Conservation & Ecology
environment, and implementing environmental initiatives to minimise the impact we have upon it, is always in the forefront of my mind in all aspects of my job. However, in this article I will attempt to describe what it has meant to me, the rest of the greenkeeping team, our management and, more importantly, our members to have received this most prestigious award.
C I think it may be fair to say that
environmental policy is not high on the agenda for many industries, including golf, so any initiative which raises awareness is of utmost importance. Our natural heritage and wildlife in the UK is in a delicate balance with some species declining rapidly or even disappearing altogether. The introduction, either intentionally or otherwise, of non-native species does not help matters and some can be extremely detrimental to our precious landscape - look at rhododendron for example, an invasive shrub that threatens woodland, especially in some of the ancient woods of Scotland. That said, I believe the golf industry could play a critical role in preserving and enhancing our important habitats due to the nature of golf course design - tees, fairways and greens interspersed with rough grasslands, dune, heath, woods and other natural habitats that form the character of the course. Three main factors were always considered when selecting initiatives to improve the course: - Hole character, where we allowed rough to develop, for example, to enhance the challenge of the hole without adversely slowing play from errant shots
- Aesthetics, which is always important, where rough was developed to improve the look of the hole with well-defined rough edges that followed contours and features of the course.
onservation Greenkeeper of the Year 2011; what a great title, and one that I am immensely proud to have achieved here at Turton Golf Club. Caring for our
- Ecological value. Allowing rough to develop provides an important niche for many small mammals and invertebrates, which, in turn, provide food for larger mammals and birds.
So, by improving hole character, aesthetics and ecological value, we are gradually improving our course and minimising our impact upon the environment, whilst saving manpower and fuel required to manage these spots. Prior to receiving the award, some of the management initiatives we adopted here at Turton were small-scale, so as not to interfere with the normal day-to-day maintenance of the course and to gradually improve our golf course over a long period.
Some of them, such as heather
regeneration, rough development and heath/wildflower meadow management, had remained largely unnoticed due to this. However, receiving the award has changed all that, with our members seemingly very proud that it has come to ‘their’ club.
Members love the one-upmanship with other local clubs and are quick to point out our achievements here. They also enjoy the fact that our name is right next to Loch Lomond Golf Club, winners of the overall category 2011. Now, most of our members welcome the environmental initiatives we employ, whilst our management are pleased to see savings in the maintenance of the course. They are also taking an interest in how we look after the nature on our course and our ecological interests, so much so that we have now been able to make much more large-scale ecological improvements to create a much more sustainable landscape.
One such improvement is the
completion of a new woodland plantation, which will be named Captain’s Avenue, whereby forty large native trees - alder, birch, oak and rowan - have been planted. Each tree representing a past captain of the club and, once properly established, a plaque will be placed at each one to
commemorate each captain. All the trees are supported by over seventy smaller nurse trees, which will provide protection and a competitive element within the plantation allowing it to hopefully flourish. The plantation will also provide definition to our 13th hole as it matures due to its position all along the length of the hole. In time, the feature will alter the character and aesthetics of the hole and the trees will grow at varying rates providing a diverse habitat for woodland species. The nurse trees will also be removed and replanted on other areas of the course: true sustainable development? I think so! We have also been able to complete another large-scale (for us) initiative with the completion of a new 1000m2 wildflower meadow. This area will provide an attractive backdrop to our 3rd green and contains a number of native grass and wildflower species all to be found within the vicinity of the course. Intensive grass cutting of this area during summer has now ceased, saving time and money, whilst providing a vitally important area for invertebrates, especially the declining bee population. We’ll have to perform a little management during autumn to keep getting the best out of it, but that just involves strimming down the vegetation and removing the strimmed material from the site. A bird nest box scheme, of sorts, has been in progress since I arrived here five years ago, with a few boxes made each winter during rainy days when we can’t get on the course. These were made from any old bits of wood I had put to one side throughout the previous year. We were slowly building the numbers of
boxes up on the course, all of which were for Blue, Great and Coal Tits, but had recently pushed the boat out and built a Kestrel box. However, news of the environmental awards travels further than you might think; Martin George of CJ Wildlife, who had learned of our success, contacted me to help us with our nest box scheme by generously contributing a
This newly created wildflower meadow serves as a colourful backdrop to the 3rd hole
This Tawny Owl regularly roosts at the front of the greenkeepers sheds
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