Golf
“Measurements taken across the greens revealed organic matter levels averaging around nine
percent, which is far too high for a links course”
aged twenty-eight, when I became disenchanted with estate agency.” Progressing from Pyrford to a course which he describes as one of the finest inland golf courses in Britain, Paul rose to the position of first assistant at Hankley Common. In 2006, he secured the post of deputy links superintendent at Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club, a true links course recognised as one of the top ten courses in Wales. “I felt that I had achieved and learnt as much as I could at Hankley Common and wanted a more responsible and demanding role at a high profile heathland or links-type course. The job at P&K fitted the bill perfectly, and I started in May 2006.”
Changes at the club over the next year
saw Paul become P & K’s Head Greenkeeper in October 2007, responsible for directing the greens staff on a 6,860 yard, par 71 18-hole golf course plus five academy holes, a practice putting green and driving range. “When I took up the position, the club
dropped the links superintendent title in favour of head greenkeeper, a description that better suits my hands-on approach,” he commented. “Although the greens were in generally good condition, I knew that they contained a
Scarification, sand injection and seeding of bents into the 17th green being carried out by Graden Contour with debris collection by SQRL 600
lot of Poa annua and variable levels of the native finer grasses associated with links-type courses.” Paul says that the introduction of automatic irrigation in the 1980s, coupled with increased fertiliser usage and demand for lower cutting heights, had combined to encourage the ingress of Poa annua at the expense of P & K’s original pure fescues and bents. “Measurements taken across the greens
revealed organic matter levels averaging around nine percent, which is far too high for a links course,” said Paul. “My first goal when becoming head greenkeeper was to restore the natural finer grasses that are a wonderful feature of many of Britain’s finest seaside golf courses.”
The first steps taken were to raise the mowers’ cutting height from 2.5mm to 3.75mm and to reduce the quantities of nitrogen and water being applied to the putting surfaces. These actions brought no adverse comments from golfers and an immediate improvement in the firmness of the greens, an improvement that Paul was determined to maintain. Traditionally, the greens had been
hollow-tined twice a year, but no overseeding had been carried out. Paul’s first step was to bring in a Reist overseeder to begin the reintroduction of
bent grasses to the greens. The overseeding was accompanied by a compaction relief programme within and below the rootzone using a Verti-Drain deep-tine aerator. “What soon became apparent was that we did not have the optimum growing medium for the establishment of finer grasses,” commented Paul. “The levels of thatch and organic matter were simply too high.”
In early 2009, Paul attended a Farmura seminar at Royal Liverpool Golf Club which, he says, provided a big wake-up call.
“Having walked the greens at Hoylake,
I realised how links greens should be in terms of firmness, fineness and appearance. The experience provided the catalyst for the start of a Graden- based greens renovation programme that began at P & K just six weeks before the start of the Senior Ladies British Open Amateur Championship.” Although club members had expressed concern that the greens might not recover in time, Paul was able to allay their fears following a visit to Celtic Manor where Jim McKenzie was using a Graden successfully for deep scarification and aeration on the Twenty Ten Course, reporting excellent recovery. Seizing the opportunity to give other
Cutting height on the greens was raised to 3.75mm 34 PC JUNE/JULY 2013
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