Golf
Keith Hersey - Luton Hoo through and through
course as natural as possible.
We’ve introduced wildflowers to some rough areas and plan doing more next year”
“In truth though, there is no easier way to please members and to add interest than to keep the
members of his team to be chainsaw qualified. If there is a large amount of tree work to be undertaken, he can enlist the the help of qualified members of the gardening team. This work usually generates between 30-50 tonnes of firewood for the mansion each year. “With the new plantations now over seven years old, we will begin thinning these out to allow trees to mature. I’m considering hiring a tree spade to transplant some of the larger trees to other parts of the course. “ As for machinery, it a case of keeping it in good condition and replacing every few years.
“Most of the servicing is done in-house and we have recently invested in two Bernhard grinders and do everything except for major repairs, i.e hydraulic pumps and valves, when we use a local dealer. The machinery was purchased new, but now we are looking at other options when it comes to replacing them. I’m not particularly loyal to one supplier as I prefer to buy, what I consider, the best for the job.” Finally, I ask how Avon communicates with the members. “I produce a monthly newsletter and am also setting up a
Twitter feed so that they can get involved,” he explains. “For example, this winter we are planning to put in some new paths and possibly some winter tees, so this will be the ideal way of keeping them informed.”
“In truth though, there is no easier way to please members and to add interest than to keep the course as natural as possible. We’ve introduced wildflowers to some rough areas and plan doing more next year. Whilst we don’t employ an environment consultant, we do work with local agencies.”
NEXT, it was time to meet Head Gardener, Keith Hersey, one of only two staff employed by Luton Hoo before it was purchased by Elite Hotels; the other is his good friend, Zena Dickinson, who looked after the house; both have worked for the estate for over thirty years and have fond memories of the previous owner, Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Phillips. Keith is a third generation head
gardener, having followed his father and grandfather into the industry. Keith began his career at Luton Hoo as an eighteen old and progressed his way up to the position of Head Gardener.
Lawns where once there were rose beds 32 PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013
Large herbaceous borders are planted with species that would have been seen by previous generations
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