had poor characteristics associated with the thatch. It was also agreed that, for the trials to be viable, they had to be as scientific and fair as possible. We started by doling the greens out as fairly as possible. Ten greens, not unsurprisingly, split into five greens each, the greens were, as best as


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