Golf
Scott starts the autumn renovation of Saundersfoot Bowling Club's green with a scarification pass
Tenby Golf Club during what has been a difficult period for all”
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received all possible
“I have
Scott overseeding Saundersfoot’s bowling green with an 80:20 fescue/bent mix
As Scott quickly discovered, Tenby golf course is constantly on the move, driven by the Atlantic winds that blow across and along the length of holes laid out predominantly on a south-west/north-east axis. The ever-shifting sands not only cause erosion to the sides and face of bunkers, but they also affect the levels of tees, with small humps and hollows appearing without warning, sometimes overnight. As a result, a number of tees require
relevelling every few years, a job that consumes a large amount of labour on a golf course that runs a tight ship on the greenkeeping front.
Despite the addition of a new member of staff last September, the four greenkeepers - including Scott - are never looking for a job to do on a 125-year-old links course that is recognised as one of the best of its type in Wales, being rated among the country’s top five. Apart from regular reparation work to
Toro Greensmaster 3400-D greens triple Toro Greensmaster 3200-D greens triple Toro Greensmaster 3250-D greens triple GreenTek scarifying heads x 3
Toro Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder utility mower Toro Reelmaster 5410 fairway mower
Toro 3500-D Groundsman rough-cut mower Toro ProCore 648 aerator Kubota 52hp L5040 tractor Kubota 45hp L4200
John Deere 43hp 4610 tractor c/w Lewis front loader and backhoe
John Deere Gator XUV550 S4 Charterhouse Verti-Drain 7316 Concept Perugini AT180 flail mower Sisis Variseeder 1300 Lewis 2 tonne tipping trailer Marston 2 tonne tipping trailer
+ various powered and non-powered hand tools
34 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014
bunkers and tees, other parts of the course that demand constant attention, normally out-of-season, are worn pathways and denser areas of rough between the fairways, where blackthorn and gorse just “keep on growing”, according to Scott. Although keen to maintain future development and improvement of the golf course, Scott is wary of following too closely in the footsteps of his predecessor. “Due to his golfing abilities, Chris was always looking to make the course a little more demanding for longer hitters, through the addition of a carefully-placed bunker here or the extension or repositioning of a tee over there,” commented Scott. “For the average club player, I believe that Tenby provides an enjoyable and competitive round of golf in conditions that can change during the course of a round from easy to testing, depending on the direction and strength of the wind.” One area that has seen major
improvement during the past ten years lies at the south-western end of the course, where the greenkeepers constructed two completely new holes. Of the two, Chris was particularly
proud of the ninth with its tee, perched high above Tenby’s South Beach, offering spectacular views over the course towards the town, flanked by the beach and historic Caldy Island to the right.
Getting the top dressing down is a strictly manual job carried out by two shovel- wielding spreaders
Known, when built, as ‘Monks Way’, the ninth hole is in the process of being renamed ‘Jenkins View’ in memory of a greenkeeper who is described by golf club secretary, David Hancock, as “an extraordinary servant of the club who will be remembered for many years to come.” In addition to a commemorative plaque, the tee will feature a bench made out of old railway sleepers, material that was stockpiled and used regularly by Chris around the course in his efforts to stem the constantly moving sands. Whilst happy to take on Chris’s former
responsibilities and provide part-time advisory and practical greenkeeping assistance to both Tenby and Saundersfoot Bowling Clubs, Scott pointed out that his seasonal input will be a little less than that of Chris, who found time to mow Tenby’s bowling green two or three times a week following a day’s work at the golf club. “As at Saundersfoot, members of Tenby Bowling Club will now be responsible for regular mowing of their green,” he said. “My practical duties at both clubs extend to aeration, fertilising and spraying, as and when needed, plus full autumn renovations at the end of the playing season. I am also available to provide technical advice to the clubs and deal with disease, pest and weed issues, plus any other concerns that might arise during the year.” Early afternoon on Friday, 20th September 2013, Scott arrived at Saundersfoot Bowling Club to commence autumn renovations, his first-ever job on the green that had been tended previously by Chris. Assisted by fellow Tenby Golf Club
greenkeeper, Michael Edwards, and retired former greenkeeper, Gerald Williams, Scott commenced by scarifying the turf to a depth of around 8mm using the bowling club’s GreenTek Thatch- Away, creating grooves for the seed whilst collecting the majority of removed material in the machine’s grass box. To ensure the cleanest possible surface ahead of overseeding, the club’s Toro Greenmaster worked fifty metres behind the Thatch-Away picking up any stray scarified material. With the surface prepared, a seed mix comprising 80% creeping red fescue and 20% browntop bent was broadcast over two passes by pedestrian spreader at a
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