Sand Martins breed on the course


which are managed in rotation every three years, during which time, they will be cut, scarified and collected to encourage fine grasses. The greens are deep scarified twice a year with a pedestrian Graden, using 2- 3mm blades - once in the spring and once in the autumn. They are then oversown with, predominantly, Bent, but some Fescue is used in the spring. Finally, they are topdressed with White Moss straight sand. Through the growing season, the


greens will be aerated using a variety of aerators (microtines, vertidrains and hollow core tines). They are then topdressed every four or five weeks with a straight sand dressing. The greens are oversown with more bent and fescue seed mixture to improve the fine grass content of the greens. The greens and tees are verticut to


Buzzard feeding post A natural stream runs through the course


remove lateral growth. The greens are done fortnightly and the tees four times a year. The greens are also rolled on occasions to firm them up, usually for tournament play. Mark does not use a stimpmeter so never records any green speeds. He relies on his members to keep him informed on there playability. The feeding programme is a little and often approach using a combination of liquid and granular feeds. These are based around a base seaweed product. Mark has managed to keep nitrogen inputs below 65kg per hectare each year for the last five years, which has helped keep the greens in good order.


Tees get a minimum base feed, whilst the fairways and the rest of the course have to rely on nature’s nitrogen cycle for food uptake. Worm and the occasional fusarium


outbreak are controlled with the use of appropriate fungicide products. One of the club’s biggest problems in


recent years has been the control of Himalayan Balsam, which appears on the banks of the water courses, that have germinated from seeds up stream. Mark has instigated a programme of cutting, pulling and spraying to control this invasive weed but, he says, it remains a tough and ongoing battle. The club employ the services of independent turf consultant, Robert Laycock, who works closely with Mark, visiting the course several times a year. Working closely with the STRI, and other agencies, Mark is carrying out work to re-establish heather and gorse plantations, control bracken and remove swathes of unwanted trees - approximately 6,000 trees over a 5 year period. The aim is to restore the course to its original moorland nature The club has invested in their own chipper to get rid of the brash, whilst the cord wood is stacked in piles in and around the course to provide shelter for mammals and insects.


Manchester Golf Club has an abundance of wildlife, expertly captured on film by one of their members, Gordon Yates, who specialises in wildlife photography for a living. With over forty-


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