Our second article on contractors features Worth Draining, who began trading over twenty-five years ago.
Worth-while... W
Laurence Gale MSc talks to the company’s Contracts Manager, Paul Simpson
Paul Simpson 88
orth Draining was set up in 1984 by Peter Bloodworth, who saw an opportunity to provide specialist contract work to golf courses and sports clubs. At the time, Peter was chairman of Stoke Rochester Golf Club, and was made aware of the new developments in aeration machinery by Jim Arthur, renowned golf course agronomist, who had come across a new concept in deep aeration - the Verti-Drain. The Verti-Drain revolutionised turfcare, not only by penetrating deeper, but also by its manner of operation; the tines ‘heave’ the soil as they leave the ground, shattering deep-rooted compaction. This creates extra pore and air space, which encourages drainage, healthy grass growth and beneficial microbial activity. Over the past quarter century, a complete range of Verti-Drains, and their clones, have been developed, including pedestrian and tractor-towed versions, for turfcare professionals managing all kinds of facilities. Worth Draining bought one of the very early production models, a Verti-Drain 105145 (1.5m wide), which they used to decompact golf greens, football pitches and other playing surfaces. As with any new machinery, it was a case of trying it out and learning from
experience. And they had plenty of that - quite often they would find the machine bringing up large chunks of turf, and even large stones. They soon realised that working with the weather, and having a better understanding of the construction and management of the site, helped enormously. They were also able to work closely with the manufacturers, Redexim Charterhouse, to rectify any problems and issues. Plenty of modifications were made, which led to new models being designed and built. Paul Simpson, Worth Draining’s contracts manager, who has been with the company since 1987, has played an important part in helping develop and improve the Verti-Drain, and has, himself, overseen some modifications to the company’s own Verti-Drain fleet to help them perform more smoothly. Paul remembers the first time the machine was tried out on a cricket table back in the mid 1980s, under the guidance of the then Oakham School Head Groundsman, Keith Exton, who wanted to experiment with the new technology - a brave decision, but one he has persevered with until this day. Keith, now Head Groundsman at Glamorgan CCC, has perfected the use of deep solid
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