There are over seventy bunkers to maintain What’s in the shed?


Ransomes/Jacobsen equipment under contract from Fairway GM


Jacobsen HR 9016 rough cutter Jacobsen TR3 semi-rough cutter Jacobsen LF 3800 fairway mowers x 2 Jacobsen G-Plex 3 greens/tee mowers x 3 Thatchaway – Supa-system Sarrell rollers – Supa-system Jacobsen 11 blade greens units x 3 Jacobsen 7 blade tees/aprons units x 3 Toro Pro core 648 Gianni Ferrari Turbo 4 Turfmech C.A.T. 800 core collector Wiedenmann terra float overseeder Smithco Superstar bunker rake Kawasaki Mule 4010 E-Z-GO ST 350 E-Z-GO ST 4x4 E-Z-GO Refresher 1200 for on course refreshments


E-Z-GO golf buggies x 16 Tractors


New Holland TN75D Kubota B2410 compact Aerators


SISIS slit tiner Soil Reliever aerator BMS tractor mounted 2m sarrell roller


Other machinery


Tru-turf turf iron Toro Workman 3300-D Charterhouse Rink DS800 disc topdresser Bargam 450lt mounted boom sprayer McConnell flail mower Groom it –TM Plus- Brush Hunter Juno grinder Stihl FS400 Strimmers x 2 EFCO 8400 Strimmer Kawasaki 26A Strimmer Robin Strimmer


Stihl PB 6000 backpack blower Stihl BR 550 backpack blower Stihl BR 400 backpack blower Husqvarna 268 chainsaw Husqvarna 141 chainsaw Husqvarna 3m pole chainsaw Flymo hover mowers x 3 Hardi BP15 knapsack sprayers x 2 Berthoud Vermorel 2000 knapsack sprayer (total only)


38


From the 9th tee


deal with machinery coming in when needed and the Roxburghe also giving a loan of any machines, if needed, for demonstration purposes. Greens are cut daily to 4mm in the summer using their eleven blade Jacobsen G-Plex 3s. In winter, the height of cut is raised to 5.5mm and mowing takes place weekly or as growth demands. The G-Plex mowers are also used to maintain the tees, keeping them at 9mm in the summer and 12mm in the winter. Collars and approaches are maintained at the same heights and cut with a seven blade triple Ransomes JacobsenTR3 cylinder mower three times a week. Fairways are cut twice a week in the summer using their Jacobsen LF3800 fairway mowers - 12mm in the summer and 15mm in the winter. Semi rough is maintained at 40mm


all year round, cutting once a week. Similarly, the rough is maintained at 75mm.


Semi permanent grassland is cut twice a year to 100mm, whilst the deep rough is cut and collected once, at the end of summer, having been knocked down to 150mm.


Mechanic, Mick Ponton, keeps all mowers in tip-top condition, checking height of cut daily and performing any required maintenance.


Under the club’s maintenance contract


with Fairway GM, cylinders and bottom blades are sharpened and reground regularly, and Mike also has his own Hunter Juno for any unforeseen problems. With so much regular topdressing being applied to the greens (200 tonnes), and the height of cut being at 4mm during the summer season, checking the mowers is an essential part of the weekly programme. The USGA spec greens are large and undulating and require a balanced


maintenance regime that includes the use of wetting agents, growth retardants, granular and liquid feeds, plenty of aeration, verticutting and topdressing to keep them smooth and fast. They generally run between 9.0-9.5ft on the stimpmeter during the height of the season, faster for tournaments if needed. Craig says that Primo Maxx has been a godsend, reducing the amount of cutting required on treated areas. He uses it on the greens at a rate to stimulate tillering, but it is primarily used on tees and bunker faces to slow growth down. A Rainbird irrigation system, with


remote rain smart sensors, was installed by MJ Abbott, and the company also performs the initial start-up in March, when they also check for any faults in the system following Scotland’s usually harsh winter. The winter shut down of the system is carried out by Craig and his team. The three pumps are connected to Rainbird Stratus LT software, a PC based system controller with decoder units, which allows freedom of individual programme inputs. The irrigation water is abstracted, through licence, from the river Teviot which allows up to one hundred cubic metres per day between 1st April and 31st October. No water may be abstracted outside these dates. During the winter months, the greens


are given monthly deep aeration, alternating between the Soil Reliever and SISIS slit tiner. In between times, a BMS sarrell roller is used to keep the surfaces open, when the weather allows. Tees and approaches receive a similar aeration programme, whilst two passes are given to the fairways. With over seventy Thomas style


bunkers to maintain, it is one of the most labour intensive jobs on the course. They are machine raked daily and cut, edged and mown in one operation every five to six weeks. Craig undertakes the following core practices to keep the greens, tees and approaches in a good condition:


• In March, a moss killer is applied to control ingression on the greens, and this is followed by the greens being cored with 13mm hollow tines


Core collecting


• First feed is applied in April, with a 3:0:3 on greens, tees and approaches. This is followed by a monthly application of Mascot Breaker Advance


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