“It was like a statement of intent, because good golfers like good greens, and good greens are fast greens, so that is the reason you pick this sort of grass”
are a close second. Greens are the one thing that golfers remember. If golfers have good day on the greens, they are happy. They can play rubbish but, if they sink putts, they are content.”
“It was ambitious to go for a grass that some might deem unsuitable for this neck of the woods, but it underlined their intent in a big way. When you look at the biggest tournaments, they always have very quick greens and, to replicate that, you need species of grass that grow laterally, so you get them tighter and shorter.”
That is all well and good for the golfer, yet it means that the greens had to be given plenty of TLC by Davy and his team because that A4/G6 blend is generally associated with warmer climates than County Durham. Davy continued: “Very few clubs in the UK use that mix, mainly because they are from America and are warm-season grasses. They like heat, so the hotter it is the better they grow. That is the biggest challenge here because, as far as I’m aware, we are the only course this far north that uses this mix in England.” “So how do we make it thrive? They
don’t like a lot of harsh treatment. By that, I mean the type of treatment which could constitute normal treatment at any other course anywhere in the UK.” “You’ve got to pick them [greens] up by brushing with small brushes mounted onto the pedestrian mower, as well as standing the leaf up via a grooming system on all the mowers. There are little teeth that pick up all the grass plant, so the leaf is lifted ever so slightly. And, there is a nice clean cut that helps promote the growth, health and green speed. They need a gentle touch; a flick, because they don’t like aggression.” “Anything heavy is not appreciated.
You have to be gentle and, when you are, the rewards are clear for all to see. The grass creeps sideways, whereas normal grass grows straight up. It is great, because it makes for a tight, slick green.” On a daily basis, Davy has up to six men tending the greens with their ‘soft touch’ pedestrian mowers, and they even
14
change the holes on every second day. “Golfers appreciate different challenges plus, the more you move it the better it is for the grass, so it is a win-win situation for all,” he added. “The weather is also a factor. It’s no
surprise that the further north you head in the UK, the bigger the challenge in terms of weather conditions. There is very little we can do regarding the weather - we are in the lap of the Gods. “If it’s windy for three weeks, then you
can’t fertilise or spray for three weeks. So, you have to make the most of the opportunities you get. But, then again, we have seen around here the wind has a tendency to drop around tea-time, so you can get stuck in then, or get in early the next morning. The guys are used to long days and waiting for the opportune moments.”
“It’s very much a microclimate because it is a windy site and most of the rain seems to bypass us. It can be tipping it down just a few miles away in Darlington or Northallerton, and we are sat here dry as a bone.”
The weather might make life tricky for the team, but they also harness it when the Tees reaches flood point. The intricate drainage system around the fairways, coupled with a number of raised greens and tees, means flood threats are kept to a surprising minimum when the rains do come.
These conditions, coupled with the course’s location nestling, in parts, on the banks of the River Tees, mean Davy is quick to rubbish allegations that a new course is a threat to wildlife. “Since we’ve arrived here, it has led to a whole plethora of wildlife. We have nesting geese and swans, cormorants, great crested grebe, herons and gulls all complementing the existing wildlife such as rabbits, hares, badgers, deer, and squirrels.”
“It means there is healthy combination
of birds and wildlife, which was part of the vision. Rockliffe Hall wants a retreat working in harmony with its country surrounds. It’s surprising how many complimentary comments come in from golfers about the wildlife.” Rockliffe Hall was in the spotlight
recently, when the great and the good of North-East football congregated at the club for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Golf Day, and Davy is confident that he can set the stage for more high-profile events on the championship course in the near future. “I have no qualms about the ability of our course to host a big competition and the interest is definitely there. I know we have the know-how to make sure the course would be ready for a big tournament,” Davy said. “The course is quite young and is in the process of developing, but we could easily host something big here very soon.” ‘Watch this space’ seems to be the message from a man who has been watching Rockliffe Hall very, very closely over the last two years.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156